Gamethread: Phillies @ Braves, August 16, 2009 (117/162) LOSS

[Andy G.]

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/2859/phillyatatlanta.png
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Philadelphia Phillies (65-49) vs. Atlanta Braves (61-55)
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Series Matchups
> Friday: Phillies 3, Braves 2
> Saturday: Phillies 3, Braves 4
> TONIGHT: J.A. Happ vs. Javier Vazquez, 8:00 PM EDT on ESPN

Pitching matchup
ATL: RHP Javier Vazquez (10-7, 2.90 ERA)
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, with his win against the Dodgers on Sunday, Vazquez became just the 10th pitcher in Major League history to record 10 wins and register 150 strikeouts over 10 straight seasons. The 33-year-old right-hander quietly has enjoyed a splendid first season in Atlanta. He is 5-0 with a 2.59 ERA over his past seven starts, and the Braves have won eight of the past nine games he's started. Vazquez has allowed three earned runs or fewer in each of his three starts against the Phillies this season.

PHI: LHP J.A. Happ (8-2, 2.75 ERA)
Happ worked hard Tuesday against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. He put two runners on base in his first two innings and worked out of a major jam in the third before settling down. In six innings, Happ allowed seven hits, two runs and four walks while striking out three. It wasn't his best effort of the season, but it showed he can fight through his struggles to keep the game close.

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Projected Lineup
Not Nate McLouth, CF
Martin Prado, 2B
Chipper Jones, 3B
Brian McCann, C
Garret Anderson, LF
Yunel Escobar, SS
Adam Laroche, 1B
Ryan Church, RF
Jair Jurrjens, RHP

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Link Roundup
Braves Keep Division Title Hopes Alive (http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090815&content_id=6437948&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl) (Mark Bowman, MLB.com)
Injuries Piling up for Battling Braves (http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090815&content_id=6444788&vkey=news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl) (Mark Bowman, MLB.com)
Gonzalez Getting Back Into Form (http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090815&content_id=6438488&vkey=news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl) (Mark Bowman, MLB.com)


"Today we were fortunate, but we certainly deserved to win one of the past two games. We played hard and we played well. ... You need a win like that to get you back on track. Now we've got a chance to win the series tomorrow, and that's all we can ask for." -Chipper Jones


Go Braves!

[HaRdCoReBrAvEsFaN]

I know that's projected, but McLouth def won't be in the lineup tonight...it'll probally be Church in CF unless they opt to go with the RH bat of Infante out there...

[Andy G.]

I know that's projected, but McLouth def won't be in the lineup tonight...it'll probally be Church in CF unless they opt to go with the RH bat of Infante out there...
Yeah I meant to change that. I copied and pasted from the gamethread I made a couple ago. You might be right about Infante being in center to face the lefty. It'll be interesting to see who it is.

[HaRdCoReBrAvEsFaN]

I'd like to see Bobby go with Omar if he's not at 2B...

[sdp]

Nice job, Andy. I just got back home a couple hours ago. Good to see the Braves fighting those losers from Philly.

[JanShan12]

Another game with the TV muted and listening to the Braves broadcast over the radio.

Do we know which ESPN announcers are doing the game?

[Hobbes]

It's almost always Miller and Morgan (and now Phillips) on Sunday nights.

It will be blacked out on ESPN for me anyway, since it's carried locally.

[Lauren T.]

Lineup, per DOB:

1. Infante, 2B
2. Prado, 1B
3. Chipper, 3B
4. McCann, C
5. Escobar, SS
6. Anderson, LF
7. Diaz, RF
8. Church, CF
9. Vazquez, your starting pitcher

At 7:38 the Braves Organist said on Twitter that rain is moving into Atlanta and the tarp is on the field. I'm northwest of the stadium a little, and it's not rained here at all.

[Agent-X-]

Interestingly, the storms are moving in from the southeast. Looks like it could be raining for a while in Atlanta. Hope not, though...

[JanShan12]

Gameday has the following lineup:

Infante 2B
Garret LF
Chipper 3B
McCann C
Escobar SS
Diaz RF
LaRoche 1B
Church CF

[Lauren T.]

http://www.weather.com/weather/map/interactive/28559:20

[Hobbes]

Based on the peek-in on ESPN it looks like it's raining pretty hard in Atlanta.

[Lauren T.]

Gameday has the following lineup:

Infante 2B
Garret LF
Chipper 3B
McCann C
Escobar SS
Diaz RF
LaRoche 1B
Church CF
Gameday's correct. :) DOB has updated his lineup (http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-braves-blog/2009/08/16/braves-vs-phils-moylan-wants-in-as-usual/comment-page-2/#comment-261887) -- Prado's still uncomfortable.

