Gamethread: Braves @ Marlins, July 29, 2009 (101/162) LOSS

[sdp]

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/803/atlfla.png
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Atlanta Braves (51-49) vs. Florida Marlins (52-48)
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Series Matchups (Marlins lead, 1-0)
> Tuesday: Marlins 4, Braves 3 (W: Nunez; L: Soriano) - Recap (http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=5799839&c_id=atl) | Box Score (http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/boxscore.jsp?gid=2009_07_28_atlmlb_flomlb_1) | Gamethread (http://www.chopnation.com/boards/showthread.php?t=239)
> TONIGHT: Kenshin Kawakami vs. Josh Johnson, 7:10 PM EDT on SPSO
> Thursday: Javier Vazquez vs. Rick VandenHurk, 7:10 PM EDT on SPSO
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Projected Lineup
Nate McLouth, CF
Martin Prado, 2B
Chipper Jones, 3B
Brian McCann, C
Yunel Escobar, SS
Garret Anderson, LF
Matt Diaz, RF
Casey Kotchman, 1B
Kenshin Kawakami, RHP

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Link Roundup

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Upcoming vs. Los Angeles
Friday, July 31st: Jason Schmidt vs. Tommy Hanson, 7:35 PM EDT on PTV
Saturday, August 1st: Randy Wolf vs. Derek Lowe, 4:05 PM EDT on FOX
Sunday, August 2nd: Chad Billingsley vs. Jair Jurrjens, 8:05 PM EDT on ESPN

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August 3rd-5th: Braves @ Padres; August 6th-9th: Braves @ Dodgers
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Go Braves!

[BigWorm]

Kawasaki's last start this year. After today, he will be moved into the bullpen, where he will be become baseball's highest paid middle reliever.

[4maddux_cy's]

good first inning for KK...

[jamminHANES]

Kawasaki's last start this year. After today, he will be moved into the bullpen, where he will be become baseball's highest paid middle reliever.

no

[BigWorm]

no

Um yeah.

[Lauren T.]

:rolleyes:

[BraveFan]

and the Umps lead 1 to 0.

[Hobbes]

Craptacular.

[-Dr. Brave-]

Good night, folks.

[4maddux_cy's]

Kawasucki @ his finest...

[BraveFan]

for as good as are pitchers are they have to be the worst in the league at pitching to opposing pitchers.

[Hobbes]

Krotchy with a homer.

[4maddux_cy's]

c'mon guys, need to pick this run up!

[4maddux_cy's]

ugh...nice 4-6-3. :/

[4maddux_cy's]

Kawakami.
Must.
Go.
Now.

[jamminHANES]

The Braves need to keep both Hudson and Vazquez but find a way to let Kawakami go.

Pretty ****ed up statement lol.

[Andy G.]

Well this isn't any fun. I hate the Marlins. I really do. I love Hanley Ramirez, but I hate the Marlins. They're a sucky organization with a sucky stadium and sucky fans. Watching the Braves play in Miami is a serious downer. There's like 1,000 people in the stadium. The Marlins haven't even scored as many runs as they've allowed this year. What a crock this team is.

It's ok though. The Braves will bounce back, if they do lose this game. We're the best team in the wild card race.

[BraveFan]

Garret hits a 2 run HR to make it 6 to 3. Anderson has been really good since his horrible start to the year.

[4maddux_cy's]

nice bare hand grab by chip there.

[4maddux_cy's]

cmon guys, 9th inning rally payback time!

[Hobbes]

Braves lose.

[Wahoo]

Well, there goes that winning streak. Back to the drawing board.

[jamminHANES]

Kelly with another extra base hit. Is it time to play him yet or are we just gonna be idiots?

[Andy G.]

Umm, did anybody see the way the umpire behaved tonight? I've never seen an umpire act that way. It was the same guy that was behind the plate when Bobby and Chipper got thrown out in Boston.

