Braves Blast :: Atlanta Braves Blog » Game Thread http://www.bravesblast.com Analysis of our favorite Atlanta Braves. Sat, 31 Jul 2010 13:13:34 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Braves Look To Start A Streak http://www.bravesblast.com/2009/04/25/braves-look-to-start-a-streak/ http://www.bravesblast.com/2009/04/25/braves-look-to-start-a-streak/#comments Sat, 25 Apr 2009 17:03:55 +0000 Jonathan http://www.bravesblast.com/?p=1130 The Braves are looking to turn around a nine-game road trip that started off with them losing four out of five games.  After back-to-back shutouts by the Pittsburgh Pirates and losing the series to the Washington Nationals, the Braves have managed to win two consecutive games.  The record on the road trip is now up to 3-4 and could be brought back up to .500 with a win today.  If the Braves can sweep the Cincinnati Reds, it will give them a winning road trip that has, for the most part, provided few high points.

Garret Anderson and Brian McCann have made trips to the 15-day disabled list.  The offense is struggling to put men on base (but somehow drawing enough bases loaded walks to keep them in games), but overall, the team is fighting to get back to Atlanta on Monday with something to show for it all.  Today, Derek Lowe brings his 1-1 record and 3.27 ERA into Cincinnati to face off against Bronson Arroyo, who is the first Reds pitcher to have a 3-0 start since 1997.

Two wins under our belt and hopeful for a third today.  The Braves are in need of a win streak.  Stay with us for updates throughout the game.

Braves: 10         Reds: 2
Bot 9th: Jeff Bennett on to finish up the game for the Braves. Janish with a one-out single to center. Nix singles with two outs. No runs cross the plate. Braves win 10-2.
Top 9th: Francoeur singles but is gotten out on a double play. 3 outs to go.
Bot 8th: O’Flaherty throws a solid 1-2-3 inning.
Top 8th: Schafer draws a leadoff walk and goes to second on a wild pitch. Greg Norton doubles and scores Schafer. 10-2 Braves.
Bot 7th: Lowe walks one and records his 8th strikeout of the game. I think that’ll about do it for him.
Top 7th: Herrera gets the Braves 1-2-3.
Bot 6th: Lowe walks one but retires three with no damage.
Top 6th: Schafer and Ross with back-to-back doubles to lead off the inning. 7-2 Braves. DLowe bunts Ross over to third. Yunel with a two-run homer to center. 9-2 Braves.
Bot 5th: Hanigan doubles to lead off the inning. Arroyo reaches on a bunt. Lowe strikes out three in a row with runners on second and third.
Top 5th: 1-2-3 inning for Arroyo.
Bot 4th: 1-2-3 inning for Derek Lowe.
Top 4th: Escobar hit by another pitch with two outs. Nothing doing for the Braves though.
Bot 3rd: Hairston strikes out at is ejected arguing the call. Dusty Baker also ejected. No offense for the Reds.
Top 3rd: Schafer draws a two-out walk but nothing more for the Braves in the inning.
Bot 2nd: Bruce doubles off the right field wall to lead off. Gonzalez homers to left. 6-2 Braves. Hanigan singles.
Top 2nd: David Ross singles and advances to second on a throwing error. Derek Lowe walks on 4 pitches. Yunel singles to left. 3-0 Braves. Chipper crushes a 3-run home run to right center. 6-0 Braves.
Bot 1st: Derek Lowe strikes out one and hits Joey Votto. No damage done.
Top 1st: Kelly Johnson walks to leadoff the inning. Escobar doubles of the wall to score Johnson. Chipper singles down the right field line. Escobar scores. 2-0 Braves. Kotchman singles. Francoeur grounds into a 6-4-3 double play. Diaz strikes out to end the inning.
]]> http://www.bravesblast.com/2009/04/25/braves-look-to-start-a-streak/feed/ 0 Mac Is Back For Game Vs. Nats http://www.bravesblast.com/2009/04/21/mac-is-back-for-game-vs-nats/ http://www.bravesblast.com/2009/04/21/mac-is-back-for-game-vs-nats/#comments Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:52:40 +0000 Jonathan http://www.bravesblast.com/?p=1039 After missing two games with blurred vision in his left eye, Brian McCann has been tentatively written into the linup for tonight’s game against the Washington Nationals.  Mac has been suffering from the blurred vision issues over the past two weeks and had tried a series of options including a contact lens and an antibiotic ointment.  These caused an increase in the blurred vision and the absence from the past two games.

After a visit to an eye doctor this morning in Washington, McCann has been prescribed a new contact lens that has corrected the issues for the most part.  Before taking batting practice today, he said he felt great and would be ready to go.  Bobby Cox, always cautious, has a lineup ready without McCann as well and said a lot would depend on how he looked while taking batting practice today.

