Braves lose stunner in marathon opener vs Nats – updated
WASHINGTON – Long after the Braves had walked off the field dejected by a 5-4 marathon loss in Monday’s series opener at Nationals Park, after Danny Espinosa had scored the winning run and joined the fray of his Washington teammates, the game ball laid there, stuck in the infield grass.
It was right where Braves second baseman Dan Uggla had left it, after fielding and ultimately freezing on the game’s final play.
The Braves had spent the previous four hours and 27 minutes and 13 innings of their longest game of the season rallying. They came back from 4-1 down after the Nationals scored four runs on Tim Hudson in the first inning, and staved off defeat time after time, when it looked like the Nationals had it won against the bullpen.
But somehow the Braves still managed to lose the game in a stunning way, on three balls that never left the infield.
Ian Desmond led off the 13th inning with a single up the middle where neither shortstop Paul Janish or Uggla had a play. Kurt Suzuki followed with a chopper off the plate that bounced over reliever Cristhian Martinez and off the foot of a charging Chipper Jones. While both Jones and Janish attempted to field the ball, Espinosa astutely advanced from first to third before Martinez could get over to cover the base.
From there, Espinosa scored the game-winning run after taking off on a one-out ground ball Chad Tracy hit to Uggla on the edge of the infield grass. Uggla went to his left and his knees to field the ball but he had it securely in his glove, with Espinosa in his sights breaking for the plate. But rather than throwing home, Uggla hesitated.
He eventually dropped the ball, as the Nationals won the game and widened their NL East lead over the Braves to six games with two to play in this series.
“I was going over pretty much every situation that might happen,” Uggla said of the play. “I was like ‘If he hits a ball to my left or hits a ball hard right at me, I can just tag Kurt (Suzuki) and touch first and we can be out of it.’”
When asked if he had to do it over again, Uggla said he would still go for the double play. But with the infield in, Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez wanted him to go home.
“You can’t go anywhere else but the play at the plate,” Gonzalez said. “We can’t take a chance of turning a double play there and not turning it, and the game’s over.”
Originally the play was ruled an error on Uggla but the official scorer changed it to an infield hit and an RBI for Tracy shortly after the game. It was a confusing all the way around.
“Our pitching did its job,” said Hudson, whose five shutout innings after the first inning were mimicked by six more from the Braves bullpen. “Cristhian did a great job. That last inning was Little League-esque.”
The Braves had rallied to tie it 4-4 in the fifth inning on a two-run home run by Jason Heyward. But they stranded five runners in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings and couldn’t drive in Martin Prado despite his leadoff double in the 11th.
The Nationals had put the leadoff man on base in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings and twice had the go-ahead run on third base with less than two outs. But they came up empty against Hudson, Jonny Venters and Eric O’Flaherty. Then Heyward backed up to the right field fence to catch a pair of flyballs behind Luis Avilan, once in the 10th and once in the 11th, keeping him scoreless in two innings.
“I’m proud of the club,” Gonzalez said. “They came out and they battled for 13 innings. We’ve played some tough ballgames against a very good team and we know we can hang in there. We just need one of those – chopper over the bag or ball over the pitcher’s mound – we need a couple of those and win a ballgame.”
Hudson gave up four runs in the first inning for the third time in his three starts against the Nationals this season. After going 14-2 with a 2.05 ERA in 23 starts against them entering this season, Hudson is 0-2 with a 7.71 in three starts against them this season.
His troubles started a Werth’s leadoff double off Jones’ glove, followed by Bryce Harper’s RBI roller through to left field. With two outs, Desmond hit a two-run home run to put the Nationals up 4-1.
“It was a little fluky I think,” Hudson said. “They get some crazy hits, then it’s a combination of me not making some pitches and then a little bit of luck on their end.”
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
297 comments Add your comment
Brandon
August 21st, 2012
12:33 am
great game and horrible ending. Its quite apparent how evenly matched these two teams are
RaleighDawg
August 21st, 2012
12:35 am
Wow…not sure who looked stupider in the 13th…the “HOF’er” (hee-hee, pardon my giggle there) Chipper by not only not covering his base, but then kicking the ball so Janish could make a play or the “12 million dollar” second baseman who drops the ball trying to get it out of his glove…these guys are so clutch you can set your watch by them…
Csonka
August 21st, 2012
12:38 am
“that Chipper Jones nearly collided with Janish to get to, as the runner took third base.”
Wow. Talk about hometown beat writers covering for the franchise player.
A more apt description would be “Chipper Jones ambling over towards short and cutting off Janish, then giving up on the play and doing his best David Beckham impression and kicking the ball away to ensure the Nationals runners advanced first-to-third on a 75-foot hopper, thus setting up the eventual winning run.”