Bobby was doing his usual complaining on close pitches from the dugout, and at one point he took his mask off and yelled at Bobby from behind the plate. Then, in the eighth inning, he'd called a strike on McCann that was way outside. McCann apparently said something, so he pulled his mask off and stared at him for a second. Then, after McCann got out, Anderson's at bat had already started, and he stopped the game to walk all the way to the dugout. He didn't throw anybody out, he just walked all the way to the dugout and argued with Bobby Cox. Bobby tried to walk away from him, you could easily read his lips as he turned his back and said, "Just call the game". It didn't work though. The umpire pulled out his lineup sheet to continue the argument. Why the hell is he pulling out his lineup sheet? It looked to me(this is stupid but it's the only explanation I can think of) like he was asking Bobby who he should throw out. Confused by his behavior, Bobby grew more agitated. Then pointed to himself as if to say, "throw me out". So the umpire threw him out. Then, between innings, McCann said something to him and he got throw out as well.

I've honestly never seen anything like it. Why did he pull his lineup sheet out?

[-Dr. Brave-]

Kelly with another extra base hit. Is it time to play him yet or are we just gonna be idiots?

He could be an upgrade in right field.

[KB 34]

Meh, no need to overreact to the losing streak. The season won't be won or lost by this weekend and these aren't the must win or else games everyone likes to think they are. Right now the Braves are one power bat away from making the playoffs with the slight chance that enough people get hot that it doesn't matter. Note to Bobby: I think the good KJ is back and should be in the lineup more. One of him or Prado can play some outfield. This assumes pitching stays fine and it should be decent assuming Hudson can contribute in some form.

[-Dr. Brave-]

Umm, did anybody see the way the umpire behaved tonight? I've never seen an umpire act that way. It was the same guy that was behind the plate when Bobby and Chipper got thrown out in Boston.

.... Why the hell is he pulling out his lineup sheet? It looked to me(this is stupid but it's the only explanation I can think of) like he was asking Bobby who he should throw out. Confused by his behavior, Bobby grew more agitated. Then pointed to himself as if to say, "throw me out". So the umpire threw him out. Then, between innings, McCann said something to him and he got throw out as well.

I've honestly never seen anything like it. Why did he pull his lineup sheet out?

I think Bill Hohn went to the Eric Gregg and C.B. Bucknor school of umpiring.

[Chris_Moderato]

Meh, no need to overreact to the losing streak. The season won't be won or lost by this weekend and these aren't the must win or else games everyone likes to think they are. Right now the Braves are one power bat away from making the playoffs with the slight chance that enough people get hot that it doesn't matter. Note to Bobby: I think the good KJ is back and should be in the lineup more. One of him or Prado can play some outfield. This assumes pitching stays fine and it should be decent assuming Hudson can contribute in some form.

Wow, that summer NASA trip must have been a ton of fun there KB. I've never seen you post something so...optimistic. :D

[Lauren T.]

Umm, did anybody see the way the umpire behaved tonight? I've never seen an umpire act that way. It was the same guy that was behind the plate when Bobby and Chipper got thrown out in Boston.

Bobby was doing his usual complaining on close pitches from the dugout, and at one point he took his mask off and yelled at Bobby from behind the plate. Then, in the eighth inning, he'd called a strike on McCann that was way outside. McCann apparently said something, so he pulled his mask off and stared at him for a second. Then, after McCann got out, Anderson's at bat had already started, and he stopped the game to walk all the way to the dugout. He didn't throw anybody out, he just walked all the way to the dugout and argued with Bobby Cox. Bobby tried to walk away from him, you could easily read his lips as he turned his back and said, "Just call the game". It didn't work though. The umpire pulled out his lineup sheet to continue the argument. Why the hell is he pulling out his lineup sheet? It looked to me(this is stupid but it's the only explanation I can think of) like he was asking Bobby who he should throw out. Confused by his behavior, Bobby grew more agitated. Then pointed to himself as if to say, "throw me out". So the umpire threw him out. Then, between innings, McCann said something to him and he got throw out as well.

