Two words to describe this game -- no offense. The Braves were shut down by Bronson Arroyo and the Reds pen. The middle of the order -- Chipper Jones, Brian McCann, and Adam LaRoche -- were 0-for-11, and only Chipper got on base with a walk, while McCann grounded into a critical rally killer double-play in the first inning. It was actually down hill from there.
Nate McLouth was activated of the DL and entered the game when Yunel Escobar had to leave because of hyper-extending his leg while trying to beat out a play at first base in the fourth inning. Bobby Cox also left the game by way of ejection for the second straight night. He was arguing about Yuney being called out on that play for being inside the baseline when the ball hit him in the back of the head. McLouth, meanwhile, accounted for the only Atlanta run; a homerun on the first pitch he saw in his first at-bat back from the DL.
Another double-play in the ninth killed any chance of a rally by Atlanta. The Braves used Kenshin Kawakami in relief in the ninth inning -- he got the Reds 1-2-3. As we suspected, it looks like he might be the guy to go from the rotation to the pen.
I said pre-game that this was a must win game, and our slim playoff hopes are getting slimmer.
0 recs | 32 comments
Is this really a playoff calliber team, considering that everytime I’ve turned them on lately, I go in hoping to win, instead of expecting to win?
bravos1984 - September 4, 2009
i dont even
I think its time to start packing up the season.
esadb - September 4, 2009
Is Yunel’s injury bad?
blitzerlover - September 4, 2009
Sprained ankle last I heard
bravos1984 - September 4, 2009
The BP got a night of rest, so I’m hoping that means we’ll find a way to win at least 1 of these games and not get swept at home before heading on the road again.
Yeah, fear of being swept by the 18 games back Cincinnati Reds is not the place we need to be right now.
Will our offense and pitching ever show up for the same game again this year?
NCChopper - September 4, 2009
no
nuftjedi - September 4, 2009
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Long-arm-of-the-law-finds-itself-in-the-grasp-of?urn=mlb,187211
Might as well leave laughing…..
bravos1984 - September 4, 2009
link fail…nevermind…just go away miserable, I guess. :P
bravos1984 - September 4, 2009
I’m glad I missed this one. Doesn’t look like D-Lowe pitched too bad.
eaheckman10 - September 4, 2009
As promised, gluten-free prices
The word cut off is “roll”
Lizziebeth - September 5, 2009
Thank you for the pics of the gluten free food prices! They are not as bad as I had thought, considering the prices of normal food there at the Ted!
HEYJUDE - September 5, 2009
Sign you up for the I-Team! So i’m gonna say that gluten has a negative value, since if you remove it, prices go up?
10-4 - September 5, 2009
Well done. Thanks.
gondeee - September 5, 2009
My pleasure!
Don’t you like how I was able to get the chef and assistants to pose, too? Just kidding, I happened to walk up at the same time as Patty with Chop Talk magazine was taking a pic. While there wasn’t a line like you see at the other concession places, people were definitely making purchases. I would’ve stalked one of those people until they started eating to find out how it tasted, but Patty alerted me to Huddy getting the “local” Clemente award, so I went to take pics of that instead.
Lizziebeth - September 5, 2009
The only positive thing about this game
Is the fact that McLouth and Church both were able to play their respectable positions. Not to mention when Diaz went into LF he made some plays that McLouth has had to make all year and im sure that will help McLouth out.
I say the Braves limit GA to pinch hitting duties and if we make it to the WS use him as a DH. Other than that he needs to sit. Diaz, McLouth and Church are all better all around players than him and he isnt NEEDED with the recent emergence of Diaz hitting both lefties and righties.
I say tomorrow we field a line up of.
Diaz LF
McLouth CF
Chip 3B
McCann C
LaRoche 1B
Prado 2B
Church RF
Infante SS
If Esco can play bat him 6th and Prado 8th.
I think with that you will see McLouth get more pitches to hit to drive in Diaz because of Chip hitting behind him. Although Chip isnt hitting well teams still fear him and arent dumb enough to actually pitch to him.
Hopefully with those two at the top our offense shifts into a Playoff Caliber Gear.
drumzalicious - September 5, 2009
Well, season is over boys, IMO.
We’ve now lost 3 in a row to teams we should’ve beat. We’re 5 back and every team ahead of us won tonight. The Rockies only have 9 games left against +.500 teams and we have something like 13.
I would really, really love to be wrong, but im giving up on this team. We can’t catch a break anymore (like when BMac smacked that ball right at Rolen in the 1st inning or when Esco was called out running to 1st base). Our pitching is great, but our offense is garbage. And Bobby Cox, for the first time, is losing his touch.
At least we found our future ace this season in Tommy and Heyward will be up in 6 months.
