Braves quotes after 19-inning win over Pirates
***FREDI GONZALEZ
“For me the MVP was Cristhian Martinez. We were lucky, we could have taken him all the way up to 100 pitches because he had thrown in Gwinnett. He did one heck of a job.”
On play at plate
“Just reading his lips, he thought he missed the tag at the plate. I don’t know. I haven’t had a chance to see the replay.”
On what he’s thinking after it looked like Lugo was out
“I’m thinking OK, we have first and third and [Martin] Prado at the plate and we’ll give him another chance. Then I saw, somebody had an angle where [Scott] Proctor had fallen down coming out of the box, it could have been out at first and out at the plate. It could have been a double play. We were fortunate.”
“I say him swipe it and I was reading his lips and then I saw us celebrating. I think he said he thought he missed him.”
On McCann’s injury
“We are going to put him on the DL with that oblique. Hopefully it is not a bad oblique. There are different grades of it and hopefully we can get him back in 15-20 days. That’s a big bat out of the lineup. We’ll bring up [J.C.] Boscan and use [David Ross]. Rossy came in and did a heck of a job handling those bullpen guys. … He’ll catch tomorrow.”
On Wednesday game
“I think our bullpen is in pretty good job but I think both teams are going to have to push their starters a little bit.”
Who would have pitched next after Proctor?
“Derek Lowe. We were going to run him out there. He was up here getting his ankle taped. I would have used Derek instead of a position player.”
“Proctor would have gone one more inning and then that was it.”
***JULIO LUGO
On the game-ending play at the plate
“I know I’m safe.” [Smiles]
Did he miss you?
“Yeah, I think so. He made the right call.” [Raises eyebrows]
What, your slide was so fast we couldn’t see you hit plate before the tag? [Sarcasm]
“That’s what happened.” [Smiling]
You secretly snuck around him? [More sarcasm from reporter]
“I was trying to avoid the tag.”
Surprised by the call?
“He made an appreciation call. Safe or out. That’s what they do.”
An appreciation call?
“Yes. You can appreciate if I was safe or out. He thought I was safe.”
What did you think?
“I was safe.” [Smiles]
How many times were you tagged?
“I was safe.”
So you were never tagged?
“I was safe.”
Ever been a part of a game like this?
“It was crazy, but it was good.”
***SCOTT PROCTOR
On falling down as he came out of the batter’s box, not seeing play at plate
“I was just thinking get to first because you don’t want to be doubled up.”
Have you ever been a part of something this crazy?
“Not as crazy. I played in an 18- or 19-inning game in A-ball. It was just one of those things. A great effort to have the guys gut it out the way they did all the way to the end. The defense went all the way with Freddie Freeman. For [David Ross] to come in and pick up [Brian] McCann. It was awesome. We showed a lot of guts.”
On Martinez
“Cristhian, you can’t say enough. And the rest of the pen.”
On the last play, his game-winning fielder’c choice
“It was just, get up and run. All I could think of when I got to first was I will be part of the blooper reel. It was just one of those ones that it was a great relief to have it done.”
On falling down coming out of batter’s box
“The first time, when I grounded to third I forgot where first was. I was running to the dugout. I knew that I forgot how to run the bases.”
“I slipped coming out of the box [on the last play]. When they showed the play at home, I was still in the frame. That’s how bad it was. It was pretty bad. Very easily [could have been a double play]. The only reason it wasn’t was because he [catcher McKenry] argued. If it would have been bang-bang, I wouldn’t have had a chance.”
“I was just trying to get up and run.”
What did you think when you saw the replay?
“That’s the way baseball goes. I’m not saying anything else.”
***CRISTHIAN MARTINEZ
Where were you when the winning run scored?
“I was there watching it.” [in dugout]
Was he out?
“He was safe. We got one call all night. We got the best one on that one.”
Did you expect to pitch that long?
“I wanted to go more, but that was good for today [smiles]. … They asked me how I felt [between innings]. Six innings, almost 90 pitches out of the bullpen. That [doesn’t happen] often.”
***JORDAN SCHAFER
Did you think about coming out [after getting hit in the wrist by pitch]?
“Not really. We didn’t have anyone else. It was broken or anything.”
How much did it bother you?
“My finger bothered me more than my wrist [where he was hit by the pitch]. … It hurt at first. I got me right on the bone. It wasn’t that bad.”
How was your view of the final play at the plate? [Schafer was between second and third]
“I just started going back to second base, then I saw Julio start jumping up and down and I was like, wait, what happened? I saw them come out to argue and I was like, oh, I guess we won.”
“I mean, I thought he was out. But I’ll take it.”
But you were headed back toward second base?
“Yeah. I didn’t know what was going on when I saw them coming out. And I looked and saw Proctor [laughter] trying to get back up and run; I thought it was going to be a double play. I don’t know. It was comical. But it was good to get the win.”
“I looked and saw Proctor and he was, like, two feet out of the box. I was thinking, wait, what happened?”
***DAVID ROSS
Do you think the umpire just wanted to get out of here?
“You know what, I didn’t see the replay yet. He looked out to me, but I haven’t seen the replay. It’s one of those things, I’m glad it happened to us. He looked out, but I don’t know what his explanation is, what he saw.”
“I’m just glad it happened to us. I don’t know how I’d handle that, being a catcher, if he did tag him and he was out. That’d be a tough one to swallow. That kid, that catcher, caught 19 innings. That’s a lot to swallow when you’re grinding it out and calling the game. Like I said, I’m glad it happened to us if it … like I said, I haven’t seen the replay.”
On losing McCann
“Man, that’s big. He’s our MVP so far this year. The one thing I hope is that … I know he has faith in me, and I’m going to hold down the fort as best I can until he gets back, and let him recover. Because we’re going to need him as soon as he can get healthy.”
Can you play every day basically until he gets back?
“Yeah. I mean, there’s not really a choice. That’s why they have me here. They have me here as a backup, as insurance. They pay me a lot of money to do that. I welcome the challenge. We have a great staff.”
