Gamethread: Braves @ Nationals, July 3, 2009 (79/162) WIN

[sdp]

STARTING LINEUP

1. McLouth CF
2. Prado 2B
3. Jones 3B
4. McCann C
5. Escobar SS
6. Diaz LF
7. Francoeur RF
8. Kotchman 1B
9. Kawakami P

Strange 6:35 EDT start time tonight.

[slowride]

Alright!!! McLouth is back! I'm really liking this lineup. I'm also hoping Escobar hustles? I really want to like the kid.....

I find it a bad omen to be facing the Washington Nationals over Independence Day weekend. I'm just a tad superstitious...

[nuke_laloosh]

Alright!!! McLouth is back! I'm really liking this lineup. I'm also hoping Escobar hustles? I really want to like the kid.....

I find it a bad omen to be facing the Washington Nationals over Independence Day weekend. I'm just a tad superstitious...


For the past couple of seasons, it's been a bad omen for the Braves to play the Nats at anytime.

[hoosjon]

Hopefully THIS year is different. Every OTHER year, Smoltz was a Brave and we got pretty hammered by them. This year, Smoltzy jumps ship for the Sawks and they hammer him. Hopefully, we've gotten ourselves straightened out against these under .500 teams (Pirates, Nats ....)

Those red hats are really messin' with me. In my head we should be wearing blue.

[nuke_laloosh]

Hopefully THIS year is different. Every OTHER year, Smoltz was a Brave and we got pretty hammered by them. This year, Smoltzy jumps ship for the Sawks and they hammer him. Hopefully, we've gotten ourselves straightened out against these under .500 teams (Pirates, Nats ....)

Those red hats are really messin' with me. In my head we should be wearing blue.

It's odd not only that they are wearing the red hats, but the gray unis, instead of the blue unis that I've become used to.

[hoosjon]

Nyjer's lead off of second is RIDICULOUS. I'd HAVE to throw it back to second a time or two.

[nuke_laloosh]

1-0 Nats on a single by Willingham, scoring Morgan

[hoosjon]

Crap! Willingham RBI.

I'm flinching at d@m# near very time they make contact ... I guess it's hard for me to believe what I typed above. I really hope we can take this series!

[BraveFan]

KK needs to finish off batters much better, he allows hitters to get way too man foul balls when he is ahead in the count.

[hoosjon]

good point. runs that pitch count up AND gives them too many chances.

[nuke_laloosh]

30 Pitches for KK, but he gives up only 1 run that inn.

[slowride]

Nice K, damage control. However, 30 pitches already! Medlen will be up soon.....

[nuke_laloosh]

Good gamble by McCann to go for 2. Willingham isn't known for his D in LF.

[slowride]

HOLY CRAP HOLD THE PRESSES, ESCOBAR HUSTLES DOWN THE FIRST BASE LINE. nice...

[slowride]

Nice RBI from Diaz.

[hoosjon]

Lovin' this small ball! Tied it up. Diaz is 8 for his last 12!

[nuke_laloosh]

This could be a good weekend for Diaz. His bat is hot, and the Nats are scheduled to start LHP in all 3 games this weekend.

[hoosjon]

Wait, Dibble just said KK had the lowest run support in all of baseball ... I would've thought he was 3rd on our TEAM!

[nuke_laloosh]

If Jeff hits that ball anywhere else it's a 2-run HR

[hoosjon]

If Jeff hits that ball anywhere else it's a 2-run HR

If he hit it where Crotch-Man just did, it's a single.

[slowride]

KK draws the walk, loads the bases. Good eye KK! lol...

Love to see a grand slam from Nate here!

[slowride]

And Nate strikes out....I jinxed him. DAMNIT!

Although...with how wild detwiler had just been...don't know why he wouldn't be more patient.

[hoosjon]

heck a HIT woulda been nice! i'd like to get a little something from a bases-loaded situation with the leadoff at the plate. i mean SOMETHING.

[hoosjon]

Why have a "closed-door meeting", if you're gonna tell the press all about it later anyway?

