The winning streak is over.
The Braves fell to the Dodgers on Friday night in a bit of a sloppy game. Kenshin Kawakami started for the Braves and really struggled early on. The Dodgers scored 2 runs in the 1st and 2nd innings, putting themup 4-0 early. After the first two Dodgers hitters reached, Andre Ethier drove in Rafael Furcal with a sac-fly to RF. After retiring Manny and James Loney, KK gave up a double to Ronnie Bliiard that drove in Kemp from 2nd.
The Braves scored two runs in the 4th inning. Yunel Escobar, who had a fantastic night, singled in Martin Prado with a blooper down the RF line. Melky Cabrera then reached on a fielding error by Dodger 3B Jamey Carroll which allowed Omar Infante to score. The score was 4-2 after the top of the 3rd.
The score remained the same for 4 more innings as Kawakami and Clayton Kershaw both settled down towards the middle of the game. Kershaw was striking out Braves hitters at will, including 4 to Jason Heyward. Kawakami pitched nicely as well. In the innings he struggled, his pitches were getting elevated in the zone. In the middle innings when he was successful, he was keeping his pitches down.
The Braves came up with a huge 2-out rally in the 7th. After a single from Infante and a walk to Troy Glaus, Joe Torre removed Clayton Kershaw from the game and brought in Hong-Chih Kuo. Yunel Escobar showed flashes of the 2009 season when he ripped a 2-run double to the left field gap to score Infante and Glaus without a throw. The game was now tied 4-4.
Oddly, Bobby Cox sent KK to the mound in the 7th after already throwing 97 pitches. Kawakami retired Matt Kemp, but Andre Ethier hit a double that landed on the foul line in RF and then bounced into the seats in foul territory. After an intentional walk to Manny Ramirez, Bobby then decided to pull Kawakami and bring in Eric O'Flaherty.
EOF didn't deliver tonight. He gave up a RBI-single up the middle to James Loney that scored Ethier from 2nd without a throw. He was able to induce an inning-ending double play from Ronnie Belliard, but the damage was already done. The Dodgers had the lead once again, 5-4.
The Braves hitters went down quietly in the 8th and 9th, which included a 5th strikeout from Jason Heyward to finish the ballgame. Not a good night for the Rookie of the Year.
Dodgers win 5-4.
MVP of the Game:
Yunel Escobar - 3-for-4, 2B, 3RBI
LVP of the Game:
Jason Heyward - 0-for-5, 5K, 3 LOB
Open Thread Comments Count: 2,656
Upcoming Game: Game 3 of the 4-game series starts tomorrow night at 10:10EST. Tommy Hanson will pitch for the Good Guys and it'll be Chad Billingsley on the mound for the Bad Guys. Let's all hope the Braves can start a new winning streak tomorrow night.
GO BRAVES!
0 recs | 57 comments
Game made me so sad....Rainbow Llamasaurus withdrawal....
EricGreggWasPaidOff - June 5, 2010
Kawakami/Medlen
5 runs allowed in 6.1/3 innings , wondered why BC let him pitch into the
7th? When JJ comes back does Medlen or KK sit. KK for a veteran despite
good moving stuff makes too many costly mistake pitches.
sealift67 - June 5, 2010
Was this some form of reply fail?
EricGreggWasPaidOff - June 5, 2010
Either that,
or they consider you an expert and would like your opinion :)
HEYJUDE - June 5, 2010
Heyward - 5 Ks?!
I’m thinking it must be time to be worried, concerned, anxiety-ridden and etc.
Or could it be he just had a bad game?
Did anyone notice whether he was twitching at all?
fandave - June 5, 2010
honestly
i was surprised he was playing. I thought for sure Bobby would give him an off day. He’s played every game since sitting with shin splints and it was a lefty on the mound making it an opportune time to sit him.
drumzalicious - June 5, 2010
Well, everyone has thoise kind of days
I might have rested him, too, but then again, he also needs to get some at bats against the tough lefties, so he can learn and make adjustments.
DawgB - June 5, 2010
I think Heyward just needs a day off. I’m not worried about his recent cold spell. He had one earlier this year. So far Jason has shown us patience and maturity beyond his years. He will snap out of it sooner then later.
Frozen Fan - June 5, 2010
Heyward
really shouldnt have been in this game. I understand he is young and plays a less demanding position but coming off of that shin splint injury i expected him to have a day off by now. Yes his bat is valuable to us and yes it would be nice to have it in the lineup everyday however we also would be wiser to give him a day off every now and then so he isnt on the bench with another random injury.
Also McLouth has really worn my patience to this point. I really hope that the FO goes ahead and either sits him, trades him, or acquires a new OF’er because at this point all he is doing is wasting space.
I would say trade for David Dejesus but if we get him he would have to go in LF because he sucks in CF leaving our only CF option to Cabrera and that would remove Hinske’s bat from our lineup.