You’d never make it in NYC, DOB.
Reality
August 21st, 2012
12:38 am
Epic choke. Dan Uggla is a real jewel.
Just like last year-choke away the must win games. Will be 10 out by the weekend. Can’t hang with good teams.
RaleighDawg
August 21st, 2012
12:39 am
Huh, Gant just (kinda) called the Braves out for not winning this game…I would LOVE to see more of the media and the Braves management holding this jokers accountable instead of making excuses and “tipping their hats”…
lee maye
August 21st, 2012
12:40 am
Bad decision by Uggla. This guy is killing us in the field and at the plate. 10 errors and several more that could have been charged to him. His PopEye arms have made him unable to throw accurately. He throws like Olive Oil and hits like her too. .210 and holding after a hit. Chipper also got in the way and should have covered 3rd. 2 costly mistakes by 2 supposed veterans.
And, of course, the Braves’ bats went cold.
RaleighDawg
August 21st, 2012
12:40 am
@Csonka – spot on my man !
Reality
August 21st, 2012
12:40 am
They are real close Brandon, the only difference is that the Nats win the close ones and put the division away tonight.
Rowland Office
August 21st, 2012
12:43 am
Overbay to the rescue. WTFE
What losers
Brandon
August 21st, 2012
12:43 am
i dont know. i think most third basemen run after that ball. It was just hit in the right spot and it just so happened that the runner was running and was around 2nd by the time that they even got to it.
as far as uggla goes, i guess it happens. Wouldve been close because the runner was going on contact. These kind of games always seem to end with something fluky. Nats got 3 infield hits to win
NorCal Brave
August 21st, 2012
12:43 am
Evenly matched, Brandon? We’re 4 and 9 against the Nats, with one of our wins an improbable comeback from a 9-0 deficit against Strasburg. Have you also taken note that the Nats team BA is 30 points better than ours? We’ve struggled for years beating these guys and I see nothing about to change that.
So Cal Brave
August 21st, 2012
12:45 am
Not sue I’ll bother going to see them next week-waste of time
SR
August 21st, 2012
12:46 am
You nailed that one NorCal. Isn’t that the truth!
Jair Jurrjens is the New Kenshin Kawakami
August 21st, 2012
12:51 am
Dan Uggla SUCKS. The end.
crashandburnedbraves
August 21st, 2012
12:52 am
Yea! The Bravos just signed O for Bay! Can he play 2nd? The team should hold open tryouts for a 2nd baseman tomorrow, if not late tonight. And the ajc beat writer is never going to criticize CJ. He could drop kick a ball into the upper deck and the beat writer will simply brag about how far he could kick a ball.
Brandon
August 21st, 2012
12:53 am
@NorCal Brave
the nats team batting avg is .258, braves team batting avg is .254 where did you get the 30 points from?
Nats have a 3.25 team ERA which has stayed pretty consistent, and braves have a 3.65 team ERA which has been improving
Its true that we’ve lost the majority, but both teams are healthy right now and at their best. Have you seen the similarities in our records since the all star break? also, we split the last 4 game series and it took 13 innings to finally come to a conclusion tonight. Yes, both teams look pretty even to me
crashandburnedbraves
August 21st, 2012
12:56 am
Hey Braves, Avoid the rush…start the September collapse now! Besides, college football starts in 10 days…..goodbye Braves!
Eric b
August 21st, 2012
12:56 am
Enter your comments here
Harpie
August 21st, 2012
12:56 am
This team just has a loser mentality…
Bravo Fan
August 21st, 2012
12:56 am
Of course the play is to home. Where else could it be with the winning run on third base? Big time choke by all involved. But Nats are simply better than the Braves at every position. More depth. More speed. Better hitting. Better pitching. Better manager. I think this loss will crush the Braves’ spirit. No wild card game. No nothing. Lost season that will be a “woulda, coulda, shoulda” for the ages. Team will be even worse next year…
TuffShhhtuff
August 21st, 2012
12:56 am
Sorry Csonka but 9 times out of 10 you would be right as that sounds exactly like something DOB would say, but Carroll Rogers is subbing for him in DC for this series. Guess they are all basically brain-washed by now. I think I read earlier today that Uggla leads second basemen with 15 errors already, and he showed why tonight. Yet his buddy, FG, keeps “running him out there”. He’s not worth $5M much less $12.5 per year! He got one hit tonight but blew one at bat when it really mattered.
john doe
August 21st, 2012
12:57 am
The Braves are probably the second best team in baseball (if you take out the games against Washington, they would have the 2nd best record). Unfortunately, the Nationals are the best team right now.