[Agent-X-]

That's an interesting twist to the lineup. The only thing I can figure with GAnderson is that he has hit lefties with a higher OBP than vs righties. I'm not sure that justifies placing Church at the bottom of the order, especially when he had been responding so well at the top.

Go figure.

[Agent-X-]

Looks like Atlanta still has a ways to go before clearing the forest...

[Dreamscape]

Thanks Mother Nature. Saw the Pelicans lose to the Hillcats in a quick game, slightly over 2 hours, and you held up this game long enough so I can watch it, too.

[Hobbes]

ESPN says 9:45 start time.

[Agent-X-]

Yep. Looks like the game is set to get under way soon.

And what do you know? Perfect time to start a game if you live on the west coast. :)

[Dreamscape]

Some bad luck there puts Victorino on second.

[Devil Wears Prado]

Honestly, are we still in the playoff race?

[Dreamscape]

Well, that works. And we're out of the frame.

[Hobbes]

...of course, I feel we're on a high wire act that could come crashing down at any second.

As are all the other wild card contenders.

[Hobbes]

Yeah, McCann's plate music is hardly intimidating.

[Dreamscape]

Come on, fans. Get in after that foul ball!

[Hobbes]

Ugh...Howard.

[Wahoo]

Yeah, McCann's plate music is hardly intimidating.


Indeed. He, like every other radio station in America, needs to lose the Kings of Leon.

[Dreamscape]

Just a bad pitch. Missed the location too much against a hitter with too much power.

[Hobbes]

Indeed. He, like every other radio station in America, needs to lose the Kings of Leon.
Maybe next time he can stroll up to the latest Taylor Swift treacle. :D

[Wahoo]

Maybe next time he can stroll up to the latest Taylor Swift treacle. :D

LOL. Better yet, Miley Cyrus.

[Dreamscape]

Well, two hardly hit balls...right at the infielders.

Can't they move or something?

[4maddux_cy's]

damn, nice rip by javy.

[Dreamscape]

Other than one bad pitch, not too shabby of a start for Javy. Let's get him some runs.

[Agent-X-]

I have to say... I'm glad to have Don Sutton back. :)

[Dreamscape]

Usually, when your leadoff batter opens the inning with a four pitch walk, good things happen.

But the Braves hate being like every other team, I guess.

[Agent-X-]

53 pitches through 4 innings for Vazquez.

Turning in another solid start. Need to get some runs off these bums.

[Hobbes]

DIAZ HOMER!!!

[Dreamscape]

MATTEEEEEEEE!!!!

[Agent-X-]

W00t. Way to go Diaz!

Tie game people.

[HaRdCoReBrAvEsFaN]

Matty D's the man!

[Dreamscape]

Ah, Joe Morgan's expert analysis. Pedro Martinez is a winner because he knows how to win. Brilliant.

[Hobbes]

Morgan likes Pedro as a Phillies acquisition because he's a winner and he knows how to win.

:banghead:

[Hobbes]

Ha.

[Agent-X-]

I wonder if anyone ever plays back audio clips to these announcers. I mean, really. I'd love to hear their comments upon hearing themselves.

[Hobbes]

I wonder if anyone ever plays back audio clips to these announcers. I mean, really. I'd love to hear their comments upon hearing themselves.

I guarantee you that Morgan would find nothing wrong with that comment upon hearing it played back.

[Wahoo]

I swear if I see Garrett Anderson play one more game for the Braves it will be too many. Can someone please explain what exactly he brings to the team?

[Dreamscape]

I swear if I see Garrett Anderson play one more game for the Braves it will be too many. Can someone please explain what exactly he brings to the team?
Batting average. He's a .300 hitter over his last 79 games coming into today. Of course, his .777 OPS is a bit underwhelming for a corner outfielder.

[Wahoo]

Batting average. He's a .300 hitter over his last 79 games coming into today. Of course, his .777 OPS is a bit underwhelming for a corner outfielder.

And is his OBP over that same span? Frankly, I still think he's worthless sack, and our offense would be much better with the speedier KJ in the lineup.

Besides: those numbers you posted are highly skewed by his July performance, which he has coincidentally followed up with an equally poor August performance.

[HaRdCoReBrAvEsFaN]

I dont' like Howard

[Hobbes]

Bleah.

[Wahoo]

Well, Ryan Howard has officially knocked us out of the division race. I guess we can hope for a wild card run (if we ever get rid of Anderson).

[Dreamscape]

He makes his worst pitches against the worst guy to make bad pitches to.

...still think there is something to the idea of high leverage situations and Vazquez just dying in them.

[sdp]

Damn, damn.

[Agent-X-]

Ugh. Ryan Howard... *mutters a racial slur*

[Hobbes]

Morgan continues to try and shoehorn his point about catcher positioning into Howard's homer. Yeah, that's right Joe, he hit the homer because he saw McCann's plate position.