Scott Coleman - September 5, 2009
its football season anyway
bpk228480 - September 5, 2009
But I don't watch football
Whether we get the wild card or not I just enjoy watching baseball for it’s own sake, no other sport like it really. It’s a game of ultra precision, speed and skill. If you don’t think so try throwing a 90mph fastball consistently into the strikezone, or try hitting one. Steal a base as well as Nate does or play major league shortstop. Some people claim it’s boring, like when 2 pitchers are on top of their game and it’s 1-0 in the 7th inning.You have to appreciate the skill. The Braves are my #1 team, I bought season tix this year and very well might next year, I live in Asheville,NC BTW. I don’t make it most of the games but the seats are almost always filled by friends. I don’t charge them for it either. I’ll watch the Braves this year right up to the last game on Oct.4. I’ll bitch about every thing I don"t like and not be sorry for it unless I proven wrong. Are we going to make the wild card? Not likely, but just remember back in June we didn’t think we’d get this far. We’ll end the season above .500 (hopefully) and hope they put a good lineup together for Spring Training. Oh, by the way our offense isn’t really that bad, just this whole year we haven’t been able to beat pitchers who are hot on any particular day. We’ve done OK against everthing else most of the time. In case nobody noticed other teams don’t hit good pitchers well either. I wonder if Bobby will be back next year,he’ll be 70. I also wonder why Chipper doesn’t fly his Dad in for some personal batting instruction. Still got to root for the Braves, right? Right?! RIGHT?!!!! I CAN"T HEAR YOU!!!!!
jimmontg - September 5, 2009
My hat’s off to you for purchasing season tickets like that. Very cool.
Gage23 - September 5, 2009
I’m not going to not root for the braves…I’m going to watch the games when I can…but now if I’m offered something else to do, or somewhere to go, I don’t need to think about it because the Braves game is on, like I would do if I personally felt we had a legitimate shot. Baseball was my first love, I played for 14 years of my life, and if it came to a World Series win for the Braves or another championship for another team, I’d take the Braves in a heartbeat. But now my hope springs new for football season, maybe my team can make the playoffs in that sport. Its a never ending cycle.
bpk228480 - September 5, 2009
Nicely said.
There’s just nothing like baseball in my book. Could care less about any other sport – just too lifeless for me. Bravo on the season tickets – you sound like a good friend!
Lizziebeth - September 5, 2009
Agreed. I could care less about any other game besides baseball.
John Holton - September 5, 2009
more butchered expressions.
The expression is said: “I could NOT (or couldn’t) care less.” By saying you could care less, you imply that you care a little bit. If you’re trying to say you don’t care at all, you could NOT care less.
Aside from that, I completely agree with your sentiments. While I love my hometown Saints, my Phoenix Suns, etc., there’s nothing like baseball. Nothing. But now that we can’t seem to walk and chew gum at the same time anymore (that’s a metaphor for pitch and hit), I will gladly accept other plans if offered to me. Since the beginning of the season, I planned most everything else around watching baseball…no longer unless I check in a week and see that we are only a couple games off the pace. I sure hope that’s the case.
I love baseball, but these Braves are killing me! I couldn’t care less that it’s college football season, and I’m going to miss watching baseball until next season. I hope the Braves can lure me back to the tube, but for now, it’s too painful and not worth 3 hours to watch this team when I can be DOING something.
Jareth Cutestory - September 5, 2009
Somebody call for a butcher?
Yeah, I was thinking I cared a little (enough to be polite and sociable), so it was possible to care less than that. But you’re partially right; I don’t care about football and basketball (and boxing, and car racing, and…). But I still care a little about golf and hockey…so long as Tiger and Happy Gilmore are around. And I do like WERA motorcycle road racing.
But I do appreciate the explanation of the appropriate usage! Where were you when I was trying to figure out the proper “formatting” for “coaches families”?!
Lizziebeth - September 5, 2009
Haha...
sorry about missing out on the “coaches families” saga.
If you’re talking about multiple coaches, it’s “coaches’ families;” if the multiple families are the ones in possession, it’s “coaches’ families’;” if it’s a single coach’s family in possession, it’s “coach’s family’s.” Hope this helps, even though it’s after the fact.
Jareth Cutestory - September 6, 2009
The team has actually done pretty well this season, after a slow start. They put together a legitimate 50 game run after the All-Star Break and pushed themselves into position to contend for the playoffs. Even after scuffling along around .500 the last few weeks, there are still 27 games left to be played and they could keep it interesting, if they find a way somehow get hot again.
That’s a big if, I know, but the 27 games are actually going to be played and all the gloom and doomers can not predetermine the outcome of even one at bat.
Momentum in baseball is a funny, funny thing. Right now, the Braves ain’t got it. But, who knows, a win tonight, followed by another tomorrow to win the series, and maybe it turns around. A winning streak ensues, the Rockies and Giants falter and squeeze past them in the last week. It is possible.
And the last thing is this: I have no use for the fair weather fans.
fandave - September 5, 2009
nicely put
especially the last line.
adc62 - September 6, 2009
You Sir
are a true Braves fan.So nice to see that.And yes, until Oct 4 and for as many years as I live on this earth.
mikie baseball - September 5, 2009
Didn’t Angel Hernandez throw Bobby out a couple of weeks ago because Bobby was arguing that a Mets (?) player should be called out for running inside the base line on his way to first? Now Brian Gorman gives him the heave-ho because Bobby was arguing that Escobar should be safe on the very same play? Someone refresh my memory…
John Holton - September 5, 2009
Not really the best vantage point, but...
In…out…?
OW, ow, ow, ow, owwww…
Scary, wasn’t sure if Bobby was having a heart attack or what…
Aaaaaaaand toss out #150:
Lizziebeth - September 5, 2009
The best part
about Bobby getting tossed was that while he was arguing w/the ump I saw some scoal spit come flying out. Classic.
adc62 - September 5, 2009
One Of The Big Unknowns
Another thing about baseball you have to hate, the inconsistent calls by umpires. Unless of course they are in your favor, then you kind of love it, especially against the Yankees or Mets.
jimmontg - September 5, 2009
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