[slowride]

I'm forced to watch the Nats broadcast.....what about a closed door meeting?

[hoosjon]

Speaking of jinxing us! First the Nats announcer says that McLouth doesn't have an error all season and then ... this. Ruled a hit, but still sucks.

[nuke_laloosh]

Wait, Dibble just said KK had the lowest run support in all of baseball ... I would've thought he was 3rd on our TEAM!

Haven't found a run support stat, yet. But in terms of luck, he's the 3rd unluckiest pitcher on the staff. Following Vasquez and JJ.

Credit

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/statistics/sortable/index.php?cid=494726

[hoosjon]

I'm forced to watch the Nats broadcast.....what about a closed door meeting?

On MaSN, they just said that Manny Acta had his 3rd closed door meeting and then showed him addressing the press about said closed door meeting. Basically told his team that they could've beat both the O's and the Fish ... touchy stuff!

[nuke_laloosh]

Why have a "closed-door meeting", if you're gonna tell the press all about it later anyway?

Might as well talk to the press about it. In order to have the closed door meeting you'll have to either force the press to wait until the doors are open to start their interviews, or leave the locker room so that the team can have their meeting.

[hoosjon]

Nick Johnson has one ugly mustachio.

[slowride]

On MaSN, they just said that Manny Acta had his 3rd closed door meeting and then showed him addressing the press about said closed door meeting. Basically told his team that they could've beat both the O's and the Fish ... touchy stuff!

Ah...I must have been in here posting when they said that...

Gotta love a laptop with a battery life of 5 minutes.

And another run....get Medlen's hat ready.

[nuke_laloosh]

Nick Johnson has one ugly mustachio.

It's just physical proof that he has no friends. Becasue if he did, they would tell him had horrible he looks with it.

[JanShan12]

Braves down 3-1. We better have a lot of offense tonight!

[slowride]

It's just physical proof that he has no friends. Becasue if he did, they would tell him had horrible he looks with it.

I wonder how many times he uses the mustache ride joke...

[hoosjon]

I'd never heard what they were just saying about Japanese pitchers pitching away from contact (because of the prevalence of contact hitters and the smaller ballparks over there).

Nats are contacting an awful lot of pitches tonite if he's trying to strike 'em out. Though... KK could pitch a strike every once in a while on an 0-2 pitch

[hoosjon]

Prado plays like a College player. Love that he's doin' so well!:thumbsup:

[nuke_laloosh]

Good start to the inning, by Prado. Right now he's the definition of being "on fire"

[hoosjon]

RBI double by Larry Wayne! Prado scores!

[slowride]

two consecutive doubles...nice start to the inning.

[Chris_Moderato]

Prado with a double to lead off. Hooray Prado!

See, even though I'm a Kelly Johnson fan/supporter, I'm not gonna trash his replacement. I don't trash the players on my own team. Take that to heart all you Prado fans who trashed Kelly for the past couple months. Tsk tsk.

Oh, and Frenchy sucks. D'oh! The hypocrisy!

[nuke_laloosh]

Chipper looks sooooooo much better from the right side of the plate, 3-2 Nats.

[slowride]

Esco you sexy SOB! Nice RBI and nice game so far!

[hoosjon]

Regardless of attitude or hustle .... Yunie is MONEY with RISP.

[hoosjon]

MaSN is really edited by monkeys.

[nuke_laloosh]

Frenchy the rally killer with a weak roller to first. The only bad AB this inning by the Braves hitters.

[slowride]

Kotchy intentionally walked to bring up the powerhouse that is KK!

[slowride]

Frenchy the rally killer with a weak roller to first. The only bad AB this inning by the Braves hitters.

First AB almost a HR, second AB he advanced the runners....

[slowride]

KK couldn't help himself out. Here's hoping he can put a zero on the board for the Nats!

[hoosjon]

Detweiller's pitches by inning
1st-11
2nd-28
3rd-33

Our bats are lookin' good right now. I hope the Nats' 'pen sucks as much as people say.

[Hobbes]

We seem to be leaving a lot of bases loaded these days.