God, I hate him so much.

[Agent-X-]

Well, Ryan Howard has officially knocked us out of the division race. I guess we can hope for a wild card run (if we ever get rid of Anderson).

We won't be out of the division race until someone other than the Phillies is riding in first place with a safe lead over us.

You better believe it. :thumbsup:

[Wahoo]

We won't be out of the division race until someone other than the Phillies is riding in first place with a safe lead over us.

You better believe it. :thumbsup:

6 games is a pretty safe lead, but I admire your optimism.

[wordslayer©]

Morgan continues to try and shoehorn his point about catcher positioning into Howard's homer. Yeah, that's right Joe, he hit the homer because he saw McCann's plate position.

God, I hate him so much.

I'm with ya, Hobbes.

For the most part, I cut announcers as much slack as anyone does, because it's hard to fill up the air like they do, but Morgan is just flat out lazy. He doesn't do any real pre-game prep, and he relies on nothing but cliche's for analysis.

And he is a great example of why you should never rely just on "experts" in life. There are people at ESPN who hire him, retain him, and pay him a handsome salary because they think he is good.

[Wahoo]

"You can play with pain, but you can't play with an injury."

[Hobbes]

Please don't strand the bases loaded.
Please don't strand the bases loaded.
Please don't strand the bases loaded.
Please don't strand the bases loaded.
....

[Hobbes]

AAARRRGGH!!!

[Agent-X-]

And the Braves leave the bases loaded.

Ugh.

[HaRdCoReBrAvEsFaN]

no suprise there...

[Dreamscape]

That's the downside to Ryan Church. A lefty completely neutralizes him.

[Wahoo]

Looks like they didn't get the message. It's really amazing that we are in the position we are with so many mediocre to poor hitters in our lineup. If we had even one more formidable hitter in our lineup, we'd be one dangerous team.

[Wahoo]

G'ah! Walking the pitcher is never a good idea.

[Agent-X-]

Did anyone else just hear Don Sutton call Vazquez "Javier Lopez"?

[BigWorm]

Time for an offensive explosion. JA Happ is one cocky somfaitch. I hate em.

[Agent-X-]

Looks like we're going down... but let's not get dramatic and think that this series ends our hopes. No one gained or lost anything in this series... just 1 game.

[HaRdCoReBrAvEsFaN]

why couldn't it have kept raining?

[Agent-X-]

Here comes the rally!

Greg Norton got on base...

[Dreamscape]

Maybe the Phillies are just better than the Braves.

[Agent-X-]

And there goes the game. Braves lose.

No biggy. It's going to continue to take good play by the Phillies to stay on top.

Looking forward to Hanson's game tomorrow!

[Agent-X-]

Maybe the Phillies are just better than the Braves.

Maybe. But this is the same Phillies who can win 10 in a row and lose as many in a row.

They're a good team. They're just... beatable. No reason to lose hope in the Braves yet.

[Dreamscape]

I still feel very good about the Braves...but...

Great teams don't carry a .138 hitter whose sole value is the decent amount of walks he has at this point in the year. Now, it's a tough job...pinch hitting. I get that. But 72 games is plenty of time to make a decision on a player. And Norton, for whatever reason, is not getting it done.

A great team demands more. Maybe others have heard from the source as to what the justification is, but in this era of accountability the Braves have went to by trading Francoeur, pushing KJ to the bench, and sending Schafer down, why is Norton spared?

[Agent-X-]

Why is Norton spared? Maybe he's the guy Bobby Cox has his seasonal hang up on. Every year, we get to sit through at least one Bobby Cox crush that no one else can understand.

Unfortunate? Yeah. At least Norton's not a starter.

[4maddux_cy's]

I wouldnt mind if he was on the bench so long as Bobby would quit making him the first damn selection to come in and PH every game. UGH!

[Dreamscape]

Maybe. But this is the same Phillies who can win 10 in a row and lose as many in a row.

They're a good team. They're just... beatable. No reason to lose hope in the Braves yet.
And the Braves have proven themselves to be more beatable. The Braves have a strength, but offensively, they remain a weakling. They got hot and that was great, but things are settling. Ganderson is playing like...he probably should play. Martin Prado is no longer one of the hottest hitters in baseball. While the holes have been plugged, the Braves need their two most important hitters to really end the year strong. Unless Chipper and McCann rip the ball, this team will need a complete Phillies collapse to get past them. The Wild Card is much easier because none of the teams there are that impressive.

However, the Phillies are easily one of the top three teams in the NL. The Braves are not. At least, not right now.

[luvdembravos]

However, the Phillies are easily one of the top three teams in the NL. The Braves are not. At least, not right now.

The past 2 weekends, the Braves have shown me that they can play evenly with the Dodgers and Phillies. We have the pitching to win the NL but need to do a better job hitting the ball.