Bronke
August 21st, 2012
12:58 am
Boooooooohhhhhhhh sad but true. Glad next year there will be some new leadership on this team. Out with old and in with the new! Make Prado team captain and demand hussle, and hard play every night.
joe barkley
August 21st, 2012
12:59 am
comparing dan useless uggla to olive oil is so not fair. you are doing a complete disservice to olive oil
useless in the field,useless at the plate. it’s time for prado to 2nd and reed johnson in left and dan uggla
to any where except atlanta.
Eric b
August 21st, 2012
12:59 am
It seem like the infield look at one another and said its time to go back to the hotel. I havent seen uggla do nothing since his Marlins days.
Minnesota Brave Fan
August 21st, 2012
1:02 am
Uggla is an embarrassment. One of the worst Brave signings of all time! When is this going to end? He’s killing us at the plate and in the field. Arggggggg!
ab initio
August 21st, 2012
1:02 am
The Braves are like that hot chick you met at the bar last night only to wake up to a horse in the morning.
There just ain’t enough enemas to clean out the crap on this team. Yeah, I’m looking at you Uggla as the first nugget that needs to be flushed.
Slammin' HELMETS, and breakin' BATS!
August 21st, 2012
1:02 am
Fredi’s bullpen management is truly mind-boggling. Fredi has three of the most dominant pitchers in the game at his disposal, yet he only allows them to get three outs each… and that’s ALL they’re allowed, NO QUESTIONS ASKED. What a joke. After Martinez gave up that first infield single, that should have been it for him, and Kimbrel should have been brought in immediately. But NOOOOO, Gonzalez has to save Kimbrel for God knows what.
RaleighDawg
August 21st, 2012
1:03 am
Spoke to soon about Gant kinda calling the Braves out…he just said “its not like they played bad defense to lose the game”…what was he watching during the 13th ?
BTW, I’ve heard the Sunshine gang mention a couple of times about a “double hit by Werth off Chipper’s glove”…tell me (someone who saw it) – was this a legit double or was it the usual “OLE” play by Chipper ?
ChipsStillGotIt256
August 21st, 2012
1:04 am
This was heartbreaking to watch.. all i will say is lets move on and get em later tues & wed, also before everyone blames uggla think about this if we would have scored atleast 1 more in the countless times before that inning we would be celebrating a win instead of suffering in defeat..
crashandburnedbraves
August 21st, 2012
1:04 am
Hey Brandon, a couple of more stats for you…6 GB and magic number is 35…sound pretty even to you?
Duh-Uggla
August 21st, 2012
1:06 am
As quoted by my 8 year old “EPIC FAIL”.
Very much like last year, the team can’t seem to get out of their own way to win a game.
Someone please tell dan Uggla that he doesn’t have to swing for the fences at every at-bat. And text him Brooks Conrad’s phone number so they can compare notes on playing 2nd base.
Slammin' HELMETS, and breakin' BATS!
August 21st, 2012
1:07 am
It was the usual “OLE” play by Chipper… his lazy butt could have made the play, he just didn’t feel like it.
Slammin' HELMETS, and breakin' BATS!
August 21st, 2012
1:10 am
@ChipsStillGotIt256: Dan Uggla had men on (first and second, one out), and he struckout on three pitches. Watched one split the middle, swung at one in the dirt, and then watched the third hit the outside corner. Then he just stands there like he didn’t expect to strikeout. He’s killing this team, as is his F&*% buddy FG.
crashandburnedbraves
August 21st, 2012
1:11 am
Next year Chipper will be wearing one of those silly looking black hats and waving a red cloak at the bullfights in Mexico City…tonight was just another audition for him.
Fundamentals
August 21st, 2012
1:11 am
Why didn’t Uggla just run towards first and tag Suzuki (who did not move) and then step on first base. Unassisted double play ends the inning. The runner going from 3rd to home does not matter. Lame. Fundamentals are knowing what you are going to do with the ball BEFORE it is hit to you. Focus. Stay in the game.
TuffShhhtuff
August 21st, 2012
1:12 am
One correction on my 12:56AM, that was last year Uggla had 15 errors to lead for that position. This year he already has 11, which puts him one behind Rickie Weeks of the Brewers, so he is on pace for at least 15 or more again this year. Along with his pathetic parttime hitting, he has to be the most overpaid player in all of baseball.
Reality
August 21st, 2012
1:14 am
That flushing sound you heard after midnight was another Braves season going down the tubes.
Nothing ever changes on the Atl sports scene. Championships are for other cities
Slammin' HELMETS, and breakin' BATS!