“Chipper will be back in a couple of days. Get him back in the lineup, we’ll be alright. We really need Mac, though. We need Mac to get healthy. It’s going to be a big loss. There’s no way to hide that. The guy’s a stud. He’s our MVP right now; he’s a candidate for MVP of the National League. There’s no way to replace that. I’m just going to try to do the best I can and play my game and try to help this team win.”
Home-plate umpire JERRY MEALS
On his safe call on the final play
“I saw the tag, but he looked like he oléd him and I called him safe for that. I looked at the replays and it appeared he might have got him on the shin area. I’m guessing he might have got him, but when I was out there when it happened I didn’t see a tag.
“I just saw the glove sweep up. I didn’t see the glove hit his leg.”
Pirates manager CLINT HURDLE
On the game-ending call at the plate
“The game tonight deserved way better than that. For it to end that way is as disappointing as it gets in this game.”
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146 comments Add your comment
Linebrink for Cy
July 27th, 2011
3:28 am
you got a laugh out of me with this one Proctor
“When they showed the play at home, I was still in the frame. That’s how bad it was. It was pretty bad”
NO MORE PARRISH
July 27th, 2011
3:31 am
Have to agree with Hurdle but better us than them.
Let’s Go Pirates! – little girl in left yelling all night
I feel like this game was a dream.
Larry Parrish
July 27th, 2011
3:32 am
at least sid bream was actually safe. will this one be harder or easier for those pirates fans to get over??
Cannon
July 27th, 2011
3:35 am
As win is a win. I feel for the Pirates. I’m sure they feel sick loosing a game like that. Gotta give all the credit to the bullpen tonight. They were incredible! Losing McCann is horrendous considering how bad the offense has been even with him in the lineup. Time to make that move for a big bat to help while McCann is gone. GOODNIGHT!!!
Mike S
July 27th, 2011
3:35 am
What a game. That was crazy all the way around!
McLouth and Fredi getting tossed, McCann getting hurt, Martinez and Proctor going 9 shutout innings, and then ending it on that play! Wow!
Glad we got the W, cause I can’t imagine how bad that would be to be on the losing side of that one…
Justin
July 27th, 2011
3:39 am
The Pirates or their fans didnt have a problem with the horrible strike calls against us tonight.
TexasRose
July 27th, 2011
3:41 am
Pirates should sign that little girl to travel with them to every game…home and away!
tjhook
July 27th, 2011
3:41 am
I got love for the Pirates but we are trying to win a championship, not sympathy
Justin
July 27th, 2011
3:41 am
haha…she was awesome…we need more fans like that…to actually show up
Just Wanna Say
July 27th, 2011
3:49 am
Chipper out a couple days, Mac 15-20. We need another bat now. And another reliever. Thankfully the really strong guys basically did a normal load.
Tip Of The Cap
July 27th, 2011
3:50 am
Watch this clip. Braves announcers first but watch the Pirates clip following. Wow!
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2011_07_26_pitmlb_atlmlb_1&mode=recap_home&c_id=atl
drbasic1
July 27th, 2011
3:50 am
42 years a braves fan. I’ve seen a lot. This for me is an instant classic…classic what, i am not sure. Saw Proctor sitting out there all alone in the pen and I’m thinking, if he comes in, we lose. I was wrong so i’ll eat crow. The umpire I guess figured we deserved the game as he could not call balls and strikes all night. I don’t know, this team befuzzles me a lot. Good night to all!
Tip Of The Cap
July 27th, 2011
3:51 am
Justin – Angels had the rally monkey and I think we need to convert that little girl to be a Braves fan so she can yell for us all night.
Tip Of The Cap
July 27th, 2011
3:53 am
drbasic1 – The thing that gets lost is Proctors Pete Rose slide out of the box. Very funny because we won. If we lose this blog would be demanding his head right about now.
Darryl Blackberry
July 27th, 2011
3:57 am
If the Braves had lost McCann and the game, it would’ve been too much to swallow. Every team gets one of these a year, I reckon; last year, it was the horrendous 3-2 out call, with Peter Moylan striking out Johnny Damon with a veritable pitchout.
Lord, I hope this loss demoralizes the Bucs. Let’s hope they’ve been overachieving all this time, and that they don’t become a legitimate wild card threat down the stretch…
drbasic1
July 27th, 2011
4:02 am
@tip
You are right. I am probably the guys worst critic. I feel for him and want him to do well but….at least he had some humor in the post game comments, so for tonight i will say he did just fine…lol
bobbybrave
July 27th, 2011
4:07 am
need to pull off a huge trade with mac being out and chipper hurting…need for some of the others to step up.or the braves can enjoy watching college football in oct….not sure frank wren has the guts to make a big trade.
AZBravoFan
July 27th, 2011
4:08 am
are we sure that wasn’t Rick Camp doing a face plant out of the box?
based god
July 27th, 2011
4:13 am
lol at you people whining about the Braves getting unfair strike calls, did you not notice the Pirates also got many of those same bad strike calls all night? The strike calls were terrible for both teams the whole night, because Jerry Meals has worse eyesight than Daredevil.
Enjoy the cheap, free win all you want, I wouldn’t expect anyone from the South to have any intelligence, class or tact and admit the truth (you did produce both George Bush and Bill Clinton, afterall). Braves “fans” (nice 20k crowd for one of the supposed best teams in baseball) reinforce the stereotypes about Southerners, no question about it. The sad part is even with the league handing you free wins and calls you will still probably manage to miss the playoffs like the chumps you are.
watch it
July 27th, 2011
4:18 am
Watch the replay. Ump got the call right. He was safe all the way. He never tagged him. And in baseball, you have to tag. Not enough that the ball beats you. Have to tag. What’s crazy is after he missed the tag with the swipe (all he had to do was push the glove into his body, not swipe) their asshat catcher still had time to tag him 3 or 4 times and didn’t. Lugo just got up and touched the plate. Hahahaha…that Pirates catcher sux, all he had to do was tag him after missing with the swipe. Live and learn, dude. Thanks for the gift!