[slowride]

Geez.....can we start warming up Medlen already Bobby!?!?!?!??!

[hoosjon]

SONAVA! Dunn hits a solo shot for his 21st dinger and his 2nd off of KK. :furious:

[Chris_Moderato]

Wait, so throwing a 91 MPH fastball right down the middle is a bad idea?

[nuke_laloosh]

First AB almost a HR, second AB he advanced the runners....

The first AB was good. The second one, which I was refering to was horrible. Swinging at the first pitch, that was inside off of the plate. A swing that looked like he was trying to pull the ball, which lead to a weak grounder to first.

So, he might have gotten a result that shows he was thinking team, first but the design and attack by him wasn't good, and the results were more of luck.

[hoosjon]

Boone Logan warmin' up in the 'pen.

[slowride]

I agree Nuke...but the result was what it was.

Why are we warming up Logan? Maybe i'm too high on Medlen? I mean, KK clearly doesn't have his best stuff tonight. Medlen could go 3 innings for us...

Alright, i'll get off his acorns for now. But, I'd like to see him part of our future rotation.

[nuke_laloosh]

4-4 Chipper knocks in Prado

[slowride]

Big Mac singles and Detwiler is pulled...

[slowride]

Esco you sexy SOB! Nice RBI!!!!!

[hoosjon]

There ya go, slowride, Medlen showing some action in the 'pen.

[Chris_Moderato]

Yay! The Twin Hackers, Frenchy and Deeee-az, take cuts above their heads and end their own threat. Wooo!!!

At least we have the lead.

[slowride]

Big Mac singles and Detwiler is pulled...

There ya go, slowride, Medlen showing some action in the 'pen.

I saw that. Very happy.

All these different coaches....Frenchy has too many things going through his head before he swings now. He is always late on the fastball. Unlike early in his career....we he would crush them.

[hoosjon]

Frenchy has too many things going through his head before he swings now. He is always late on the fastball. Unlike early in his career....we he would crush them.

My dad and i were just feeling sorry for him and sayin' the same thing.

[slowride]

McLouth with a webgem keeps KK in the game.

[sdp]

SCHAFER pulled from Gwinnett lineup. Let the speculation begin!

[slowride]

Speaking of being late on fastballs.....

[nuke_laloosh]

Yay! The Twin Hackers, Frenchy and Deeee-az, take cuts above their heads and end their own threat. Wooo!!!

At least we have the lead.


Matt looks completely different against RHP, but I think Bobby made the right decision of leaving him in the game. Given the score and inning of the game.

[nuke_laloosh]

KK's own Error will force BC to take him out of the game.

[hoosjon]

As a UVA fan, I'm happy to see that Thomas Jefferson isn't distracted by a Michael Jackson song during the Presidents' Race.

[JanShan12]

Ugh! That's two nights in a row a reliever has come in (tonight Boone, last night Moylan) and given up a weak ground ball, which would be great, but it has scored a runner on 3rd. Tough luck but great job by our relievers.

All tied up AGAIN!

[slowride]

Can someone be so kind to refresh my memory as to where Logan came from?

[sdp]

Can someone be so kind to refresh my memory as to where Logan came from?
Vazquez deal.

[slowride]

KK's own Error will force BC to take him out of the game.

Is it just me, or does anyone else think that if the unearned run is from an error on the pitcher, it should be an earned run charged to the pitcher.

[JanShan12]

That would make sense.

[nuke_laloosh]

After a couple of rain delays the FLA-PIT game is now official with the Marlins' losing 4-0. Right now the Braves stand to gain ground on 2 of the 3 in front of them.

[Hobbes]

Can anybody remember the last time Jeff did something meaningful in a game?

[KB 34]

Francoeur did a great job against the Cubs a few years ago right after he was called up, practically made Ron Santo cry. That was the highlight of his career right there.

[Hobbes]

We'll get our first look at Conrad.

[nuke_laloosh]

Francoeur did a great job against the Cubs a few years ago right after he was called up, practically made Ron Santo cry. That was the highlight of his career right there.