Kenshin Kawakami takes the mound for the Braves today, facing off against Shairon Martis, who has been credited for one of the Nationals’ two wins on the season.  After dropping the first game of the series last night, the Braves need to get back into the win column tonight.

Braves: 3 Nationals: 4
Top 9th: Hanrahan on to close for the Nats. Diaz draws a 4-pitch, leadoff walk. Schafer doubles down the right field line. Diaz to third. No outs, runners at second and third and the Braves can’t plate a run. This is pathetic. Nats win, 4-3.
Bot 8th: Gonzo on to pitch. Gets a strikeout to start the inning and then a walk. Gonzalez steals second and McCann throws the ball into center; Gonzalez to third. Yunel picks up a sharp grounder and throws Gonzalez out at home.
Top 8th: Chipper singles to lead off the inning. McCann lines out sharply to second. Kotchman flies out to center. Francoeur grounds out to third. Down to our last three outs.
Bot 7th: Peter Moylan on to pitch for the Braves. Gives up a walk, but no hits or damage.
Top 7th: Hinckley on to pitch for the Nats. Prado singles to lead off the inning. Johnson bunts him over to second. Yunel strikes out. Prado thrown out stealing third.
Bot 6th: Adam Dunn with a solo homer to center. 3-2 Braves. Dukes reaches on an error by Chipper. Kearns triples under the glove of Diaz. 3-3 Game. Bennett on to replace Kawakami. Bennett retires two, but Willingham singles to left. 4-3 Nationals. Johnson strikes out to end the inning. Really unfortunate for Kawakami to be on the hook for the loss now.
Top 6th: Schafer doubles with two outs but is thrown out on his way back to second after taking too large of a turn.
Bot 5th: Nick Johnson singles with one out. Great double play to end the inning. 5 pitches for Kawakami.
Top 5th: Escobar with a one-out single. Chipper grounds into a fielder’s choice. McCann walks. Can’t get a run across though.
Bot 4th: Kawakami issues two one-out walks. Groundout and a strikeout to avoid any more runs.
Top 4th: Kotchman singles to lead off the inning. Francoeur gets Kotchman over to second. Diaz grounds out to third. Kawakami strikes out looking to end the inning.
Bot 3rd: 1-2-3 inning for Kawakami. Great sliding catch for Diaz to end the inning.
Top 3rd: Chipper sends a one-out single up the middle. McCann grounds into a double play.
Bot 2nd: Dukes with a leadoff double. Thrown out by a great throw from McCann trying to steal third. Kearns walks and scores on a double off the fence for Flores. 3-1 Braves. Gonzales with an infield single. Martis strikes out trying to bunt. Kawakami takes care of a little chopper to avoid further damage.
Top 2nd: Braves down 1-2-3.
Bot 1st: Zimmerman hits a two-out double, but no further damage.
Top 1st: Two out walks for Chipper and McCann. Kotchman drives one to right center. Chipper scores 1-0 Braves. Infield hit for Francoeur and an error allows two runs to score. 3-0 Braves.

]]> http://www.bravesblast.com/2009/04/21/mac-is-back-for-game-vs-nats/feed/ 0 Braves at Nationals, Game 1 http://www.bravesblast.com/2009/04/20/braves-at-nationals/ http://www.bravesblast.com/2009/04/20/braves-at-nationals/#comments Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:37:35 +0000 Jonathan http://www.bravesblast.com/?p=1010 Derek Lowe takes on the Nationals tonight as their #1 prospect Jordan Zimmermann takes the mound in his major league debut. The Braves have lost six in a row in Washington and need a series win after losing five of their last six this season. The Nationals have done some roster shuffling recently after a dismal 1-10 start to the season – so Braves fans, remember it could always be worse.

Brian McCann is out of the lineup tonight as he’s still experiencing some eye dryness. He may need lasik surgery before he can return – hopefully that’s not the case. Either way, good thing Dave Ross got healthy just in time for this. Fortunately Chipper should play tonight – the Braves are a much better team when opposing pitchers have to think about pitching around him.

The Braves need to step it up and take at least 2 out of 3 from the Nationals. They’re an easy team to take it from – and we need to be back on track soon so we don’t fall behind early in the season. Hopefully our bullpen is less sucky without Blaine Boyer.

