Gamethread: Phillies @ Braves, August 14, 2009 (115/162) LOSS

[Andy G.]

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/2859/phillyatatlanta.png
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Philadelphia Phillies (64-48) vs. Atlanta Braves (60-54)
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Series Matchups
> TONIGHT: Joe Blanton vs. Jair Jurrjens, 7:30 PM EDT on PTV
> Saturday: Cole Hamels vs. Kenshin Kawakami, 4:00 PM EDT on FOX
> Wednesday: J.A. Happ vs. Javier Vazquez, 8:00 PM EDT on ESPN

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Projected Lineup
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
Laroche's Two Long Balls Nip Nats (http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090812&content_id=6394226&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl) (Mark Bowman, MLB.com)
Phillies-Braves Preview (http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/article/2009-08-13/phillies-braves-preview) (STATS)
Surging Braves Looking Up at Phillies (http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090812&content_id=6395080&vkey=news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl) (Mark Bowman, MLB.com)
Hudson Solid in Latest Rehab Assignment (http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090813&content_id=6414936&vkey=news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl) (Mark Bowman, MLB.com)
Scahfer's Return Depends on Health of Wrist (http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090813&content_id=6415130&vkey=news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl) (Mark Bowman, MLB.com)


"The way we're playing right now, we've just got to keep doing what we've been doing. We're not feeling any pressure. We're confident. There's a different feeling in [this clubhouse] right now." -Mike Gonzalez

I'm pretty sure sdp said he wouldn't be able to put the game threads up through this weekend. It's awesome that he does this. I had to put some time into this to put one together the way he does. I figured I could pick up the slack for him tonight. With this being such an important series, I thought we should have proper gamethreads to go with it.

Go Braves!

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

Huge series. I'm pretty sure it will make or break the season. I like how the pitching stacks up also. Really confident about JJ and JV in their matchups and it seems like KK saves his best games for when hes up against the opponents ace.

[Wahoo]

Let's just hope our offense shows up. Joe Blanton will be around the plate, and he doesn't anything better than average stuff. We need to rope this marshmallow.

[BigWorm]

Lead off double by McLouth results in an early 1-0 lead for the Braves. Chipper with a clutch basehit RBI. Nate looked like he was favoring his hammy as he was rounding third. Still not 100% but enough to get the job done.

Let's go Braves

[JanShan12]

WOW!!! Excellent catch on that line drive by Chipper!!!

[Hobbes]

Craptacular.

2-1 Phils.

[Andy G.]

What luck. Blanton's getting hit HARD. He's lucky to have only given up one run so far. Jurrjens, on the other hand, looks great. Other than the one mistake to Utley, he's been very good. Victorino put together a good at bat but got a lucky hit to get on base, and they have the lead because of it.

Jurrjens walks Howard now. He's locating very well. I think he was just being to fine there.

[Dreamscape]

I get home just to find out Utley took Jurrjens deep. How sad. Nice rebound to K Ibanez. Double play off the bat of Werth would suit me just fine.

[Andy G.]

Sweet. A little luck goes our way.

[Hobbes]

Tie game!

[IkeWagner]

Church!

[Dreamscape]

Thanks Mets!

[IkeWagner]

Sweet. A little luck goes our way.

Did he bloop it? A misplay? (I can't see the game)

[JanShan12]

Nice comeback! Hopefully JJ can give us at least 3 more innings. I love our chances right now and this team makes me feel like we have a chance to win every game. It's been a couple years since I've felt like this.

[Andy G.]

Did he bloop it? A misplay? (I can't see the game)
Sorry. Escobar hit the ball right at the third baseman. It bounced off his glove but stayed in front of him.

[JanShan12]

Did he bloop it? A misplay? (I can't see the game)

Feliz went to backhand the ball and completely missed it. His bare hand hit the ball, keeping it in front of him though.

[Andy G.]

Jurrjens has thrown a first pitch strike to every batter he's faced tonight.

[Andy G.]

Feliz went to backhand the ball and completely missed it. His bare hand hit the ball, keeping it in front of him though.
Ah. That's what happened. It looked funny.

[JanShan12]

Great pitching by JJ to get out of the inning! Let's score some runs to put us ahead now!

[IkeWagner]

Sorry. Escobar hit the ball right at the third baseman. It bounced off his glove but stayed in front of him.

Ah, a previous play.

[Dreamscape]

Hopefully, this is one of those few times that it doesn't hurt you to waste one of your hottest hitter's bat with a sacrifice bunt.

[IkeWagner]

Time for McCann to deliver.

[IkeWagner]

ugh

[Dreamscape]

Well, that wasn't expected or anything...

[Hobbes]

Victorino with an unnecessarily difficult catch.

[Andy G.]

Victorino with an unnecessarily difficult catch.
Thank you. I hate that kind of stuff.

[IkeWagner]

Victorino is a good player and a fine teammate I'm sure, but damnit is his style of play annoying.

[JanShan12]

Was that Jim Edmonds in CF???

Nice hit by BMac though. Better luck next time.

[Hobbes]

Thank you. I hate that kind of stuff.
At least you didn't have to listen to the Phillies announcers raving about his "amazing catch" and starting up a conversation about how he should easily win another gold glove. :mad:

[JanShan12]

I feel for you, Hobbes. I lived in St. Louis during the Edmond years here. Ugh!