Who we could try is Scott Podsednik. He rates about the same defensively as McLouth. He is kind of like an OF version of Prado with less power. He hits for a high average, has a pretty solid OBP, and steals some bases. He just doesnt have hardly any power which is why his OPS is so low.
We could either slot Podsednik in the lead off spot moving Prado back to 2nd, and Heyward to 6th or bat him 8th and have that “2nd lead-off man” type guy at the bottom who will get on base in front of the pitcher.
Right now he is kind of the only player that is available as a CF who could bring us an offensive upgrade. Not in the power department but just hitting and being on base.
drumzalicious - June 5, 2010
McLouth might be close to untradeable given his contract and suspicously sub-standard play.
fandave - June 5, 2010
Just wondering...
What do you mean by “suspiciously sub-standard play”? I’m trying to figure out if you think he’s an infiltrator from the Phillies or something, sent to sabotage us from within….
sddbaker - June 5, 2010
You know things are bad for McLouth when WPA was still worse than Heyward’s last night (-.146 to -.132).
McLouth Maniac - June 5, 2010
Put your clothes back on we can stop streaking
If nothing else hopefully the Braves get on another win streak tonight. Odd that Heyward and Troy did not get a day off. Troy has been a huge bat for us and Heyward is everything I thought he would be this year, but both have been in the lineup everyday it seems and although not a bad thing they need a break.
Troy has wore out left handers this year and Kershaw is solid but was expecting him to get out in front of at least one. To see Heyward not make contact once in the field of play was sad to watch, to see him k five times was like watching the sky fall. Hopefully Bobby lets Conrad play first or Hinske play first Conrad start at third and shift Omar to left and put Melky in right to give guys some much needed rest.
Phillies only two back and seeing the Braves atop the NL East sure does look better than the Phillies.
RazorbackBrave80 - June 5, 2010
Question
I fell asleep after the top of the sixth inning. In the Dodgers’ half of the seventh, on Loney’s RBI single that scored Ethier without a throw, was it possible or worth it to throw, and was it McLouth’s play? If so, I really wonder about his arm. I know Chip and Joe even were amazed earlier in the game when Furcal scored on a sac fly with no one else on base, so there wasn’t even a fear then of anyone advancing. I can’t think of one time I’ve seen McLouth even air one out to a cut-off man. Thoughts?
Old Braves' Fan - June 5, 2010
no it wasnt close
it was a sharp single inbetween mclouth and heyward, ethier had already rounded 3rd by the time mclouth had picked up the ball
BravesRaleigh - June 5, 2010
I don't like this losing feeling.
Make it stop!
I do like how we played pretty poorly and were still in the game. Sign of a good team.
soup du jour - June 5, 2010
their #1 vs. our #5
the odds were stacked in their favor. but we were down 2 late, came back to tie it, and lost it by 1 run.
i’m not going to harp on this loss. you’re right, we didn’t play so well but we were still in the game, and we are still a good team
atl192485 - June 5, 2010
Games like this
Make it so obviously evident that your best reliever needs to be used in certain situations rather than in a closer’s role.
Wagner should have been used to face Loney. It was by far the most important out of the game to get and your best reliever should enter in that situation. I understand it is unconventional, but the closer position in itself lost us that game last night.
BenDuronio - June 5, 2010
hindsight
BravesRaleigh - June 5, 2010
How would you know?
Was he in the game thread last night, advocating KK be sent back out there? If not, then you have no right to accuse him of hindsight. It could just as easily have been his opinion at the time (and the way he wrote it, it seems like he has this as a general principle, which a lot of us do.)
I get really tired of this. People who are Braves fans come here and discuss what they think of how the game unfolded and time after time, someone accuses them of being a second guesser or an armchair manager. Guess what…that’s what we all are, unless you’ve achieved some Zen level of acceptance that everything happens for a reason.
Sam Jethroe - June 5, 2010
I would not panic with Heyward
Kershaw is the Dodgers Ace pitcher plus he is one of the nastiest left handed pitchers in the league. Heyward was already at a disadvantage considering he has never seen this guy pitch before until last night. Kershaw was painting corners and his breaking ball was just nasty. Heyward (recently, not counting last night) has been hitting the ball well. The balls are just not falling for hits like usual. Plus I think he is pulling the ball more than he should be (especially last night. He was not trying to go opposite at all). His luck will change for the better.
romone_braves91 - June 5, 2010
Which is worst?
Going 0-8 as a pitcher or going 0-5 with 5 K’s as a hitter?
romone_braves91 - June 5, 2010
0-5 with 5 K’s because that is all on you. 0-8 has a ton of factors, several that you have no control over.
McLouth Maniac - June 5, 2010
Maybe 0-40 with 40ks as a hitter
DawgB - June 5, 2010
0-5 with 5ks is one night
0-8 is a couple months
Oxymorman - June 5, 2010
It's a shame our streak ended, but 5-4 was still respectable.
We scared them for a bit, and KK did settle down after a shaky start and the hit to the shin.
Poor guy, I don’t know when we’ll finally get him a win, but I hope it’s soon.
