Game Thread: Tampa Bay Rays @ Atlanta Braves June 15, 2010

[Lauren T.]

http://i46.tinypic.com/e6u1it.jpg

Braves Press Pass (http://pp.soundenterprises.net/pp_viewer.php?d=51622)

Rays Press Pass (http://pp.soundenterprises.net/pp_viewer.php?d=51584)

Also, Big Boi from Outkast is going to be singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame tonight! Why am I going tomorrow instead of tonight?!

http://cdn.cloudfiles.mosso.com/c54102/x2_1a1ac1a

Hope sdp gets to see him! :D

[Lauren T.]

It's thundering pretty loud at my house (NW of the stadium) and it's been raining for about an hour. DOB says (http://twitter.com/ajcbraves/status/16261165104) tarp's going on the field.

[Lauren T.]

Definite rain delay. Peachtree TV cameras showing lots of Chipper, Heyward signing for fans, MattE's shaved his "DL beard" ;) ... lots of really random shots of the dugouts.

[chicagobrave]

Can someone please let me know when the game has started. I do not get rain delay programming on this channel so I am going to watch something else for now. All I get is a shot of the tarp on the field.

Thanks

[Lauren T.]

They're squeeging the field now -- PTV has started showing one more episode of a sitcom, so check back at 8:40 ET?

[chicagobrave]

Just checked PTV and heard 30-45 minutes till the game starts. Tarp being taken off the field. I will keep checking here though to see if anything changes.

[Middle Man]

Dang, I finally get a chance to watch a game and it's raining. The radar doesn't look good at all. It looks like there might be a temporary break in the weather, but there are still tons of storms swirling around Atlanta.

[Lauren T.]

And away we go!

I've been home with a stomach bug all day, so I'll be watching from bed until I can sleep. Night kiddos.

[Middle Man]

Well crud. 4-0 rays after 1/2 an inning. Come on rain! Rain! Rain! Rain!

[chicagobrave]

Well crud. 4-0 rays after 1/2 an inning. Come on rain! Rain! Rain! Rain!

I agree. It would be better if this got rained out or suspended until tomorrow. KK looks flat and we are down 3-1 already against their ace. Only 2 of our players have ever seen this guy and that could mean issues with the offense. I am going to record this one and maybe watch it tomorrow if things turn out well.

We have a movie to watch that is due tomorrow. See you all tomorrow.

[Middle Man]

5-1 after 1.5. KK is getting hammered, and not in a good way.

[Middle Man]

Ugh, bases loaded, no outs in bottom of 2nd - then K,K, ground out. Calling it a night.

[Andy G.]

We got one back in the bottom of the third. It's 5-2 now with two out in the top of the fourth. Crawford's on second and Pena is hitting.

The difference in the game is Esocbar's error in the first inning. It cost us three runs, which is the amount we're losing by now.

[Devil Wears Prado]

The Rays make Kawakami look more hittable than Rihanna.

[Andy G.]

McCann stole second base on Price, and Melky drove him in with a single up the middle.

It's a two-run ballgame in the bottom of the fifth, and the Braves have already forced Price to throw over 100 pitches. We're definitely in this.

[Andy G.]

Chris Resop appears to be coming into the game for the sixth inning. I wasn't aware that he had been called up.

By the way, the umpire behind the plate has been ruining at bats for our hitters all night. There's no consistency here whatsoever.

[Andy G.]

Aaaaannnd Resop gives them two runs to bring the lead back to four. It's still not over. If the Braves win this one, the Rays won't know what hit them. This really would be a "steal".

[chicagobrave]

Hope the offense can bail out Yuni mistke and the bad pitching today to get the Braves a win.

[Andy G.]

Resop gives up two more. It's 9-3 now. We probably won't come back, but I never feel like we're out of it with the way we've been scoring runs lately.

[Andy G.]

Make that 10-3.

[Andy G.]

I thought both Price and Kawakami battled well tonight. Only two of the runs Kawakami surrendered were earned runs. Both starters went five innings and walked three. KK allowed seven hits and Price allowed 8. Price struck out 7 and KK struck out 6. It's not easy to make your start after a two hour and twenty minute delay, especially in this weather. At one point Tampa Bay's pitching coach had to come out and let Price use his jersey to wipe the sweat off of his arm, because there literally was not a dry spot on Price uniform. It's not comfortable outside.

[chicagobrave]

I am beginning to think I am bad luck tonight. The offense had started scoring runs when I left and it looked like this game could be fixed. I turn the tv back on and the pitcher gives up more runs.

I know our offense has been scoring a lot of runs but 7 runs is a lot to make up this late in the game against a pitching staff the offense is not familar with.

[jlcct]

I can't believe we have 4 errors so far.

[Freddy_Ballgame]

Seems I heard them say Resop, the backwards Poser, was called up and Chavez was sent out....Was that a Chavez impression he laid on us? Where was his command? Guess it was just one of those nights....

[quick]

Since Rehash was absolutely shelled....Well, I'll chalk it up to a late start. He was up past his bedtime.

This Tampa series has looked like trouble since the preseason. If we get 1 of 3 from these guys, I think that is fine. They are an excellent team.

[warefreak]

We are at home. Kawakami vs David Price... we should have lost that game IMO. However with Tommy Hanson coming up and Tim Hudson (I think) behind him these are the two we need to win to show everybody we're for real.

If we settle for 1 of 3 vs the Rays at home than to me we're showing everybody we're not ready for the playoffs and definitely won't be contendors in the world series if we make it that far. These are the teams we need to elevate our play against.

In the world series KK better not be pitching.