August 21st, 2012
1:14 am
@Duh-Uggla: Ah, Brooks Conrad… I would honestly rather have him at 2B now. I really don’t know why we let him go, he was a decent utility player, and any utility player is better than Dan Uggla.
Joe
August 21st, 2012
1:15 am
The only reason Uggla is still here is because of the Manager, run them both of out town….wait keep them, I am a Dodgers fan. We are hoping for the Braves in a 1 game playoffs, your team will choke! Go Dan!!!
Slammin' HELMETS, and breakin' BATS!
August 21st, 2012
1:17 am
It’s a wonder where this team would be right now if Uggla, Gonzalez, McDowell, and Tosca weren’t in any way associated with this team.
Blauser
August 21st, 2012
1:18 am
Guessing we could pay the major league minimum for a 2nd baseman that can’t hit and can’t field.
Wonder if Uggla is the least bit embarrassed to cash that check.
NorCal Brave
August 21st, 2012
1:19 am
Sorry, Brandon, should have been more specific: the Nats average is 32 points higher since July 3rd, per an article today in the ajc. I do think we now have a pitching staff capable of matching Washington’s, and that’s what’s keeping us in the playoff hunt. But the Braves’ history is to lapse into horrible hitting with RISP. And once again, we’re seeing history repeat itself.
lee maye
August 21st, 2012
1:20 am
Doesn’t look good for the Bravos in the postseason if they reach it. Braves would have to win the Wildcard game, then would likely get the Nats. We can’t beat the Nats.
First time long time
August 21st, 2012
1:21 am
So much for another must win game. 6 games back and out of contention.
Same as it ever was
NATS NUTT
August 21st, 2012
1:23 am
My man Zimm. gave the Bravos like what 4 walks and they can’t score none of them HAHAHA!You guys don’t have no clutch hitters HAHAHA!You guys are toast the DIV. is ours HAHAHA!!
the nightmare it's coming up
August 21st, 2012
1:25 am
after tonight game , i lose my faith in this team… yes they lost with Uggla’s error , but what about open one inning with Prado’s double and strand him in the 2nd base???? … a lot of LOB…. that was the real problem…..
hardly the braves gonna win one game in D.C. , and hardly the braves gonna win more than one game in S.F….
apparently the nightmare it’s coming up …. and no playoffs for the braves this season…..
WASHINGTON, CINCINNATTI , LOS ANGELES, Wildcard game : SF vs PITTSBURGH….
im sure the braves will lose the final series in PIT and with that lose the 2nd wildcard…..
Charlie Brown
August 21st, 2012
1:25 am
I knew it was over in the 1st. I hang around for hours and watch. Doesn’t make me very smart. Like buying an overpriced stock watching it collapse and hang around hoping against hope that it will recover. Really need to learn a lesson from this. Football in 2 weeks and these losers are a distant memory. A bad memory but distant
Slammin' HELMETS, and breakin' BATS!
August 21st, 2012
1:28 am
“We can’t beat the Nats.”
I don’t believe that, I think the Braves could beat the Nationals… just as long as Dan Uggla and Brian McCann are out of the lineup for good. You can’t have those two stooges bumbling around on the field (both of them are absolute jokes when it comes to defense), and then have them in an offensive lineup, much less the 5th and 6th spots. NO OTHER MANAGER IN THE GAME WOULD BE PLAYING UGGLA RIGHT NOW! I dont’ get it, why don’t we call up Gattis and let him catch, and move Pastornicky to 2B? At least those guys could provide us with quality at-bats, and who knows, they could ignite the Braves like Simmons did earlier this year. At this point of the season, there’s no reason to continue believing this bullS#IT% that Uggla is going to snap out of it. Christ, it’s been like what? 2 1/2 months, now? He’s garbage, and always has been.
meee
August 21st, 2012
1:28 am
@NATS NUTT: hahahaahah hey your mom’s puzzy it’s MINE
Duh-Uggla
August 21st, 2012
1:28 am
I was at the game where Brooks made his errors. The difference with Brooks is that he was not hired nor expected to play 2nd base in a post season game. Brooks did very well in the utility role for which he was hired.
Uggla is a really nice guy. But his few home runs do not make up for all of the men that he leaves on base. And you can’t “choke-in” the winning run when you are getting paid 12.5m/year to play the position.
Maybe the team will buckle down and do well the rest of this road trip. I hope it isn’t going to be another year where they take the wild card for granted and end up watching the ‘play-in’ game at home with their kids.
Eric C.
August 21st, 2012
1:32 am
If the Braves win the next two, they’ll only be 4 games behind and the month of September looks like a favorable schedule.