Dave
July 27th, 2011
4:45 am
@based god you mad bro?
bobbybrave
July 27th, 2011
4:50 am
based god…go eat some grits and maybe you will get smarter….how did the league make a call at home..a split second call it is a game not the civil war you fool
tdawgmoney
July 27th, 2011
4:59 am
news flash to Fredi Gonzo and Frank Wren…….Nate McClouth is killing us……above average defense, but we can’t afford a little league bat with all our other injuries….and BTW, this isn’t a temporary slump like Uggla went through,,,,,,,the guy can not hit!!!!!!!
Brave New World
July 27th, 2011
5:41 am
Proctor’s head first slide obviously created the diversion necessary to distract Meals. While he was fighting back laughing, he remembered that he was also exhausted from calling a crappy game and smartly decided to end it so he could get some sleep.
BRAVESFAN
July 27th, 2011
6:01 am
What about the ATL fan who grabbed the ball in the bottom of the 6th with zero out? The ball was in play and and this game could of been won early. Please ban this guy from ever entering the park!
Who Me?
July 27th, 2011
7:08 am
Went to bed in the 14th I think, got up this morning and watched the replay at the plate and LMAO. McKendry may have ole’d him but Meals just flat out blew that call it looks like. Proctor was hilarious trying to run to first. Too bad for “based god”, looks like that call blew his season. Lighten up Francis.
Larry
July 27th, 2011
7:11 am
Be grateful…BE VERY GRATEFUL!
If Fruity isn’t tossed, we somehow lose this game to his utterly predictable, in-game buffoonery.
Bill M.
July 27th, 2011
7:30 am
based god— You left out Jimmy Carter. What are you trying to do, replay the civil war, if so I’m ready. Of course he was out but the UMP made bad calls all game against both teams. Use a little common cents!!!!!!!!
sleepybraves
July 27th, 2011
7:34 am
I thought it was a great game. Both ‘pens were out of this world. Proctor was surprisingly good. Hate that it had to end on a horrible call.
DaveinNEPA
July 27th, 2011
7:35 am
Blatantly bad call!!!! The call might have gone our way but I hate to see us win on something like that.
Expect more of the same tonight. Consistently Bad Bucknor will be the HP umpire.
AlaNole
July 27th, 2011
8:01 am
Common cents? Is that the same as an average penny?
How many times last night did the Braves have a runner on 3rd and no out, but fail to score???
Runnin With The Dawgs
July 27th, 2011
8:01 am
I knew we could do it! “GO BRAVES”!
Another Clueless Braves Blogger
July 27th, 2011
8:08 am
Take that Proctor bashers! Not only can Proctor pitch, but he is one of the game’s most gifted base runners.
Kat
July 27th, 2011
8:09 am
Still at the ballpark at 3:22am.. thanks David for sticking it out for the quotes for us fans who wimped out at 1:30am to head to bed.
henry from TN
July 27th, 2011
8:10 am
ain’t neither one of these teams pirates nor braves gonna make no playoffs because they have no offense…what a pathetic game and what a bad call at the plate he was out by ten feet….
Ralph
July 27th, 2011
8:16 am
I’ve been a baseball fan for 60 odd years but have never heard heard the term “may have ole’d him” someone please tell me what does ole’d mean.
SouthSide Dawg
July 27th, 2011
8:20 am
I’m afraid the Braves are sinking fast. I want them to make the playoffs as bad as anyone but to get shut out for 16 innings against a .500 team’s bullpen spells trouble.
16 innings – zero runs scored.
That’s almost as unbelievable as the bad call that ended the game.
Of course I guess our staff handled the Buckos for like 17 innings without giving up a run.
Branch Rickey
July 27th, 2011
8:20 am
THANK YOU Nationals for preventing Frank Wren from acquiring
Johnny Gomes (.215) from the Reds !
We have enough “hitters” around the Mendoza Line.
Another Clueless Braves Blogger
July 27th, 2011
8:21 am
Lost Seinfeld Episode: “Now let me get this straight. The batter hits the ball at the third baseman. The runner breaks for the plate. The baseball is thrown toward the plate and is caught by the catcher, who takes the ball, attempts to tag the runner 10 feet in front of the plate. The runner slides, and mind you, turns in mid air, and eludes the tag, then stands up and touches home. That is one magic Lugo!
bustersonly
July 27th, 2011
8:21 am
Guess the ump felt sorry for the braves offense and decided to give them a little confidence builder.
EinVA
July 27th, 2011
8:22 am
One day, maybe, the Pirates will have the respect it requires to get a call like that. Until then, this is the type of calls we can expect more often than not. Blatantly wrong. The ump needs to be given the rest of this series off.
Ralph
July 27th, 2011
8:26 am
That call was almost as bad as the braves offense.
The Ghost of Rick Camp
July 27th, 2011
8:29 am
Wow – as bad as that ump was all night, he found a way to top himself. Cristhian Martinez was phenomenal. 6 innings, 2 hits, 6 Ks, plus a single and 2 sac bunts. Besides Proctor’s 3 innings of scoreless relief (though the 1st 2 innings were shaky), he should get credit for putting the ball in play in both of his at-bats. He had 3 major league at-bats 4 years ago, and struck out all 3 times. If he had not made contact, the game might have lasted much longer……… There was NO evidence that any of our regulars had any intention of getting a base hit to win the game any time soon.
Julio Lugo’s 3 hits matched his entire prior collection of hits since joining the Braves…… so, he deserves some credit, too. The home plate ump should get a job with TSA and harass elderly women and little children at the airport……. That little girl who was a Pirates fan should be given free tickets to today’s game —- she put most Braves fans to shame, even with her grating voice. Amazingly, she was yelling like that from left field. Just make sure her free tickets are nowhere near a field microphone!!