[BigWorm]

Victorino is a jerk off. Someone throw a beer.

By jerk off, I mean a hell of a player.

And by throw a beer, I'm just kidding. We're not the Cubbies. But damn you think he could let one of those drop?

[Hobbes]

And now another catch that Victorino overruns and has to fall down to catch.

Boy, he's amazing!


:rolleyes:

[Hobbes]

According to a graphic they just put up the Braves bullpen is 5th in the NL in ERA.

[Dreamscape]

Well, 103 pitches as Jurrjens does almost everything he can do to help the Braves win. He needs some help, though.

[Hobbes]

Why can we never beat up on Blanton?

[JanShan12]

We must have hit him well the last 2 times because at the beginning of the game, they said his ERA the past 2 games against us is over 8.

[Dreamscape]

Using KJ over Norton? I'm a little surprised, Bobby.

In a good way, though. KJ battling.

[Hobbes]

We must have hit him well the last 2 times because at the beginning of the game, they said his ERA the past 2 games against us is over 8.

I must just have a selective or faulty memory then, since it feels like he pitches over his head against us.

[Andy G.]

GONZO!!!!

We got the heart of the order up. Come on Braves!

[Hobbes]

And the heart of the order does...

nothing.

[Dreamscape]

I would have preferred to see Gonzo against Howard myself...

[Hobbes]

:banghead:

[Dreamscape]

...sigh...

[Dreamscape]

The homer-happy Soriano of summer, 2007...is even uglier in the sequel.

[Hobbes]

We just can't get those deep balls to fall tonight.

[Hobbes]

LaRoche gets a hit and Diaz will run for him.

[MSbravefan]

Soriano was money in the first half, but has really coughed up some big games lately

[wordslayer©]

it's kind of weird, but lately, any time after Soriano pitches, I smell urine.

[Dreamscape]

LaRoche with a single to keep the Braves hopes alive. Church, another RBI double would be awesome.

[Hobbes]

And Diaz steals second.

[Dreamscape]

MattE!

[Hobbes]

Church K's and now Norton strides to the plate.

[Dreamscape]

Norton, if you ever want to pretend to be a major league hitter again, now would be a good time.

[Hobbes]

A walk would be fine Norton.

And he walks.

[Hobbes]

Actually a nice job by Norton.

It's up to McLouth.

[Dreamscape]

Good job on the non-out, Norton.

[Hobbes]

And just like the rest of the game a deep fly is caught in the outfield.

Braves lose.

[Dreamscape]

Sigh.

Okay, gotta take the other two now.

Thanks on the choke-job, Soriano.

[Andy G.]

We'll get them tomorrow. We hit at least seven balls to the warning track tonight. We hit the ball really well actually. Just one of those games. The Phillies have incredible luck. They have for the past two years.

And honestly, none of those catches by Victorino were particularly impressive. I'm not bitter, they just weren't impressive. He's a total d-bag, and on top of that has terrible instincts in the field. He didn't need to jump for that one ball in center early in the game. He could have just stood there and caught it. As for the ball where he fell down AFTER making the catch because he overran it and had to slam the breaks in the last second, any center fielder that plays as deep as he does would have caught that ball in stride. What a joke.

[wordslayer©]

I hate losing and all.

And I hate games like this, where you are in it, and then you lose it late at the end.

But honestly, I feel like I can handle any kind of loss now. Since Francoeur has been gone, a loss just doesn't feel like it did when he was here. You feel that, at minimum, you have a team out there that can win. you don't have that feeling that you are just giving away wins.

Used to be, after losses, I would go back through the box score, and I would see where Francouer would leave about 5 guys on base, or first pitch swing into a double play, and it would just eat at me. Just watching the same thing over and over again...night after night after night. I honestly don't know how his other teammates didn't just go to his locker and beat the living $hit out of him. Even when I played baseball, we had this thing where the coaches didn't let $hitty people play.

But things are good now. Pitching is good......hitting is improved....bullpen is doing pretty well, and I feel that we have just about our best players out there. Going down through the dog days of august, I like our chances right now just about as well as I do anyone elses.

[luvdembravos]

What Slayer said plus...

In recent years, when the Braves were down after 6 innings, you could assume with almost 95% certainty that the Braves would lose...just turn off the TV and walk away because it was over...and one run games were a joke..we'd lose almost all of them.

This team needs some tweaking but they're by far the most competitive team we've had since the streak ended.

[JanShan12]

I agree. I was telling my brother this morning that at this time the past couple years, I could barely force myself to watch an entire game. Now I feel that whether we win or lose, we have a good team that is most importantly, competitive. If we don't make the playoffs, I will at least be happy that we were in the hunt and put a competitive team out on the field.

[CharlotteBrave]

I would have preferred to see Gonzo against Howard myself...


This... Why, oh why, did Gonzo NOT face Howard? Howard with had a .192 BA and only 3 HR against LHP, but BA of .307 and 25 HR against RHP.

Major mistake by Bobby and Roger there... And I'm sure this has been discussed, but I've been out of town all weekend and could not believe Howard was NOT facing Gonzo... Isn't that a big reason why the Phil's waited so long to call him up? His struggles with LHP?

[HaRdCoReBrAvEsFaN]

they also had to get rid of Thome and his huge contract to clear up 1B for him...


either way with 3 lefties it probally would have been wise to make a move, but to late now...