You can't give him too much credit for making Santo cry. Lately Santo has been crying a lot. He seems to be getting "softer" with his age.

[Hobbes]

And he hits a dinger!!!!

[nuke_laloosh]

Way to make a good first impression by Brooks.

[Hobbes]

Those red caps are still messing with my head.

[Chris_Moderato]

Moylan doing his best to give this one back to DC.

[Hobbes]

Come on Mole-man...bear down.

Nice play by Chipper!

[slowride]

Let's start a petition to never be subjected to these red caps again.

Now if Gonzo and Soriano can combine for 1 run or less; .....5 straight!

[Hobbes]

Prado continues to hit.

[slowride]

Prado is a doubles machine!

[BraveFan]

Prado = Freddie Sanchez

[hoosjon]

I would go old school and say

Prado=Mark Grace

[Hobbes]

Nice AB by Diaz to walk in a run.

[CanadaBravesFan]

GA up for Frenchy. Bobby making a move. Wow!

[Hobbes]

GA up for Frenchy. Bobby making a move. Wow!

He made the same exact move last night and GA hit a pinch-hit homer.

[Hobbes]

We continue to leave the bases loaded.

[hoosjon]

Bobby sat KJ down.

Bobby appears to be phasing Frenchy out a little at a time.

Could he be MANAGING at long last?

[hoosjon]

We continue to leave the bases loaded.

3rd or 4th time this evening, right? Someone needs to explain to them that the team with the highest number under LOB is NOT winning. :thumbsdown:

Well, we're winning, but not BECAUSE of that. :thumbsup:

[hoosjon]

If I have to watch this MaSN commercial crapping on Smoltzy, Chip, Tex and our Tomahawk Chop ONE MORE TIME .... :wall:

[slowride]

Let's start a petition to never be subjected to these red caps again.

Now if Gonzo and Soriano can combine for 1 run or less; .....5 straight!

Bobby sat KJ down.

Bobby appears to be phasing Frenchy out a little at a time.

Could he be MANAGING at long last?

Frenchy should have batted there......

all you stat wiz guys save your breath. I already know.

Nice inning by GONZO!!!!!!!!

[BraveFan]

This is also the best I've seen Bobby coach in a while and I'm not just saying it b/c we are winning. He is bunting earlier in games and subbing for Frenchy later in the game. He is coaching a lot more agressively.

[hoosjon]

This is also the best I've seen Bobby coach in a while and I'm not just saying it b/c we are winning. He is bunting earlier in games and subbing for Frenchy later in the game. He is coaching a lot more agressively.

Sorta what I was getting at ... more of a general thing than a specific AB.

[hoosjon]

Ya know, the Braves are fun to watch. I couldn't say that a week or two ago.

[Hobbes]

Dunn up as the tying run is scary.

[JanShan12]

Ya know, the Braves are fun to watch. I couldn't say that a week or two ago.

I was thinking the same thing after last night's game.

[Hobbes]

CRAP! One-run game now.

[nuke_laloosh]

Lead-off walks always seem to come back and bite you

[hoosjon]

I've thought that it's GOOD for Mike G, because then he pitches out of the stretch and "twitches" less.

[Hobbes]

Braves win!

[nuke_laloosh]

Braves win, but Soriano is limping after covering the bag for the last out.

[hoosjon]

I believe this ties us with the Metropolitans at 2 games back?

[nuke_laloosh]

I believe this ties us with the Metropolitans at 2 games back?

And a game behind FLA for 2nd in the division

[hoosjon]

And a game behind FLA for 2nd in the division

How sweet it is! Longest win streak of the season ... Prado continues mashing, the rest of the team all seem to have caught his "bug" as well! Way to go, Bravos! :cheers:

[JanShan12]

That's right! Glad to see we stayed hot against the Nationals. It feels like in years past this is where we would get swept to make the previous sweep meaningless. Can't wait until tomorrow!

GO BRAVES!!!

