Archive for July, 2009

(Staff writer Carroll Rogers is filling in for David O’Brien today.)

   Washington – OK, denizens, while we wait on the upcoming All-Star announcements and the start of the game, let me bang out a quick blog before I head downstairs and put you guys out of your misery. Last I checked there were 36 pages of posts and counting, which might have been why I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t go back to sleep, worried that I’d left you guys hanging.

   Last of the series today in DC, and frankly, I know it’s “just the Nationals,” but I see today as a big game. They win this one, beat Scott Olsen, take the series two out of three, then they can say they’re still rolling. They will have won six out of seven. OK, they got beat by the Nationals’ staff ace John Lannan Saturday, caught Mike Gonzalez a little worn down thanks to a stretch where he’s been used a lot because of all the winning, and still head to Chicago feeling good.

   They lose today, and it’s here we go …

Continue reading Awaiting the All-Stars, Frenchy sits again »

(Staff writer Carroll Rogers is filling in for David O’Brien today.)

   Washington, D.C. – Or I will be as soon as I get on this plane…..What you see above is a new little tagline we’re going to try at the top of the ol’ blog when I’m at the controls to see if we can minimize confusion. I know there will be aplenty still, without my photo at the top, but I’m told even despite your dutiful suggestions, there is just too much involved to swap out me for DOB on the days I cover.

   So there you go.

   Onward and upward (literally, I’m about to board)…..to our nation’s capital for the July 4th weekend. I like it. That’ll be a first for me, and it’s a first for the Braves. Shoot, the Nationals’ (and the National League) have just been around DC since 2005. And back in the day, the Braves always seemed to be at home on July 4th.

   The Braves landed there last night and had to be downright giddy with the way things went against the Phillies. Three game sweep, four wins in a row. …

Continue reading Capital-bound for July 4th »

 The Braves haven’t won four in a row all season, and we’ll assume they’re not going to get it done tonight when they go for a sweep of the still-division-leading Phillies. (Yes, bowing to those of you who’ve asked me to employ the renowned blog-lead reverse curse here.)
 There are other reasons to believe they can’t win tonight, too, primarily the fact that Javier Vazquez is pitching and the Braves scored 11 runs last night. Given the lack of run support for Vazquez, particularly in home games, that means the Braves are due to score approximately minus-eight runs tonight.

Vazquez goes tonight

 Finally, the Braves are facing A.J. Happ, who’s 5-0 with a 3.00 ERA this season, including 3-0 with a 3.25 ERA in seven starts since moving from the bullpen. Happ pitched a five-hit shutout at Toronto in his last start.
 And in his only game at Turner Field, he pitched six scoreless innings of three-hit ball to beat the Braves on Sept. 17.
  That good enough for you all? Reverse-curse …

Continue reading Vazquez or Jurrjens an All-Star? »

   So…happy first of July to ya, and happy day after Martin Prado Day. How else do you put it?

   A career-high four hits last night for Martin Prado, including a homer. He had a career-high four RBIs, including both the game-tying and game-winning ones. He got the game-winning hit in the bottom of the 10th inning after working his way back from an 0-2 count.

   And afterward, Bobby Cox went so far as to say Prado would be the starting second baseman, at least for now. That’s saying something for a manager who usually lets the lineups he posts do the talking for him.

   Good for Prado.

   Seems to me (and me is Carroll today, not DOB. Well I’m me every day, but you get my drift)….Seems to me, last night was a microcosm, or a culmination, of what Prado’s done for the last couple of years. He’s chomped at the bit to contribute, but he’s done what he’s asked with a positive attitude. He hasn’t complained about his role or talked about wanting to be traded somewhere where …

Continue reading His name is Marteeeen, and it ain’t Pray-do »