Eric b
August 21st, 2012
1:34 am
If Bobby was still coaching we would be in first place by now our coach then lost half of our games by bad coachin i then seen him leavin pitchers in too long if a pitcher was in a Jam 6th inn and barely gets out its time for his to sit anrab a bag or two of them seeds this only coach i then seen lose games without a bat and glove our pitchin debt aint strong enought to make it deep in the playoffs if we make it at all
NATS NUTT
August 21st, 2012
1:34 am
@meee You must like old Puzzy she is 84 HAHAHAHA!!!and the Braves STILL SUX HAHAHA!!
Ryan
August 21st, 2012
1:34 am
Freddi and Uggla will never get us to WS .Why dont we hit and run.
NATS NUTT
August 21st, 2012
1:36 am
NO HITTER by STRAW. coming at ya in a few hrs. Bravos HAHAHAHAHA!!
Pippa's hiney
August 21st, 2012
1:37 am
RaleighDawg: CLEARLY, Chipper cannot go to his right anymore. See it nite after nite.
NATS NUTT
August 21st, 2012
1:38 am
Hey Ryan, The reason you guys can’t hit HAHAHAHA!!
NorCal Brave
August 21st, 2012
1:38 am
Quotes we better not hear tonight:
Fredi : “a foot here or a foot there……man,this can be a cruel game”
Uggla: “I’m a tick away from breaking out”
Chipper: “it’s all hands on deck tomorrow.”
NATS NUTT
August 21st, 2012
1:40 am
Thanks you Chip for gift tonite, or should i say gifts forgot that 1 in the 1st inning!!!
JC Boscan III
August 21st, 2012
1:40 am
Hudson repeated his tendency of crappy 1st innings, especially with the Nats this year. The offense could’ve won the game numerous times. You could just feel the Braves waiting for a way to lose the game………and they did. It surely wasn’t the fault of C. Martinez on the mound……. A POOR ending to what could have been a huge win…………. but, the game was a microcosm of the Braves team. Some good moments, but some terrible moments that negate the good ones. So, we’ll have to fight it out for that 1-game wild card game, barring an unlikely collapse by the Nats. It was one more BLOWN season-changing opportunity by the Braves.
ButterMilk Tuesdays
August 21st, 2012
1:43 am
@NorCal Brave: LOL, no doubt.
ButterMilk Tuesdays
August 21st, 2012
1:49 am
@JC Boscan II: Yep, you pretty much summed it up. And like someone else said, I really don’t see this team having even the slightest chance of winning this division if we continue to play Uggla and McCann on a regular basis, as they really offer little to this club in any capacity. Both have poor defensive skills, one can’t run AT ALL, and neither can make solid contact with the baseball. They’re both liabilities, and unless they’re benched, the Braves will continue to revel in mediocrity.
D Morales
August 21st, 2012
2:05 am
Dan Uggla has to be benched Period. he is the weakest second baseman ever, a rule5 draft player he is already showing his draft ability, Wren was a Mule to give him that much money, Reed Jonson could do a more decent job than him, The Braves start a rally, and Uggly ends it he is no better than a bench player, but barley Brain Gonzales will be waiting forever to snap out of this Funk… you don’t pay a guy 2 millions to be waiting all of the time to snap out of slumps and yet not br brnched, Thje Braves will never win another World Series, and because of this management the will setback the City of Atlanta, even further, a piece of advise, to the Season tickes holder, Boycutt the Braves, don’t go to game anymore til they get rid of F gonzalez, Uggla and F wren, period
D Morales
August 21st, 2012
2:08 am
I see a major Choke all over again….in the horizon… go Pirates
D Morales
August 21st, 2012
2:12 am
Just be bold and go to the game and bring signs that should read Fire Freddy and Wren they both stink..
DawgDad
August 21st, 2012
2:12 am
Stick a fork in it? Maybe. Puts a lot of pressure on Maholm and Medlen, not to mention the offense.
The Braves are a good team. They’ve been a good team for the past four years. They just aren’t quite good enough, and they seem incapable of making the moves or the plays that would put them over the top. One year they choke late on baserunning blunders and a rash of men LOB, the next year they lose because they don’t have a Jack Wilson type to play second base, the next year they lose because they do have Jack Wilson playing and they can’t score. Just like tonight, the margin between winning a losing a key game can be razor-thin. Not moving a baserunner, not making a throw. Or recently, the extra early runs the #6 starter gives up.
Will be interesting to see how much air is out of the balloon. If they fall back into the mode of defending a wild card spot September could turn very ugly, as we have seen.
There are some very talented kids on the roster who should be learning valuable lessons for the future. Just hope they don’t ultimately squander the future on expensive veterans with declining skills.