Ralph
July 27th, 2011
8:30 am
Now Wren doesn’t need to get Beltran, he needs to get 3 outfielders, a 3rd baseman, a short stop and a catcher plus two bull pen pitchers, no problem uh Frank.
bring back blauser
July 27th, 2011
8:32 am
terrible officiating behind plate all night on balls and strikes going against braves hitters. was hoping braves would not have to make a deal but now it is imperative that they do so and soon. with mccann out indef and who knows about chipper we need a bat now definitely
billmaier
July 27th, 2011
8:32 am
when i was a kid it was announced that if a fan touched a ball still in play that he would be fined and escorted from the game? whatever happen to that– the guy desrver to be kicked out the game would have been over after nine 4-3
henry from TN
July 27th, 2011
8:33 am
@ watchit not only did he tag him he tagged him twice once on the leg and once on the shoulder you watch it you must be blind
alex
July 27th, 2011
8:41 am
Lugo had a good game.We need an every day ss….
Bob the Blogger
July 27th, 2011
8:49 am
I didn’t even feel elated that the Braves won the game after that play. I can only imagine how the Pirates players and fans feel.
Mike
July 27th, 2011
8:50 am
Fell asleep with the TV on in the 15th, woke up this morning and saw what happened.
That was the ugliest game I’ve ever seen with the ugliest ending.
Mat
July 27th, 2011
8:51 am
Dudes glove never waffled it was an olé. Tag the guy, make it a no doubter next time, go braves! make a move frank.
FlyOnTheWall
July 27th, 2011
8:51 am
Questionable umpping aside, this team is in a 2 or 3 run hole to start the game every night…starting pitching needs to help too. The continued inability to score a runner with less than 2 outs …much less from 3rd with 1 out… is mind boggling. This team has got to start playing 1,2,3 ball. Mac is gone, Chipper is out, we don’t have a lead off man…like that matters anyway…and even Uggs and Freddie can’t carry the rest of the non producing guys. And what has happen to Prado? 0 for 9…don’t look now but the wildcard is slipping away and September is a coming fast. Time to make a trade before it’s too late.
huddie ledbetter
July 27th, 2011
8:51 am
Gotta agree with Clint Hurdle, was a shame. Maybe the worst call I’ve ever seen. Hey Fredi, good choice on deciding to use Lowe instead of a position player since you didn’t have a position player left.
608 pitches thrown in the game. MLB is reviewing but early reports are that Meals got at least 10 right.
Anybody know why they wouldn’t go with tonight’s starters instead of Thursday’s.
Thank you Cristhian and Scott, yeomen’s work and what about the setup man for Pirates going 6? Fredi would have been rode out of town on a rail if that was Venters.
Was so glad it ended but just a shame it ended that way after all the virtual blood and guts. Man,
Prado 0 – 9 and due up next, rough night.
NEED A BAT
July 27th, 2011
8:53 am
Why are Mcclouth and A. Gonzalez still on the roster? I understand the money side of it, but at some point they become unhealthy for the end result. THose guys are horrible, slump or not. CALL UP DIORY (Cant believe i am saying that). CALL UP ANY AAA outfielder, i dont care who it is. I would rather see a guy making $400k busting his butt down the line and showing some pride. Every night we have 5 guys with sub .230 averages playing, and Frank Wren sits in the box doing nothing, dont give away the farm system but go get Pence, he is locked up for a few years, can run, hit, and actually looks like he cares.
Let's Go
July 27th, 2011
8:53 am
The Mets must be giddy this morning. The price for the Braves to get Carlos Beltran just went up. Brian could miss anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks with this injury. At this point the Braves might be making 3 or 4 trades this week because yeah Proctor was good last night they still need to shore up the bullpen and Chipper is down again so you are going to have to replace his bat and how about Jordan Shaffer, I would not be surprised if his hand isn’t as big as a grapefruit this morning. I thought his hand was broken after he got hit by that pitch.
@Fredo
July 27th, 2011
8:59 am
Thanks for the blog, DOB. Smiley face. Thanks again.
And again.
Hillbillybrave
July 27th, 2011
9:00 am
Guys…..guys.. the umpire is never wrong…..yeah right
Rufio
July 27th, 2011
9:01 am
Great Job Christian Martinez!!!! Shame on Fredi and Roger if they don’t give him a Attaboy start when his arm recovers. Also, Roger needs to teach him a curveball or slider. That one at bat with the Bucs Catcher was getting old
Umpiring was terrible all the way around. It was a shame to end the game on that type of call. I am sorry if this does not open a TV Replay call it will never happen. This call will probably have real meaning to the Bucs and the Braves at the end of the season. It will not be fair to Pittsburgh if they do not win a division because ineptitude.
Fredi…..It is about time you got thrown out! In Atlanta, we have come to expect our manager to go to the shower earlier more often.
huddie ledbetter
July 27th, 2011
9:03 am
Oh, and thanks for the blog DOB, taking one for the team:-)
TNJacket
July 27th, 2011
9:07 am
The ultimate in ego is a .225 hitter arguing balls & strikes, so that a injured teammate has to finish the game.
And with a total of 3 stolen bases at the end of July, the Braves are still showing the Sunday School episode with McOut explaining the art of stealing!
Braves fan
July 27th, 2011
9:09 am
As a braves fan i am happy for the win rest assured i will be calling mlb on that bs call game will go down in infamy great game by both teams we should give out ties if it goes 18+
bring back blauser
July 27th, 2011
9:10 am
i really hate that mccann is out for a while, but thank goodness we have david ross. he is not mccann, but at least he is better than most catchers in the league and he can hit. could have been worse, it could have been freeman. no backup for him. please make a deal mr wren, i never wanted to mortgage the farm, but something needs to be done and done now. at least it happened now instead of after trade deadline. hopefully someone will come in and save the situation till chipper comes back
ijudgenot
July 27th, 2011
9:14 am
Hurdle made it look like he was mad for Pirates fans who had stayed up to watch, but he was ready for that sorry spectacle of offensive inefficiency to end also. Its just one game. Why kill your team for todays game and maybe the next. National league should adopt American league rule to stop game after 1:00 am and start from there the next day before regular game
ChillyMutt
July 27th, 2011
9:21 am
Freddie Freeman made some great plays to keep the Braves in the game. He really is an excellent first baseman. Too bad he will be in pinstripes in a few years.