Braves: 2 Nationals: 3
Top 9th: Kotchman walks and the Braves can do nothing with him. Nats win 3-2.
Bot 8th: Rafael Soriano on th pitch. Dunn doubles to lead off the inning. Willingham hit by a pitch. Soriano strikes out two to get out of a bases loaded jam.
Top 8th: Two outs in the half inning….rain delay. One pitch for the third out.
Bot 7th: Rain’s coming down again. Eric O’Flaherty on to pitch for the Braves. 1-2-3 inning for the bullpen. That’s refreshing.
Top 7th: Kip Wells on to pitch for the Nats. Schafer draws a two-out walk but doesn’t advance.
Bot 6th: Dukes with a one-out single. Willingham singles past Chipper. Dukes to third. Flores singles past short. 3-2 Nationals.
Top 6th: Quick 1-2-3 inning for Zimmermann.
Bot 5th: Hernandez walks. Johnson singles past short. Two on with one out. Zimmerman grounds into a double play to end the inning.
Top 5th: Ross walks to lead off the inning. Lowe pops up the bunt again and gets Ross and himself out on the double play.
Bot 4th: Johnson walks to lead off the inning. Zimmerman singles to right. Dunn with a sac fly to the track moves the runners up. Dukes singles to right. Johnson scores. 2-1 Braves. Dukes steals second and intentional pass to Willingham to load the bases. Flores sac fly. 2-2 Game.
Top 4th: Chipper triples down the right field line to lead off the inning. Kotchman pops out to short. Francoeur grounds out to second. Diaz turns on one for a two-run homer to left center. 2-0 Braves.
Bot 3rd: Rain’s starting to fall again. Flores singles to lead off. No further damage though.
Top 3rd: David Ross with a leadoff single. Sacrifice by Lowe fails and Lowe’s at first. Johnson singles to right. Double play ends the inning however. Nothing on the board.
Bot 2nd: Lowe gets his second strikeout of the evening while notching another 1-2-3 inning.
Top 2nd: Kotchman leads off with a double but is thrown out trying to take third on a passed ball. Francoeur strikes out but Diaz doubles to center. Left there by a Schafer flyout. Should have gotten a run out of that had Kotchman not caught the tough break.
Bot 1st: Lowe responds with 1-2-3 inning of his own.
Top 1st: Braves down 1-2-3 on 7 pitches.

]]> http://www.bravesblast.com/2009/04/20/braves-at-nationals/feed/ 2 Chipper Returns To Try To Avoid Sweep http://www.bravesblast.com/2009/04/19/chipper-returns-to-try-to-avoid-sweep/ http://www.bravesblast.com/2009/04/19/chipper-returns-to-try-to-avoid-sweep/#comments Sun, 19 Apr 2009 17:05:16 +0000 Jonathan http://www.bravesblast.com/?p=978 With Chipper Jones out of the lineup for the past 4 games, the Braves have been nothing short of abyssmal.  In those 4 games, the Braves have only managed 6 total runs, as well as being shut out by the Pirates the last two games.  After starting out the season 5-1, they have dropped 5 straight to fall below .500 on the season.

Chipper has been nursing a bruised left thumb for the entire season that he reaggravated during a home game against the Marlins last Tuesday.  Yunel Escobar, who has missed two games with a strained abdominal muscle, is a game-time decision today.  Hopefully one, or both, of the two can provide a much needed spark for the Braves’ offense today and avoid the sweep by the Pirates.

Javier Vazquez takes the mound for the Braves today with an 0-1 record and 4.50 ERA.  Vazquez has been dominant with the strikeout this season, but still has been giving up some runs.  Zach Duke will be on the hill for the Pirates with a 2-0 record this season and a non-existent 0.59 ERA.  Chipper however, has hit .500 on his career against the left-hander.

Stay with us for ongoing updates throughout the game.