D Morales
August 21st, 2012
2:18 am
I agree with youn Dawg Dad. Tired of seeing these kids waiting their talents,with a bunch of loser vets. like Dan Uggla, seriously what has he ever won in Florida, to give him 60 million dollars, that’s what’s wrong with this team, the management. is Medicre at best.. and they are in enial.
jharber
August 21st, 2012
2:25 am
Can anyone see my point now? Prado to second Johnson to left and send Uggla back to tenn. for the rest of the season then trade him for a case of sunflower seeds.
John Lenin
August 21st, 2012
3:05 am
Love to see Homo & nephew post after games like this….wait, they NEVER post after these games. Still a Braves fan and always will be. You guys do nothing but wait til a win streak, then post how lame other fans are….shame on you both!!!
Dirty Dawg
August 21st, 2012
3:27 am
Watching this game reminded me of one of my all-time favorite ‘observations’ of Braves’ ineptitude from back in the 80’s from the great Tom Hughes…’Last night the Braves never missed a chance to miss an opportunity.’
man and dog
August 21st, 2012
3:39 am
At least they scored 4 runs tonight
Carroll Rogers
August 21st, 2012
3:40 am
Csonka, then how come Chipper wasn’t charged with an error if he did about five things wrong on that play? Guess the scorekeeper wouldn’t make it in NYC either.
And yes it’s Carroll, not DOB.
man and dog
August 21st, 2012
3:44 am
Jharber- we don’t need Ugly in tenn.South Pole maybe
Eric C.
August 21st, 2012
3:44 am
Carroll, ha…good comeback.
man and dog
August 21st, 2012
3:46 am
……..and take FG with him
Wow
August 21st, 2012
3:54 am
Just had a thankless job review where I have worked very hard but have nothing to show for it. Reading the above posts makes me realize fans and managers are all alike.
SOS Braves
August 21st, 2012
4:00 am
Braves are Same Old S** t braves. Wil never make playoffs as long as bobby cox lite is manager.
Hmmmm
August 21st, 2012
4:40 am
“Braves lose stunner in marathon opener”
“stunner” was what happened when the Nats lost against the Braves a few weeks ago. I don’t think I would call this a stunning loss. They led by 1, trailed by 3, then tied it and lost by 1 …. not really stunning. However if the Nats lost this game I might call it stunning since they’re the division leader and they’ve whooped up on the Braves all year long.
When the “inferior” team loses to the “superior” one, I can’t really call it stunning
Christine
August 21st, 2012
5:03 am
I’ve been cheering for Uggla to come out of it all season, but you know what? I’m tired of it now. This doesn’t make me a fairweather fan, it means I’m tired of being optimistic while he is literally a drain on his spot in the order night after night.
Chipper is fine, stop hatin’.
bravesgrl4life
August 21st, 2012
5:26 am
Sit Uggla tonight. He needs some kind of punishment for that epic fail. I’ve supported him all year, but that is ridiculous. Get the out at home and forget the double play!
Same old Braves
August 21st, 2012
5:59 am
I don’t know why anyone’s surprised here because Braves have been trotting out the same flawed teams for years. Part can be blamed on Liberty for payroll but an equal part is at the feet of Wren and managers (Cox and now Gonzalez). After all the disappointments from the 90’s and early 00’s, My interest waned in 2005 as I knew each season’s outcome before it started.
Charlie L
August 21st, 2012
6:16 am
Now the ridiculous division winning hope talk can finally cease. Both teams getting what they hv earned.
tim
August 21st, 2012
6:20 am
it is a pity that this site is used by nothing more than haters. I wonder if any of you ever played organized sports if you had a clue what it takes, I doubt it. You get on this site and you say things about people that you know you would not say to their face. The gentleman that you so badly wish to run down Jones,Uggla,Freddie to name a few are very good at what they do if not the best,otherwise they would not be in the position they are in. Get behind your team.
JeanE
August 21st, 2012
6:44 am
How many millions does Uggla make???? I never wanted him hear, felt Omar was awesome and very talented, certainly cheaper and more veratile. Now we’re stuck with this guy who obviously can’t handle the pressure and expectations of playing here, for 2 more years. Fail, Frank. Fail.
DC NAT
August 21st, 2012
6:49 am
Have good friends that are Braves fans and not going to rub it in on this one. Very strange end to this one and still scratching my head. You want to win games but this one had a strange feeling.
longtimefan
August 21st, 2012
6:51 am
Hide the knives!! I agree, sit Uggla, Prado @ 2nd, Johnson in left.
Big Green Tribe
August 21st, 2012
6:52 am
Everyone has covered last night’s fiasco very well.
