What a pissy night. What a pissy game. Sloppy baserunning. Sloppy defense. Sloppy hitting. Sloppy pitching. Everything looked sloppy for the Braves on Tuesday night.
We're still a menagerie of various wounds and bruises, especially in the heart of our lineup where Yunel Escobar, Chipper Jones, and Brian McCann are all battling their own injuries.
Overall, though, it's the mistakes that are gonna kill you, and mistakes we made. Jordan Schafer overran second base on a double he attempted to turn into a triple. Matt Diaz let a ball get past him in the outfield that allowed the Nationals to eventually take the lead. We get two runners in scoring position in the ninth with no one out and can't f-ing score!
To some degree this team reminds me of those Braves teams during the 90's that would struggle and struggle to find themselves and gel in the early months, but you knew all the pieces were there. Those teams would eventually make their move and when they did they were clicking on all cylinders. This team is struggling to find its center, to find its balance, we're just waiting for it to come together like we all know it can.
May I humbly suggest to Bobby Cox that he turn his lineup around a bit. I think it's time to put Jordan Schafer in the leadoff spot and let him use all of his aggressivness. I don't care if that means Kelly Johnson or Casey Kotchman have to hit eighth. We know the current lineup can score some runs, but it certainly can't do it consistantly, so I think it's time to flip it on its head.
0 recs | 32 comments
Maybe after the clutch hitting debacle in the 9th, TP will use some more of his hitting coach skill and threaten to shave heads again. It worked in Pittsburgh, and its better than teaching them to get a run in with no outs.
Its also tied if Norton and Kelly did worth a damn. But lets not mention that.
10-4 - April 22, 2009
Schafer @ leadoff
Keep hearing these suggestions to put Schafer in the leadoff spot and I’m just not buying it. 19K’s in 50AB’s does not a leadoff hitter make. The only thing I would do with Schafer is move him up a spot or two, so he might be able to use his speed when the pitcher isn’t batting behind him. I’d be fine with Diaz in the 8 hole. Then at least you have L / R / L / R in the 5-8 spots for later in the game.
KJ is obviously in a 1-19 slump right now, but he’s a streaky hitter and always has been. Insanity is defined something along the lines of doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, but I don’t see a better lineup arrangment than what we have now. At some point the team is either going to start getting hits with bases loaded / 2nd & 3rd with nobody out, or the team is going to be 72-90 again. We’ll just have to wait a little while longer to see.
fphjr01 - April 22, 2009
Escobar for leadoff 2009! He’s here…FOR YOU.
soup du jour - April 22, 2009
You forgot Prado’s sweet baserunning with Chipper up.
Smoltz's Beard - April 22, 2009
I’m trying to forget a lot of things about that game.
gondeee - April 22, 2009
I missed that...
…I was out of the room and when I came back Chipper was batting, got the hit, and they were talking about Prado and regrets, but the little thing on the screen said no outs. What happened?
sddbaker - April 22, 2009
Ball in the dirt and Prado tried to steal third…thrown out pretty easily with Chipper still in the batter’s box.
Smoltz's Beard - April 22, 2009
This game pissed me off but good, as it did many of us. Not being able to score in that situation in the ninth is just about inexcusable. I agree with those who’ve said that this team is hard to watch right now. Painful even.
But…
I am not ready to give up. I don’t want to fire anyone, I don’t want to overhaul the entire roster (just a couple parts), I don’t want to post diatribes that would make the crying babies themselves call me a whiner. I DO want to have faith, because as bad as it’s been, it’s only three weeks into the season.
Let’s step back from the ledge a bit. It’s terrible, but it could always be worse – it could be November. I’d rather deal with the ups and downs of baseball than have no baseball at all.
Go Braves.
VegasAces - April 22, 2009
Somehow it’s infinitely easier to stomach knowing Phils and Mets fans are unhappy as well.
Bravely going forward - April 22, 2009
Only the Marlins fan is happy.
10-4 - April 22, 2009
damn!
Euruproktos - April 22, 2009
Schaefer
I second the call to move Schaefer to the lead off spot. Now only will it allow the whole team to take advantage of his aggressiveness, I think Escobar will give him some protection and allow him to hit even better.
Atlanta_Chris - April 22, 2009
No matter what moves Bobby makes, if our hitters don’t stop being so impatient at the plate – we’ll forever be stuck in mediocrity.
We’re an opposing pitchers best friend with some of the JUNK we swing at with abandon.
Makes me scream at my TV and scare the dog.