Braves: 11 Pirates: 1
Bot 9th: James Parr on for the Braves. Parr labors a bit but only gives up a run. Braves win 11-1.
Top 9th: A couple of base runners in the inning but nothing further for the Braves. Let’s hope 11 runs is enough to get through one more inning for the bullpen.
Bot 8th: Jeff Bennett taking the mound for the Braves. Morgan grounds back to Bennett who proceeds to throw the ball halfway to the wall in right field. Morgan takes third. Bennett recovers with a pop-out and a strikeout to keep the shutout.
Top 8th: Donnie Veal on to pitch for the Pirates. Infante doubles to center. Prado walks and a wild pitch moves the runners over. Chipper walks to load the bases. Sac fly for Diaz scores Infante. 11-0 Braves.
Bot 7th: Moylan on to pitch for the Braves. 1-2-3 inning. The bullpen only needs to survive 6 more outs.
Top 7th: Craig Hansen in to replace Zach Duke. Chipper gets hit by a pitch with one out. Francoeur doubles down the right field line and Chipper scores. 7-0 Braves. Kotchman walks. Dave Ross with a three-run homer. 10-0 Braves. That’s why we signed him.
Bot 6th: Morgan leads off with a single up the middle. Sanchez follows with another single. A couple of good plays in the field and Vazquez’s 8th strikeout on the day saves any further trouble.
Top 6th: Schafer singles, 3-3 for him today. Vazquez bunts him over to second but he doesn’t make it any further.
Bot 5th: 1-2-3 inning for Vazquez and the game is official now. Let it rain.
Top 5th: Diaz singles to lead off the inning but is thrown out on a double play ball from Francoeur. Kotchman pops out and it’s a quick inning for Zach Duke.
Bot 4th: Diaz in to replace Anderson in right field. Vazquez strikes out another pair for 7 today. He’s second in MLB right now on the season (24), behind Johan Santana (27).
Top 4th: Ross doubles to right. Schafer bunts Ross to third and is safe at first. Vazquez make the sacrifice bunt to move the runners to 2nd and 3rd with one out. Infante pops out. Prado with a 3-run homer to left center. 6-0 Braves.
Bot 3rd: Starting to rain in Pittsburgh. Vazquez strikes out another two. 5 on the day now. Sanchez hits a double but is left standing on second.
Top 3rd: Chipper Jones leads the inning off with a single. Francoeur hits a two-out single to center but Chipper is thrown out after overrunning second base. A couple of base running mistakes on the day, let’s hope they don’t come back to haunt us.
Bot 2nd: Another K for Vazquez. Wilson singles to center and is thrown out by Schafer trying to stretch it into a double.
Top 2nd: Schafer singles. Vazquez bunts and Duke throws the ball into center field. Infante pops out on a bunt and Prado grounds into a double play. Wasted chance there.
Bot 1st: A single and a walk, but Vazquez strikes out two and gets Adam LaRoche to ground out to avoid any damage.
Top 1st: Prado doubles to left but is caught in a rundown on a Chipper fielder’s choice. Garret Anderson doubles to left. Francoeur with a 2 RBI double to center. 2-0 Braves. Kotchman with an RBI single. 3-0 Braves.
]]> http://www.bravesblast.com/2009/04/19/chipper-returns-to-try-to-avoid-sweep/feed/ 0 Braves Kick Off Roadtrip In Pittsburgh http://www.bravesblast.com/2009/04/17/braves-kick-off-roadtrip-in-pittsburgh/ http://www.bravesblast.com/2009/04/17/braves-kick-off-roadtrip-in-pittsburgh/#comments Fri, 17 Apr 2009 23:08:08 +0000 Jonathan http://www.bravesblast.com/?p=934 After a three-game sweep by the Marlins, the Braves are looking to turn things back around against the Pirates as they kick off a 9-game roadtrip.  Coming into the roadtrip at 5-4 the Braves are looking to get back into form that got them off to a 5-1 start.  Over the next 9 games in Pittsburgh, Washington and Cincinnati, the Braves will be fighting through a few injury issues with both pitching and starting offense, but we have fought through worse in the past.

Tonight, Jair Jurrjens looks to overcome some of the control issues that have haunted him up until this point in the season (while still retaining a solid 2.45 ERA) and bring down Paul Maholm for the Pirates.  The left-handed Maholm comes into tonight’s game with a 1-0 record and a 1.32 ERA.  The Braves have struggled at the plate against lefties throughout last season and into the first games of this one.

We’ll be updating throughout the game as the Braves try to get back into the win column.

Braves: 0     Pirates: 3

As a result of our server outage during the game, we were unable to finish covering the progress.

Top 6th: McCann reaches after being hit by a pitch for the second time tonight but the Braves can’t capitalize.
Bot 5th: A couple more strikeouts for Jurrjens. That’s 5 on the night. The Pirates strand a runner on third.
Top 5th: I was still ordering food. But we didn’t score either.
Bot 4th: McLouth singles to right field to leadoff. I got distracted looking for food, but they didn’t score.
Top 4th: Francoeur singles but gets doubled up by a sharp liner from Prado. Nothing on the board for the Braves still.
Bot 3rd: 1-2-3 inning for Jurrjens with 2 Ks. We need to see more of those.
Top 3rd: Jurrjens walks to lead off the inning. Sac bunt by Kelly Johnson moves the runner. Two flyouts and the Braves are unable to capitalize on the leadoff runner.
Bot 2nd: Moss triples off the wall. Once again, Schafer misplays the ball. Andy LaRoche plates Moss with a ball to short. 1-0 Pirates.
Top 2nd: McCann gets hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Francoeur singles up the middle. Prado singles past short to load the bases with no outs. Kotchman pops out to the catcher and Schafer grounds into a double play. How can we expect to win if we blow chances like that?
Bot 1st: Sanchez triples off the center field wall with one out, not handled well by Schafer. Jurrjens gets McLouth to strike out and Doumit to pop out to get out of the inning with no damage done.
Top 1st: Braves down 1-2-3. We’re going to need to find that early offense that started the season off so strong again.
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