But the gorilla in the room remains that we have an every day lineup that features three guys hitting under .230. I understand Yanesh…he’s replacing an injury and is in there for his excellent defense;
but Uggla and McCann? They are killing us.
I can almost excuse McCann; he’s pretty well beat up. But Uggla…this has been all season and,
after a very brief August flurry, he’s back to his old habits at the plate. His strikeout looking last night in the ninth with two on and two out was pathetic.
No team can win a championship with three guys playing every day hitting under .230!
Big Ron
August 21st, 2012
6:55 am
Bottom line is the nationals spend big bucks we have talent as well but can we go out and add game changers like the yankees and Texas can no we can not so yes were flawed n a couple of spots if the so called owners would open up the wallets increase the payroll to say $130 to 150 million we will always be a world series threat like we were back n the 90s
OTP
August 21st, 2012
6:58 am
I noticed Uggla is bouncing that left foot around, again, and not hitting, again. He never was a good fielding second baseman.
The really big difference in the Nationals is that they know how to execute. Now, if the Braves do not know how, then it is management’s fault.
Carl Farvman
August 21st, 2012
7:03 am
“That last inning was Little League-esque.” Did Hudson really say this and not exclude his first inning performance from this observation? 4 runs given up by any starting pitcher usually always results in a loss.I don’t care that he pitched shut out baseball the rest of the way. These little snipes from certain players is an example of why the Braves will come up short;it’s about character and some of the Braves go out of their way to throw somebody under the bus. Hudson’s ERA for innings pitched in this particular game is pathetic and he just needs to stay quiet and do another commercial.
Chief Knock a Homa
August 21st, 2012
7:05 am
Hard to believe some of these comments. I mean come on, things happen. Chipper was doing what third basemans do by going for a ball that he thought he could get. Uggla may not have had a shot at home anyway, and the bottom line is, that’s baseball. Look around MLB or watch Sportscenter, stuff like this happens every night. As you are looking around MLB, keep in mind that Atlanta has the fifth best record in all of baseball. I’ll take that all day long from a franchise that continues to put a team of quality players on the field year after year.
Peter
August 21st, 2012
7:12 am
Sounds like Hudson described the Braves….little League esq……..
Fredi G.got to GOOO
August 21st, 2012
7:15 am
Braves, go nowhere, with that bald moron.As the manager. FIRE FREDI G. NOW.
BRAVES SUCK
August 21st, 2012
7:18 am
Sorry, Chipper, your season ends, with NO playoffs. HAPPY RETIREMENT.
BravesfaninWis
August 21st, 2012
7:19 am
Is this loss really a “stunner” when they knew it was coming? Even after the Braves tied the game up and the homers were out in full force, I said one thing the rest of the night. I said ” They will blow it again, that I am convinced of” and look what they did.
They couldn’t figure out how to score 1 damn run from innings 9-13? They have Michael f’n Bourn as their leadoff hitter, and they can’t play small ball to win this game? Then they deserve to lose if for no other reason then being incompetent, and stupid. They lose this series, and they have no chance at the division, and may even have a battle for the wild card. We are in the midst of seeing yet another choke job by the Braves, its about the only thing they do right on a consistent basis.
Old Jax Braves Fan
August 21st, 2012
7:23 am
Tim @6.20am; Hey man, PUHLEEZE tell us that you wrote this before taking your reality medications for the day. Of course, you coud be just kidding and I took what you say seriously. Sorry, I see the sarcasm now.
Dela Solenas
August 21st, 2012
7:23 am
It is one game guys/. The Braves didn’t win or lose the World Series last night. A lot of baseball left to play. Good thing the Braves don’t give up as much as the fair weather fans !
Who Me?
August 21st, 2012
7:25 am
Went to bed in the bottom of the 11th. Leaving too many runners on when we had the chance to win it several times. No offense Frank. Uggla needs to find a new place to start.
Rowdy Garrett
August 21st, 2012
7:28 am
Wish the Braves would pay me a few million dollars to stand at home plate with a stick of wood in my hands and watch pitches sail down the middle for strikes and then jump out of my shoes trying to swing at pitches in the dirt with crucial runs out on the bases….I could kinda use the money these days….and I wouldn’t expect as much as these guys…I could get by on less than $12M and strand just as many runners as they do.
HERE COMES THE JUDGE
August 21st, 2012
7:35 am
MANAGER, MANAGER, MANAGER. NUFF SAID!!!