Ralph
July 27th, 2011
9:24 am
Anybody see that play where the player thought there was three outs and tossed the ball to the ball girl who then gave the ball to a fan meanwhile a runner scored from second base. What would the ruling be if the ball girl had thrown the ball home and threw the runner out, curious????
Little Bobby
July 27th, 2011
9:32 am
no need to trade for a bat. Alex is seeing the ball well. with jordan speed he is a menance on the base path. lugo is making good contact. nate is getting hot. Mc is the only one hitting over 300 and our pitchers are only hitting better than 3 starters. im sick of freddi cox and his head in the sand positive spin on a pathetic hitting team. send freddi cox to the white sox and bring us ozzie. it is time to turn the heat up on some of these guys. is davey johnson avaliable. bring back billy martin or whitey. we need some fire in a manager and not a “player’s manager”. that is like being the cool parent, letting the kids do whatever they want to.
Ralph
July 27th, 2011
9:37 am
Fortunate we were carrying 12 pitchers last nite, usually only carry 11.
hoho
July 27th, 2011
9:38 am
As a Braves fan I’m glad this (somehow) counts as a win for ATL, but kind of feel bad for the Pirates. That was one of the worst calls I’ve ever seen.
Mister Frisky
July 27th, 2011
9:44 am
Mc Cann out at least two weeks.Who knows how long Chipper will be down.All of the sudden Prado looks as clueless as most of the line up.What can you say about Gonzalez and Mc Clouth. Good thing they only played half the game or they would have gone 0 for 9 as well.
Ralph
July 27th, 2011
9:47 am
Lugo should have been called out even if the catcher did miss the tag, he was so faf off the plate the catcher could have taged him out a dozen times and if he had’t moved out of the way Lugo probably would have turned and went to the dugout, Lugo was as surprised as was the rest of the world. Glad we won though, Prado would surely have driven the winning run in, no way he goes 0 for 10.
Skeezix
July 27th, 2011
9:49 am
Pirates fans: No need to call for an investigation, he was safe by a mile! (snicker, snicker, tee hee, yuk, yuk)
P.S. That plate umpire was off all night.
Mister Frisky
July 27th, 2011
9:50 am
That win was so Fugly even Joseph couldn’t defend it.
Bud
July 27th, 2011
9:52 am
I thnk there is room for doiubt. I saw all the camera angles all the networks, and there was no definitive view. You see a slo-mo replay of the tag, and one could say he missed him. It didn’t look like the glove touched anything, it didn’t change direction, it didn’t look like it was deflected, and there was no change to the reaction of the glove, hand, or arm. It was obvious the only place Lugo could have been tagged was on the lower leg. After viewing every camera angle all the TV broadcaster seemed ot have, the best angle was had by the umpire. So, as I said, there is room for doiubt.
para brave
July 27th, 2011
9:52 am
It did look like he ole’d him. Hey Catcher next time get your glove lower.
Ian
July 27th, 2011
9:54 am
Meals had guts…………….I give him that for making that call…………Glad we won,but if I were the Pirates, I WOULD NOT BELIEVE IT.
The Bream Team
July 27th, 2011
9:58 am
Clint, your team couldn’t score in 3 innings off a pitcher with an 8 ERA. And didn’t in the previous 13 either. The Pirates had plenty of time to win the game. Can’t complain about calls when you got outmanaged on a squeeze bunt. You can’t blame umpires or officials, when your team could have done more.
Ralph
July 27th, 2011
10:11 am
Fredi did a good job of manageing half of this game, the second half!
Ralph
July 27th, 2011
10:24 am
Teheran gets 11th win, gives up 1 ER and Vizciano got his first taste of AAA allowing 1 ER in 1 inning, Pastronicky went 2-4 and now is batting .421 and Gartrell went 3 for 4 in Gwinette win last night, TAKE A LOOK FRANK WREN
Raw Onion
July 27th, 2011
10:28 am
Braves players are poorly conditioned. How can a young catcher pull an oblique making a routine throw to second…and the list goes on, Prado, Heyward, Schafer, Uggla, etc. (not even going to mention Chipper)
Stiffneck
July 27th, 2011
10:31 am
The ump had a complete game by missing another call at the end.
Ralph
July 27th, 2011
10:37 am
We have a near perfect team, only thing we need is a CF, LF, RF, 3B, SS, 2B and Catcher
Jabbo
July 27th, 2011
10:39 am
:” Have you noticed all the oblique injuries this year? Oblique strains are all the rage. It appears that rise in oblique strains across MLB is most likely caused by the legal dietary supplement creatine. As it turns out, creatine adds water molecules to muscle fibers, which can cause those fibers to separate. This makes for easier muscle tears and slows the repair process. For a long time athletes went away from creatine because of these side effects when they could use anabolics and HGH. Now that MLB has cracked down on PED’s, players have gone back to creatine and thus the apparent oblique strain epidemic. So MLB has banned PEDs, which in turn has caused oblique injuries. Interesting.
No PED’s, no offensive production and no HR’s. Assuming that it is in fact true that “Chicks dig the long ball,” I’m guessing that chicks don’t like creatine very much…”
By Mike Cardano, Executive Director, TheXLog.com
Rushabh Shah
July 27th, 2011
10:45 am
ESPN played two different angles this morning. The first (and further) angle makes it look like he was tagged. However, the second (and CLOSER angle) shows it wasn’t as close as the first angle appeared. In fact, I really didn’t see any undisputed evidence (going to NFL replay rules) that there was contact and the original call should stand. If there was baseball challenge replay…I believe this call would not be overturned. The ump did a good job. BTW, all Braves fans should checkout sweetpons.com
@Fredo
July 27th, 2011
10:48 am
Thanks for the upcoming blog, DOB and/or Carol. I love to read anything. Smiley face.
Tyler Langmeyer
July 27th, 2011
10:54 am
@Raw Onion, how can you say that? Nothing about that throw was “routine”. A “routine” throw is what you make after the pitcher is warmed up before the inning starts.
Donne Viau
July 27th, 2011
10:58 am
Come on Braves. At least have the class to acknowledge he was out by a mile and the umpire gave your the win. And Meals? After replay he may have made the tag? You should run for congress with that amount of BS.