NCChopper - April 22, 2009
To me the eighth spot in a NL lineup is really tough. You have no protection behind you so a pitcher can just nibble and try to hit his spots and doesn’t ever have to throw you a good pitch. Escobar and Chipper are in a great spot because they have good protection hitting behind them. Those guys should hit .300 every season (Chipper already does)
KC Ryan - April 22, 2009
game 14 recap
Painful. Looking early to be a more frustrating season than last year w/all the one run losses. The thing that made last year tolerable was that you understood their injuries played a role in the Braves performance. This year (so far) that can’t be said, though Jones, McCann & Escobar have some minor issues. Losing to the Pirates and the Nats is deflating to say the least. This team is better than what they are showing. I’m still a believer but I’m not buying the excuse “it’s still early in the season”. The Braves need to start addressing some issues now before this mediocre playing sets in permanately. On the bright side Kotchman looked good last night and it’s good to see Frenchy regaining his swing. Lets go Braves.
adc62 - April 22, 2009
Minor issues? They’ve missed a combined 11 games. Quite frankly, I think we’re fortunate that we’re only 2 games under .500 with three of our best four hitters out of the lineup.
Smoltz's Beard - April 22, 2009
Ever get that feeling
At the time of when it occurred, the Braves were up 3-0, but Jordan Schafer blew around the bases, rounded second, and would likely easily have beaten any potential throw to third for the triple, especially with Elijah Dukes fumbling around with the ball for a moment. But instead he slammed the brakes and scrambled back. Baseball is a game of seconds, or even less, and that mistake turned out to be costly.
Had Schafer made it to third, who knows; Martin Prado might’ve come in to PH, lifting Kawakami and his obligation to pitch to Dunn/Dukes/Kearns, and if he replicated his PH of yesterday, Schafer scores on his double, 4-0. And speaking of Prado, he committed his own base-running blunder of the night.
Bottom line is, ever get that feeling, that no matter the score, a botched offensive play like both Schafer’s and Prado’s pretty much gives that sense of dread that the theoretical run that could’ve scored is going to be costly? Because I did, on both accounts. I hate the feeling of it, and I wish it weren’t there, but it’s like a Murphy’s Law-ish thing – if you fail to get the run you’re supposed to get, it will bite you in the ass.
royhobbs - April 22, 2009
“Ever get that feeling”
Yeah, when we made the first out in the 9th with 2nd & 3rd and no outs.
I’m embarrassed I let myself get excited we would at least tie the game there. I should have known better the way we played the rest of that game.
NCChopper - April 22, 2009
I don’t think its unreasonable to expect major league ball players to score at least 1 run in that position…but yeah, our fundamentals seem a bit lacking lately.
soup du jour - April 22, 2009
sadly, i fully expected them to not score, hoping i was wrong.
10-4 - April 22, 2009
I can't constantly defend the Braves around the office anymore
Now I just say, “Yeah, we suck.”
We can’t win a game to save our life. And the “worst team in the league” continues to use us as a punching bag. That says enough. If we don’t win tonite…………….I don’t even want to finish that sentence.
Chief Noc-A-Homa - April 22, 2009
It’s okay to admit to others when your team isn’t playing well. If you didn’t, you’d be a Yankees fan. Just don’t give up already (not implying that you are, just hoping it’s not the case).
VegasAces - April 22, 2009
I'll never give up. Don't worry about that. I never miss a game. Just very disappointed.
We’re 6-8, and we should be 8-6, at the very least. We have alot of talent, is the thing that pisses me off most. Maybe with Mac being a regular again, we can jump back in this before it really is too late
Chief Noc-A-Homa - April 22, 2009
i know the feeling
My rep as the big braves fan in my circle is well known, so people are asking me how the Braves are doing, or whats wrong with the Braves. Right now, i can only say besides starting pitching, they aren’t doing a whole lot right currently. But its easier to just say they suck right now.
10-4 - April 22, 2009
What’s the forecast for tonight’s game?
I’m hoping we’re not facing another late night that gets you all excited at first, but only ends in disappointment.
If I wanted that, I’d call up an old boyfriend LOL.
NCChopper - April 22, 2009
lawl
Gage23 - April 22, 2009
angrysmurf - April 22, 2009
failed blockquote
i really suck at those
angrysmurf - April 22, 2009
I think Norton needs a start, just so he can get the 4-5 PA to, hopefully, help work out whatever issues he’s having at the moment.
Of course Kelly had a couple of great games against the Nats (first series), then Bobby sat him and he went into this slump shortly after, so you don’t want Kotchman sitting out when he’s actually started hitting the ball well recently.
Lennox - April 22, 2009
You know, I was actually thinking that Norton getting a start might not be such a bad idea.
Smoltz's Beard - April 22, 2009
I wouldn't start Norton ttongiht
La-na-na-na is left handed, and Norton usually sucks against LHP anyway, we just need to get him back to raking RHP again.
Lennox - April 22, 2009
Not tonight, just in general.
Smoltz's Beard - April 22, 2009
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