[-Dr. Brave-]

If I have to watch this MaSN commercial crapping on Smoltzy, Chip, Tex and our Tomahawk Chop ONE MORE TIME .... :wall:

Yeah, I got tired of that commercial too. Maybe the Nats promo department should try promoting their players without dissing their opponents' players.

I would say that they could show highlights from their glory days, like the Braves promos do, but... these Nats don't have any glory days.

[BigWorm]

Yeah, I got tired of that commercial too. Maybe the Nats promo department should try promoting their players without dissing their opponents' players.

I would say that they could show highlights from their glory days, like the Braves promos do, but... these Nats don't have any glory days.

Anyone have the link? I'd love to see this commercial.

[argentina brave]

just got back from the game....what a great way to celebrate my 6 yr. old son's birthday! he got to do the tomahawk chop, yell 'let's go mar-teen' a couple times, and watch a little fireworks afterwards...

we sat by the braves 'pen, and i must say, gonzo is one funny dude. the way he struts around out there like a pimp daddy, with medlen as his apprentice. on the other hand, soriano acts like he's on trial, just stonefaced and serious. what an interesting vantage pt.

as for the game, i was nervous, thinking that we might falter in this one. instead, i believe we may have set the tone, and look for us to at least win the series.....let's go tommy hanson!!

funniest thing i saw, bar none, is the guy dressed up with a donkey head and nats jersey with 'dunn-key' spelled on the back, yelling in left field at adam dunn....priceless!

[Andy G.]

just got back from the game....what a great way to celebrate my 6 yr. old son's birthday! he got to do the tomahawk chop, yell 'let's go mar-teen' a couple times, and watch a little fireworks afterwards...

we sat by the braves 'pen, and i must say, gonzo is one funny dude. the way he struts around out there like a pimp daddy, with medlen as his apprentice. on the other hand, soriano acts like he's on trial, just stonefaced and serious. what an interesting vantage pt.

...
I love just watching Gonzo interact with teammates and fans. It's like he invented 'cool'. He's also a pretty nice guy. He signed a ball for me earlier this year. That's funny about Medlen being his apprentice. :D

When they had that special where they asked all the players questions like, "Who's the funniest guy on the team" and what not(help me out Lauren, what was that called again?), they asked all the players to talk about their first dates. Gonzo was ten years old when he went on his first date, and the girl he went on the date with was thirteen! Some guys are just born with it.

[KB 34]

Moylan is now tied with Feliciano for the most games pitched in the major leagues. (43) How about that? O'Flaherty (42) and Gonzalez (41) are close behind. I'm a bit concerned. Yes, I know the Braves have won some games and everyone is happy. Seeing Matt Diaz do well and increase his potential trade value is simply wonderful, not to mention I'd rather see him in the outfield than Anderson. There's lots of stuff going on with the Braves that's rather interesting.

[-Dr. Brave-]

Anyone have the link? I'd love to see this commercial.

Here you go...

http://mymasn.ning.com/video/lannan-vs-smoltz-nationals

[sdp]

I have to work a wretched 8 hours today....I trust someone will get the gamethread up. Go Braves!

[Lauren T.]

I love just watching Gonzo interact with teammates and fans. It's like he invented 'cool'. He's also a pretty nice guy. He signed a ball for me earlier this year. That's funny about Medlen being his apprentice. :D

When they had that special where they asked all the players questions like, "Who's the funniest guy on the team" and what not(help me out Lauren, what was that called again?), they asked all the players to talk about their first dates. Gonzo was ten years old when he went on his first date, and the girl he went on the date with was thirteen! Some guys are just born with it.
Hee hee, those are the Straight Up! series they do every year on SportSouth. Here's some of the videos from 2007 (http://braveslove.blogspot.com/2007/09/atlanta-braves-straight-up.html), and Straight Up 3 (http://braveslove.blogspot.com/2009/05/atlanta-braves-straight-up-3.html) aired this season. I don't know where my post for Straight Up 2 went -- I think I had to take my illegal videos down. ;)

ETA: Oooh, found 2008 (http://braveslove.blogspot.com/2008/08/i-like-to-go-streakin-sometimes-its.html)!