Ken Stallings
July 27th, 2011
11:10 am
Maybe Meals subconciously realized what a goofball he had been behind the plate all night! MLB needs to fire that guy or at least demote him to rookie ball! I thought Joe Simpson had the right analysis. Meals is standing so far inside that he cannot see the low and outside pitches. He relies on a very inaccurate parallax point of view. So, his calls are a guess.
MLB needs to enforce standards of positioning for umpires behind the plate. The umpire needs to be centered up over the plate with his head in the middle of the strike zone. Do that and the calls will be more consistent.
But as for Meals, that call may have allowed the Braves to win, but it was not controversial. Lugo was clearly out, and it was a brutal call, and making it is why Meals deserves to be fired for gross incompetence. For too long baseball has failed to properly hold the umpires accountable to high performance standards. Meals’ incompetence hands baseball a golden opportunity to start correcting that lack of enforcement.
reckingball
July 27th, 2011
11:11 am
Sounds like a sore loser
Ralph
July 27th, 2011
11:22 am
Trade Delgado for a bat before anyone finds out he gave up 10 runs in 2 2/3 innings last nite.
Oregon Brave
July 27th, 2011
11:26 am
@ Ralph. I admire your positive attitude on the team’s needs for perfection at a time when you could have gone negative by mentioning manager and hitting coach.
Don's Sutton
July 27th, 2011
11:29 am
“Ludo looked out!!” Who’s Ludo? Can he wait til after the game to start drinking?
Ian
July 27th, 2011
11:31 am
Can’t stand baseball after a couple of hours anyway……………..call these games a tie and tell the players and fans to go to H… after 10 innings…………People got to work in the mornings you baseball fanatics!
jerry royster
July 27th, 2011
11:31 am
please trade for a shortstop
DontStopTheChop
July 27th, 2011
11:33 am
Hey based god, you made yourself look really intelligent and classy with that post bashing the entire south for being stupid and not having any class. Get a clue buddy.
Largo
July 27th, 2011
11:34 am
People have been badmouthing McLouth daily while he has an OBP that is fourth on the team. What has Prado done lately besides losing a game with an error and going 0 for 9 at the plate last night. I think we can find both good and bad with the whole team.
reckingball
July 27th, 2011
11:34 am
We can expect more hijinks in tonight’s game.
CB Bucknor is on deck.
Rated worst umpire in MLB, by an ESPN magazine poll of 100 actives players(50NL-50AL) in June 2010.
He beat out Joe West(2nd) and Angel Hernandez(3rd) for the title.
Grandma Griffin
July 27th, 2011
11:35 am
I smell booze on someones breath.
Raw Onion
July 27th, 2011
11:36 am
Tyler – it is routine for a catcher. That is something he does every game, over and over. That is routine.
RemoW
July 27th, 2011
11:36 am
Ralph: Oled is a swipe tag and you are counting on it working like the neighborhood play. The out is assumed because the ball beat him. Similar to a double play where the SS never touches the base but catches the ball near it.
In defense of the ump, from his angle it did not appear that the glove contacted the runner. There was no obvious break in the arc of the swipe tag.
Dwayne
July 27th, 2011
11:39 am
I agree reckingball with hernandez and cb. those 2 have always screwed Atl. I didn’t know someone actually did a poll on that. Can’t remember J. West being bad the few times I’ve seen him. Meels was horrible the whole game last night.
The Red
July 27th, 2011
11:42 am
@Ken Stallins…
MLB does enforce standards for positioning. Regardless of what Joe Simpson says, the balloon protector was outlawed because the up-over-the-middle stance prevented umps from seeing the corners or low zone. Umps must position with eyes at the top of the zone and on the inside corner of the plate. If the catcher crowds you inside, you deal with it. If he moves outside, go with him, since he’s aiming for the outside corner anyway.
Dwayne/Braves fan/he was out
July 27th, 2011
11:42 am
If an ump can see a 90 mile an hour fastball “skim” a players jersey for a hit batter, Meels should have seen the tag. I seen it, so did 900,000 other people….it’s all over ESPN.
Jordan
July 27th, 2011
11:44 am
http://isportsweb.com/2011/07/27/10-reasons-why-jerry-meals-called-julio-lugo-safe/
spanish bob
July 27th, 2011
12:00 pm
O’led is from my country, if the bull gets you, you didn’t oley.
Ian
July 27th, 2011
12:04 pm
Prado forgot how to play dis game…………..0 for 9 gets you sat down chump
UGAFAN13
July 27th, 2011
12:20 pm
This teams inability to score is what cost us Brian for 15 days. Make no mistake about it…how many RISP did we leave stranded. Problem is we will not get any better without somebody lighting a fire under these guys. We can not get the timely hits and this team will fade away as the summer drages on unless we correct the issue. Also need somebody to put a boot in our starters backside over the early inning runs they are giving up. When they give up 3 early runs it puts more pressure on an already challenged offense to score runs. We will be lucky if we are the wildcard team.
GStateAlum
July 27th, 2011
12:22 pm
What a game! Wow. All I can say is that I was honored to have been able to actually go and be at that record-breaking game for majority of it and watch this epic battle. Officiating always leaves room for error whether Lugo was out or safe. That’s just life and it definitely stinks that a game like that had to end like that. Overall, it will be difficult without McCann, Jones and Schafer, but I have faith in our other great players right now like Freeman, Heyward and Gonzalez.
Go Bravos! I’ll be there again tonight cheering you all on!
alex
July 27th, 2011
12:24 pm
@jabbo, your reference is a perfect example of 90%of medical info on the net being incorrect! Sounds like a bunch of garbage and tersting for hgh is poor at best. Xwhat, load of rubish….sheesh
tnbuco
July 27th, 2011
12:34 pm
Stayed up to the bitter end.
As a Pirates fan I could have handled losing the game.
The Braves battled hard as did the Pirates and either team could have won the game while neither team really deserved to lose.
What I can’t handle is that the game had to end on such a crappy call.