I've honestly never seen anything like it. Why did he pull his lineup sheet out?
This guy's ridiculous. Billy Hahn, was that his name? In the post-game show, Bobby refused to talk about it and Mac would only explain his own ejection by saying he asked the ump to at least admit that the pitch in the previous half-inning was off the plate, and the ump promptly tossed him. The announcers and post-game analysts had no idea why the lineup card was pulled out. I thought that was very odd too.

[RiknTN]

Bill Hohn is one of the biggest p***ks up there. He and Tim McClellan. They make sure they are seen. Used to be that way for "Balk-A-Day" Bob Davidson until they about canned him. They want to be THE show.

[Andy G.]

This guy's ridiculous. Billy Hahn, was that his name? In the post-game show, Bobby refused to talk about it and Mac would only explain his own ejection by saying he asked the ump to at least admit that the pitch in the previous half-inning was off the plate, and the ump promptly tossed him. The announcers and post-game analysts had no idea why the lineup card was pulled out. I thought that was very odd too.
I really wish I had watched the post game show. I was too frustrated. Did you see anything about the umpire pumping his firt as if he was excited about the Marlins' victory? I saw Chipper staring at the field with a really pissed off look on his face, but I just figured it was because of what had already happened. My mom said that Jerome said something about it being because of the umpires fist pump.

MLB needs to do something about this. He was completely out of line in Boston, and he was out of line again tonight. I'm pretty mad about it.

[KB 34]

I am having so much fun it's unbelievable (40 hour work weeks are awesome), not to mention cutting out caffeine has made my stress levels go way down. We'll see what happens to my non-pessimism when my NASA internship ends after next week.

Oh yes, as far as the Phillies getting some pitching help good luck to them, nothing the Braves can do about it.

[Wahoo]

I'd also like to add Angel Hernandez to the list of gianormous d-bag umpires. Like you said Rik, they act as if the people come to see them. I wish their were a publicized formula for grading umps (and refs in other sports for that matter) so that the league and the fans can view and provide feedback on all these guys. The lowest guy on the totem pole takes a pay cut and is responsible for fewer games. There needs to be way to hold these guys accountable for their ridiculous actions.

[MSbravefan]

I really wish I had watched the post game show. I was too frustrated. Did you see anything about the umpire pumping his first as if he was excited about the Marlins' victory? I saw Chipper staring at the field with a really pissed off look on his face, but I just figured it was because of what had already happened. My mom said that Jerome said something about it being because of the umpires fist pump.

MLB needs to do something about this. He was completely out of line in Boston, and he was out of line again tonight. I'm pretty mad about it.

He fist-bumped the Marlins catcher at the end.. that's not right

[-Dr. Brave-]

Bleacherreport.com: Bill Hohn (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/226872-whats-up-with-bill-hohn-and-the-atlanta-braves)


Bill Hohn. A 20 year veteran of MLB umpiring... and the biggest anti-Braves' fan of all time.

In two games in which he has worked the dish this season with the Braves as competitors, Mr. Hohn (from hence forth to be referred to as Stache) has successully ejected five Atlanta Braves: Bobby Cox twice, Chipper Jones, Eric O'Flaherty, and Brian McCann.

Not only has Hohn fused disputes, he has intensified them.

On the first occasion, against the Red Sox, he managed to butcher the strike zone enough to make even the mild-mannered Chipper Jones' veins bulge three-and-a-half inches out of his neck. Any time you can do that, you've really done something bad.

Then, there was Wednesday night in Florida.

Despite having a fairly consistent strike zone on this night, Stache managed to anger an even more mild-mannered Brian McCann on a questionable... err... s%#*ty call.

After having a few words, he FOLLOWED B-Mac to the dug-out. Bobby Cox came out and defended his player. Having nothing to say that made any sense, Stache randomly pulled out his line-up card and tried to manage a sentence out of his moustache.

Bobby, becoming angrier with each muffled word, finally got into stache's ear a little too much and extended his all-time ejections record another game.

Still eyeing the dug-out, he walked back behind the plate and finished "calling" the half-inning.

During the 'tween-innings pause in action, McCann further displayed his displeasure with Stache and also got the boot.