I think with the tough lefty out there, it might have been a night to give Troy and/or Heyward a rest, especially after the jet lag likely set in yesterday (2nd day is usually when it happens). Perhaps Bobby will soon.
Escobar was a bright spot and it was nice to see him get some hits.
Nate, was Nate. I scream at my TV when he simply refuses to throw in from the outfield under any circumstance. Is his arm that mediocre or is he simply afraid to make a mistake? I think he’s a nice guy, but maybe sending him down to work on his swing will help both him and us. He simply can’t continue to play at this level (for any team) until he does.
New streak starts tonight! I think with Hanson and Huddy coming up, we’ll leave California with this Series!
NCChopper - June 5, 2010
I agree. Respectable loss. After 9 straight wins, to fight back from a early 5 run loss and barely lose. Braves are a great team!! With Huddy and Hanson closing out the series, I like the chances of taking the series. I didn’t lose any sleep last night.(ouch Heyward). Go braves!!
Frozen Fan - June 5, 2010
*By five run loss, I meant early 4 run deficit.
Frozen Fan - June 5, 2010
lotta dumb this morming
You want to sit heyward and glaus with chipper and McCann out too?
And why would we move Prado out of the leadoff spot when he’s been raking.
We weren’t gonna win every game and facing kershaw in LA was gonna be a tough matchup no matter what.
Think we’ll see melky in center tonight and more frequently.
Just tip your cap and let Hanson do work tonight.
pharmongsu - June 5, 2010 via mobile
I’d rather be dumb than rude.
NCChopper - June 5, 2010
I do agree though. As long as there is no chance of re-injuring something, we need Heyward in there with Chipper out
eaheckman10 - June 5, 2010
Can’t we all be both?
UMDBHIK - June 5, 2010
Good point...
sddbaker - June 5, 2010
This was a good game. KK was pitching against their ace and once again he kept us in the game. He just doesn’t get any breaks ,but continues to give us a chance to win. Heyward has been struggling the past week and really needs a day off.
Braves24 - June 5, 2010
Heyward will be streaky all year
Sorry to break the news.. but it turns out that he is a 20 year old rookie, who skipped AAA. He will learn.
Braves Biceps - June 5, 2010
Did anyone notice that last nights game was very similar to the game on thursday
Braves Biceps - June 5, 2010
People
WTF, seriously, we lost one game! It’s not the end of the season.
atlbraveschamps - June 5, 2010
NO!
They’re all gonna laugh at you!
Also, remember? We’re too far back of the Phillies to have a shot. Joe said so!
UMDBHIK - June 5, 2010
Exactly!
It only counts as one.
MBL1 - June 5, 2010 via mobile
Hinske over Melky probably would have contributed a little more
If Ken K didn’t have shitty luck, he’d have no luck at all.
Chief Noc-A-Homa - June 5, 2010
We would have gotten nothing from Hinske last night.
UMDBHIK - June 5, 2010
Thank you.
I don’t understand why it’s so hard for people around here to grasp that Hinske doesn’t hit LHP very well….especially not good LHP, like Kershaw.
EricGreggWasPaidOff - June 5, 2010
If troy is Glausosaur, is ross…Rossosaur?
MBL1 - June 5, 2010 via mobile
Ross has not earned that title yet.
We’ll go with Rossiraptor for now. On the other hand, I think Brooksosaur is warranted after his walk-off grand slam.
EricGreggWasPaidOff - June 5, 2010
DawgB - June 5, 2010
That doesn’t answer my question…
MBL1 - June 5, 2010 via mobile
Break away from TP, JHey
lol
Chief Noc-A-Homa - June 5, 2010
This game was the poster child...
for “you can’t win them all”.
sddbaker - June 5, 2010
Let Medlen play CF on his off days?
I think he would produce better than McKlowthe.
Tim Goad - June 5, 2010
No
And not Huddy, either. I want them to pitch.
MBL1 - June 5, 2010 via mobile
Like
I was being serious dude.
Tim Goad - June 5, 2010
Facetiousness aside, Greg White certainly can’t be worse than Nate has been.
UMDBHIK - June 5, 2010
I agree completely. I made a comment a couple weeks ago saying how I thought that Schafer should get the call up as soon as he’s ready.
Tim Goad - June 6, 2010
No need to rush Schafer...
he hasn’t played much for two years, and can have some benefit strengthening his wrist in AAA, and perhaps working on his hitting vs. lefties.
Mr. Sanchez - June 6, 2010
He'd at least attempt a throw or two
Mr. Sanchez - June 6, 2010
The loss doesn't upset me, per se.
As noted, their number 1 and our no. 5 isn’t a recipe for much success. Battling back from the 4-0 deficit, Yunel continuing to shut up his critics here and elsewhere, KK gutting it out, those are all good. I’m mainly steamed that Cox sent Ken back out there after he worked so hard to get out of the hole.
Sam Jethroe - June 5, 2010
I'm not shocked but mad
we still have Kawakami, he needs to GO!
southman - June 6, 2010
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