Braves fan on Lanier
July 27th, 2011
12:58 pm
Proctor did very well last night. But he will not be remembered for pitching 3 scoreless innings in winning relief for a such a great game. He should forever be remembered for the plank job he did on live TV: http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/210/proctorfail.gif
Lost Cause
July 27th, 2011
1:00 pm
I haven’t even read the other comments, but, when I saw the replay first thing this morning … assuming he was out … I asked myself did he actually tag him? Then I saw the “safe” call. I have yet to see a replay that I can actually say, yeah he touched him … of course I have only seen two replays and one picture focusing between McHenry’s legs and none of these can I say he was definitely touched.
But we need help! No chipper, no McCann, Schafer banged up, Heyward not hitting much, etc.
Allen
Ronald Millsaps
July 27th, 2011
1:07 pm
“brave new world”– The way the umpire called the game, I think he was just ready to get the heck out of town. I think dinner was getting cold, too.
David Ross might be the most-overlooked player on this team. I expect him to pull his weight offensively, defensively, and in terms of calling a game. I still don’t think we need a trade.
I don’t think the umpire had any inherent bias for Atlanta; I think he was ready to call it a night. In any event, it’s the second-worst call I’ve ever seen in baseball. Kent Hrbek’s wrestling Ron Gant off first and tagging him out is still the worst.
Dwayne/Braves fan/he was out
July 27th, 2011
1:21 pm
Ronald Millsaps….great name….if you do not think the Braves need a bat you are bli…..nevermind
bobby cerasuolo
July 27th, 2011
1:24 pm
Now Mr Wren out best hitter is gone so why not make a deal for some anyone not named Betlran. If you wanna get to it Upton would be nice to go after I think a change just who to give up.
MInor
Mclouth
Salecedo
Protcor
Sean Rodiguez
Upton
Perlata
Atlanta87
July 27th, 2011
1:24 pm
A guy goes into a restaurant/lounge wearing a shirt open at the collar and is met by a bouncer who tells him he must wear a necktie to gain admission. So the guy goes out to his car and he looks around for a necktie and discovers that he just doesn’t have one. He sees a set of jumper cables in his trunk. In desperation he ties these around his neck, manages to fashion a fairly acceptable looking knot and lets the ends dangle free. He goes back to the restaurant and the bouncer carefully looks him over for a few minutes and then says, “Well, OK, I guess you can come in – just don’t start anything.”
@Fredo
July 27th, 2011
1:24 pm
Thanks, DOB, for covering tonights game. Smiley face.
Pirates Girl
July 27th, 2011
1:28 pm
LET’S GO PIIIIRATES !! (Wait three seconds.) LET’S GO PIIIIRATES !! LET’S GO PIIIRATES!!! LET’S GO PIIIIRATES !!I !! (Wait three seconds.) LET’S GO PIIIIRATES !! (Lather. Rinse. Repeat for six hours…)
DOB: I’m curious. Could you guys in the press box hear the eight-year-old little girl who screamed her lungs out for her beloved Pirates during the ENTIRE game broadcast. For those of us watching at home, that was as entertaining as anything on the field from roughly 11 to 2am. You MUST have heard her. Not only did she drive Chip and Joe nuts, but she also featured prominently in the post-game show. Hands down, Fan of The Year. Her yelling was so incessant, she even made her little brother cry! Now that’s passion… The Smith Brothers or Fisherman’s Friend should sign her up: a lifetime supply of throat lozenges in return for an endorsement.
jimjones
July 27th, 2011
1:37 pm
After having watched all of the replays, there is no way anyone can definitively say the tag was applied. It looked to me like the catcher swept his glove next to the body and did not touch him at any point.
woman in the throes
July 27th, 2011
1:46 pm
In Meal’s defense, most of the questioned balls and strike calls were close. Umpires are human and their view is always going to be hampered by where the catcher sets up, which sometimes isn’t until the pitcher is releasing the ball. IMO balls and strikes should be called electronically, pure and simple. No replay, just called as they cross the plate, no delay, no arguments. Having said that, the play on Lugo, though it is remotely possible the catcher didn’t touch him, how many times has anyone seen an umpire make that call? When the ball gets there first they’re almost always called out. If you watch Lugo’s reaction, he was as surprised as anyone when he was called safe. Granted the ump can’t wait to see the runner’s reaction before making a call, but my take is, Meals was looking to go home and it didn’t look like it was going to happen any other way.
Glad it’s over with, sorry for the Pirates but happy for the Braves. Get well soon, Mac.
bobby cerasuolo
July 27th, 2011
1:47 pm
Heres the skinny DFA Gonzo promote pastornicky Trade Mclouth Proctor Minor and Salecado to the Rays for Sean Rodiguez and BJ Upton Then Trade Lowe Gonzo and Schafer to Pitt for Brian Burress Matt Hague and Gorkys Hernadez. Then Bring up Teheran to replace lowe and move Beachy to the Bullpen.
hedgie
July 27th, 2011
1:48 pm
The Braves were “awarded” the win over the Pirates. Extremely poor call by the umpire-was he missing his beauty sleep. Pathetic. Bring on instant replay and join the current century !!
BigJohn
July 27th, 2011
1:53 pm
Looked like he was out BUT I can see how the ump might have missed it. The Braves have had some pretty bad calls against them this year on the base paths. The Pirates got the shaft on this one but they will have one go their way eventually. The calls seem to equal out in the long run…
Trade 4 Beltran
July 27th, 2011
2:00 pm
I have to stay off mlbtraderumors.com. It’s KILLING me reading about all these trades other teams are doing.
Another Clueless Braves Blogger
July 27th, 2011
2:02 pm
Worst call by an ump? Not even close. First of all, Meals had a much better view than any of us, and he felt the tag was missed. If he was wrong, then he made his best call based on what he has been trained to do. Earlier this year, Jim Joyce’s safe call on the final out of a perfect game was far worse. And any Braves fan who watched Forrest Gregg call balls and strikes in the plaoff game between the Braves and Marlins a while back will tell you that his umpiring was the worst ever (balls 2-3 feet off the plate being called strikes, but only against against Braves hitters).