Stache was, as Joe Simpson said, "trying to pick a fight" and succeeded.

I normally don't advocate violence, but I would LOVE to see a Manny Acosta fastball nail him in the facemask.

The commisioner's office needs to look at this. In fact, I think that any ump who actually FOLLOWS a player looking for further confrontation should be suspended.

When a player is trying to keep his cool by retreating to the dug-out, the last think they need to hear is Bill Hohn saying "GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE BEFORE ME AND MY MOUSTACHE MAKE YOU!!!" The grudge Stache holds against the Braves is obvious, and it is debatabale as to if it is warranted.

Hohn was quoted after the game saying "I hate those m%$#*%f#$@!%s, but my moustache is awesome."

[Hobbes]

He fist-bumped the Marlins catcher at the end.. that's not right

Did he really? Because that is entirely unacceptable.

[-Dr. Brave-]

A similar discussion of sheitty umpires on officiating.com (http://forum.officiating.com/baseball/54164-bill-hohn-worst-mlb-umpire-merely-most-glaring.html)

Apparently, the fistpump is one of Bill Hohn's trademarks for making an out call. Maybe the Marlins catcher thought it was an invitation to reciprocate.

[MSbravefan]

Did he really? Because that is entirely unacceptable.

I'm almost positive that's what they said and showed.. Baker caught the ball on the final out and turned around to show the ump he had it.. the ump signaled foul-tip and then fist-bumped Baker.. unless they both fist pumped (which is still bad) at the same time in the direction of each other

[sdp]

Did he really? Because that is entirely unacceptable.Yes he did. I've seen Brian McCann play grabass with Mark Wegner, but a fist-bump with the opposing catcher after a night of questionable calls? C'mon.

[-Dr. Brave-]

Anyone have video of the final strike?

[Hillbilly]

I've honestly never seen anything like it. Why did he pull his lineup sheet out?

I've got exceptional lip reading skills. Here is how the exchange went down.

Hohn: {Points to line up card} Greg Norton? C'mon Bobby? Why is he still on your roster?

Bobby: {Grunting and mumbling} Professional hitter. Good swings. Line drives right at the defense. Tough Breaks. Professional hitter.

Hohn: And Kawakami? Seriously? Did you see that bomb Hanley hit off of him? It landed waaay up there in those seats {heaves arm toward the stands.}

[sdp]

Best I could find:

http://www.hostbigimage.com/images/mekcz6mhvx98dydk4a.gif

[jamminHANES]

http://brooksbaseball.dustinkikuchi.com/pfx/szone.php?xml=http://gd2.mlb.com/components/game/mlb/year_2009/month_07/day_29/gid_2009_07_29_atlmlb_flomlb_1//pbp/pitchers/435178.xml&innings=yyyyyyyyy&s_type=3&sp_type=1&h_size=700&v_size=500&extraStr=|7/29/2009|Atlanta%20Braves%20@%20Florida%20Marlins

Squares are for Johnson and triangles are for Kawakami.

Obviously Johnson got a lot of outside calls compared to Kenshin...

[-Dr. Brave-]

http://brooksbaseball.dustinkikuchi.com/pfx/szone.php?xml=http://gd2.mlb.com/components/game/mlb/year_2009/month_07/day_29/gid_2009_07_29_atlmlb_flomlb_1//pbp/pitchers/435178.xml&innings=yyyyyyyyy&s_type=3&sp_type=1&h_size=700&v_size=500&extraStr=|7/29/2009|Atlanta%20Braves%20@%20Florida%20Marlins

Squares are for Johnson and triangles are for Kawakami.

Obviously Johnson got a lot of outside calls compared to Kenshin...

That's very interesting. I can see why McCann was upset. Looks like 8 of Johnson's pitches were more than two inches outside (from a LHB's perspective) and were called strikes, compared with none of Kawakami's pitches that were more than two inches outside.

[-Dr. Brave-]

Here's a Mark Bowman article (actually pretty well written) on the subject: http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?content_id=6156730