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Talking Chop

Atlanta Braves Postseason Pace

For the rest of the season we'll keep a daily tally of the Atlanta Braves chances of making the post season, along with daily commentary. Also consider this a daily open thread for general chatting.

NL East W L PCT GB STRK Magic Num Playoff Odds
Braves 78 57 .578 - L2 27 94.4%
Phillies 77 58 .570 1 W4 29 78.7%

 

Ugh! Two losses in a row at this point sounds like the end of the world -- especially when the Phillies are winning. Hey, both the Phillies and the Braves scored the same number of runs yesterday, we just had the Whole Goat on the mound instead of the Whole Camel.

To talk myself off the cliff I remembered that we lost the first game of the last Marlins series by almost the same score as last night, only to come back and win the next two. With our starting pitching, resiliency is as easy as the next day's starter.

Positive thoughts people!

0 recs  |  56 comments

Comments

I'm not gonna do what everybody thinks I'm gonna do

and freak out man!

 Come on Braves, take this series please!

You are freakin out..............man.

These schnozzberries taste like…schnozzberries!

We

meow are going meow to meow be fine.

It is.....

time..to.. stop now…

Not worried

We don’t need a fifth starter in the playoffs.

You need one to get there!!!

And at this rate, we are lacking a reliable 5th starter

The Phillies have struggled to trot out an acceptable 5th starter all season. We’re only worrying about it for the last 30 games.

They haven't been that bad actually

9-9 when Moyer started in first half

6-4 with Blanton in the second half

They are 15-11 when Kendrick starts if you want to consider him the “5th starter”

For all the talk we do about the weak spot at the bottom of their rotation, that’s a pretty solid record (thanks primarily to great run support). The only reason Philly is in second place is because they don’t hit at all when Hamels and Halladay are on the mound.

The percentage chance of winning game 3 last weekend was so small I’d rather not take the same approach. I know it’s only two losses, but could this team please get their sh** together on the road! Lets go Bravos!

Also, typically this team has responded well with their backs against the wall – when they REALLY need a win. It’s getting tougher to hold off Philly – but I am sensing a big win tonight. JJ will get it done – our JJ!

It will be quite easy to hold off Philly when we take at least 4 out of 6 games from them.

I like your style?

I'm Ron Burgundy?

Philadelphia is NOT going to win every single game for the rest of the year. Also, the Braves are not going to LOSE every single game for the rest of the year. A bump in the road to be sure last night, but things will be fine. Let’s not jump off the Titanic just yet, eh?

“You know who the happiest people were on the Titanic? The guys in the engine room! THey were singing their little songs and dancing and having a great old time.”

“Michael, the guys in the engine room all died. They were miserable.”

“WOW! Spoiler alert.”

Something else to remember is that the Phillies and Mets were both within .5 games of us at some point during the summer, and yet we were able to hold them off without ever giving up the lead. We’ll be fine, even if something does happen. We still have six games to play just against them. We’re just making sure that at least the first series will be exciting.

Jurrjens

Needs to get his first road win tonight. His splits are insane and favor home A LOT more than the road. But hey, maybe tonight is the night…

Lineup

Infante
Heyward
Prado
BMac
Lee
Melky
Gonzalez
Ankiel

One thing I learned last night is

Ankiel cannot start against lefties

He shouldn’t start against lefties or righties.

True but Bobby would never let that happen
Other than Melky...

who else ya got? Please don’t say McLouth.

Melky. As much as I’m not a fan, he’s better than AUTOswings.

By the way, where the heck has Hinske been? Better yet, why not just call up Matt Young and play him at 2nd, move Infante to LF and eliminate the black hole out there?

Problem is

We need someone who can actually run down and throw the baseball in center field. Diaz or Melky can’t really do that. The only other option is McLouth – and I think right now Bobby has more faith in Ankiel.

Melky isn’t bad in CF.

Uhm.

Yeah about that.

Would Melky have made half of those plays Ankiel did tonight?

Especially the key catch in the bottom of the 3rd with men on the corners?

I don’t know. I can’t watch the games.

But, I know that Melky has made quite a few good plays in both CF and LF this season.

thing i learned last night was

Lee SUCKS…He ha a perfect oppurtunity to start producing for us and he blew it.

We should’ve just kept Glaus and platooned him with Freeman, but hey, we didn’t know this two and a half weeks ago.

could his back still be banged up?

Well he hasn’t been his usual self all year, but yeah I think something has to be bothering him.

I really think there is something bothering him.

Even though he is getting older, the past three or four years he has been close to or putting up .300/.400/.500 line

NOOO!

I would start Joe Simpson at this point before Ankiel. Guy swings at pitches he cant hit and swings way too hard. Needs to slow it down and start hitting the other way.

Not to introduce negative thoughts

But it would take a medium miracle for us to end the night better than tied with the Phils. The two best pitchers in the league are arrayed against us tonight. Jurrjens is ok, Bush is pretty bad.

the braves gameplan needs to be to wear johnson out…make him pitch a bunch (take pitches) and let’s get to the bullpen…
bush stinks, you’re right, and jj hasn’t been that great on the road…

didn’t we already beat Johnson this year?

Not really.

We managed 3 hits and an unearned run off of him in 6 IP, then beat the snot out of the bullpen. He handled us easily.

Yeah we did it was in Atlanta and Medlen was pitching
Whole Camel...Whole Camel...Whole Camel...

Processing…

Oh! LOL!

Yikes

From Mark Bowman:

 mlbbowman
  

Lowe plans to test his arm tomorrow. If he can’t go Wed. vs. Pirates, #Braves may turn to Brandon Beachy.

They’re really tired of KK, huh? Even Bobby had harsh words last night, and he NEVER does that.

Well

If you watched the game last night, I think Bobby’s face said it all. He will never let KK start again.

im quite thrilled with this

Was hoping either Diamond or Beachy would get the call

The way he said it though seems to me that it is what he thinks

not the what he was heard from Braves officials

Beachy is awesome, I’d love to see him start.
By the way, Phillies fans stop whining about your injuries because we’ve had TWO starters go down.
And Prado, and Heyward, and Diaz, and Chipper, and McLouth….well never mind him.

Oh

So now we like Lowe?

:-p

YESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!

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