The Red
July 27th, 2011
2:08 pm
After further review, I think we all owe Jerry Meals a debt of gratitude for finding a way to put an end to that sorry exhibition of hitting on both sides.
braves are pretenders!!
July 27th, 2011
2:20 pm
Just shows you how pathetic this offense is. And this idiot manager read lips about as well as he teaches fundamental baseball. My little league coach taught fundamental baseball better this clown. The only time this guy tries to advance a runner or to squeeze with runner at 3rd and no outs the last 5 games, Nate the great can’t execute a bunt. Worst prepared, and worst team in the majors when it comes to fundamental baseball. But i forgot the word mental is included in fundamental, so that makes perfect sense being the manager should be washing cars in south florida instead of trying to manage a baseball team
The Red
July 27th, 2011
2:30 pm
Schafer is on the DL.
Hankie Aron
July 27th, 2011
2:35 pm
Beltran is traded to the Giants
Hankie Aron
July 27th, 2011
2:36 pm
New York Post reports
alex
July 27th, 2011
2:38 pm
@women in the throes:love the name and could not agree with you more,happy thr braves one ,but the ump was bad,real bad-would not surprise me he gets in trouble for this ….
reckingball
July 27th, 2011
2:45 pm
Another Clueless @2:02pm………….His name was Eric Greg, and it was game 5 of the 1997NLCS.
It has been voted the 3rd worse umpiring performance, of the entire 1975 to 2000 MLB era, by Baseball America.
reckingball
July 27th, 2011
3:04 pm
That was a really bad performance of calling balls and strikes, and one of the worst that I have seen in a while(maybe a couple of weeks). Unfortunately bad performances by homeplate umps are not that rare(could have a worse one tonight with CB Bucknor behind the plate).
He called bad pitches on both teams, but I will have to say that it looked like he was calling more on the Braves than he was calling on the Pirates.
After the ejections it looked like the bad calls intensified against the hometeam.
In fairness to the hitters(or batters), on both teams, it is harder to do your job when an ump like that has such an erratic strike zone, in my opinion.
Bad Calls Evev Out
July 27th, 2011
3:20 pm
When a bad call by the umps costs the Braves a game.later in the season.remember this game , Braves Fans, and you wont feel so bad when it happens to you, and it WILL HAPPEN !!!
alex
July 27th, 2011
3:22 pm
@reckingball:agree with above, unfortunately gonzo will swing at any pitch, anytime,anywhere…
reckingball
July 27th, 2011
3:41 pm
alex…….Can’t argue that fact. But he did hit a couple of hard balls, that the Pirates middle infielders were able to make good plays on, last night. Not his usual flailing SOs, or popouts, or weak grounders.
litz
July 27th, 2011
4:03 pm
I’ll give proctor creditor for one thing : asked what it was like to come in, after being all alone in the bullpen, then pitch 3 scoreless innings and get the game winning hit (his first hit, btw) after all the troubles so far this year … his answer … “well … I guess usually most people don’t like me … “
bring back blauser
July 27th, 2011
4:08 pm
scott boras was pulling the strings in the beltran trade to giants. personally i am glad braves did not get him. the price is too high for a rental player. i prefer going after pence at least he would be under braves control whether they sign him or trade him. at least we get real value for him
Zee
July 27th, 2011
4:21 pm
One of the worst calls in baseball history… The umpire (and crew) should be fired or sent back to little league where they belong..
ChillyMutt
July 27th, 2011
4:37 pm
Just like you can’t assume a double play in scoring a game, the onus is on the defense to prove a tag. You can’t assume a tag was made. And there was no evidence that a tag was made. Runner safe.
Zee
July 27th, 2011
4:59 pm
@bring back blauser –> Houston has reported this morning, that they will not be trading Pence. (personally, I’m not buying it).. If they “do” happen to trade him , he is going to the Phillies…
Coach (2011 Fredi G. a go!)
July 27th, 2011
5:17 pm
Did anybody not watch last nights game besides myself?
OK, yea it lasted nineteen innings but what screwed the pooch happened early on. First inning, McLouth on third, nobody out. We failed to execute and didn’t score. Again, sixth inning. Runners on second and third, nobody out. AGAIN, we failed to execute simple basic fundamental baseball while not scoring.
What happens…..McCann gets hurt in the tenth inning, our bullpen gets torched, Schafer re-injures himself after being forced to play. All because of one reason…..
TOO MANY CHIEFS, NOT ENOUGH INDIANS. TOO MANY WANNABE HEROES, NOT ENOUGH BALL PLAYERS, TOO MANY SELFISH ATHLETES, NOT ENOUGH TEAM PLAYERS.
And the beat goes on.
rayraysbraves
July 27th, 2011
6:05 pm
Hey – I love Baseball and I’m into watching the whole game. When I saw that play – I was thinking he’s out but if Schafer can get to third – with Prado coming up – then . . . .
At least it was not one of those “in the area” calls. We see it at second base all the time. I’m glad the ump saw it as though no tag was made.
Argue – say what you might – but that’s Baseball
huddie ledbetter
July 27th, 2011
6:26 pm
Tru dat rayray
Braves quotes after 19-inning win over Pirates | Raw Sports - Atlanta Braves
July 27th, 2011
6:28 pm
[...] Atlanta Braves [...]
Asc
July 28th, 2011
8:18 am
I think I’d quietly get out of the clubhouse without comment if I had been handed and unearned win in the 19th by a bad call. Not just a bad one but an acknowledged and recognized bad call.
MLB is relishing being a game of the 1800s in the face of modern technology and compensations. They must not realize that they are the recognized for the worst call in professional sports, a durable title given the quality, clarity and convincing video easily available.
David O'Brien
July 28th, 2011
8:32 am
DOB: I’m curious. Could you guys in the press box hear the eight-year-old little girl who screamed her lungs out for her beloved Pirates during the ENTIRE game broadcast.
Yes, we could hear her. Any shouting echoed through the mostly empty ballpark in the late innings. She was the Energizer Bunny.