In DC but luv the Bravos
August 21st, 2012
7:37 am
After reading these comments from Braves “fans” I’m amazed at how easily they forget this team’s stellar record of performance over the last 20 years. The Braves are still a class organization…wish I could say the same for Braves fans. The reality is that these two teams are very evenly matched, and small things can win or lose ball games. The Nats had many chances to put the Braves away tonight, and could very easily have lost this game. I give the Braves credit for playing excellent baseball since the allstar break, yet having little to show for it. Slamming Chipper after what he has meant to this team for so long is unforgivable. Just one man’s view, but give the guy credit — he’s a lock for the HOF.
yellowfever
August 21st, 2012
7:38 am
Fork um, their done.
BRAVELESS
August 21st, 2012
7:45 am
Uggla should have been benched several months ago and replaced by Prado. Yes, Chipper is having a good year at bat but he has no mobility to his right or left. With Chipper gone from the payroll next season and if they can unload Uggla then the Braves should be able to get some younger players who can contribute both offensively and defensively. Of course, with a new manager.
SESports
August 21st, 2012
7:46 am
We need a second baseman that can field and hit for average too.
Atlanta is a good Team
August 21st, 2012
7:47 am
I’m a Nats fan and I gotta tell you that I think some of the Atlanta fans are being WAY TOO HARD on the Braves. Oh my!! You have one of the best 5 clubs in MLB. Nats had 100 games lost 2 of the last 3 years.
Enjoy your Team. And to pound on Chipper for the 13th yesterday is truely “nuts” by some of you. Your disrespect to your Team is shameful. I know must Braves fans wish they won, but really, most of these comments are sad.
To any Nats fans here to gloat, stick it in your ear.
reebok
August 21st, 2012
7:47 am
The Braves may back into the playoffs, but they are certainly not going to survive a series, or likely even win a game. The Braves can’t contend with the good teams.
Carl Farvman
August 21st, 2012
7:51 am
“Is this loss really a “stunner” when they knew it was coming?”
Yeah, I agree. I read this and thought how can losing a game in extra innings that had it tied up for many innings prior be a stunner. ‘Stunner’ suggests that somehow the Braves had a God-given right to win the game and it got away from them. Nit picking, I suppose, but it caught my attention because it wasn’t accurate. Should have been: Braves lose a heartbreaker in extra innings……
Newnandawg
August 21st, 2012
7:54 am
Sit Uggla, then trade him for a bag of balls. He’s a defensive liability AND a strikeout wizard.
Put Pastornicky at 2B and at least the defense will improve.
THERE GOES THE JUDGE
August 21st, 2012
7:55 am
Take away the manager’s sunflower seeds…that seems to be the only thing he’s doing in the dugout!!! The hitting coach…lost in space – the pitching coach…no clue – the bullpen coach…maybe just a little whoo rah. Its obvious that the Braves cannot hang with the top teams; went to the Dodgers game (only team that played) on Saturday…back to back to back HRs…wasted my time.
Carl Farvman
August 21st, 2012
7:57 am
“The Braves may back into the playoffs, but they are certainly not going to survive a series, or likely even win a game. The Braves can’t contend with the good teams.”
This is obvious and, yet, it applies to several playoff bound teams every season. So I guess you just enjoy it and ride it out. Many teams will be sitting at home watching on TV. You could make an argument that, perhaps, they’ll pull off what the Cards did last year, but the character and chemistry is not there for the Braves. Stupid tweets,starting pitchers calling out players, and on and on and on. Aint gonna happen with this bunch.
Charlie
August 21st, 2012
7:58 am
Same old CHOKE JOB BRAVES, as last September. Hudson talked about how great the pitching was. That’s true IF YOU EXCLUDE TIM HUDSON, who spit out 4 runs in the first inning. That’s Hudson, proving, as is often the case, that he chokes early, when the game is particularly big. Tim Hudson is not an ace. He’s a #4 starter at best, especially on the big game stage.
Chipper played, not HOF, but as a 40 year old. He looked every bit a choke artist as well…lousy ab’s, with runners on base, lousy decisions in the field.
Uggla is the ultimate CHOKE JOB. This is his second year wearing that crown. Can’t hit. Choke job. Can’t make the big plays in the field. Watching WORTHLESS DAN juggle and choke the baseball and the game was classic WORTHLESS DAN UGGLA.
The braves had so many chances to take a lead late, BUT COULD NOT. Not a clutch hitter on this team. NOT A SINGLE ONE. ZERO.
But then, many of these guys were part of the September, 2011 team…the biggesty CHOKE JOB TEAM in Braves / baseball history.
BUT, Fredi is proud of them…and why not? He has proved to be the stupidest manager in MLB. He proved it last year, and continues to hand out more of the same. He is the perfect manager for this group. They deserve each other. LOSERS LOSERS LOSERS….
reality
August 21st, 2012
7:59 am
Everybody is so mean and nasty over a baseball game… one you didn’t even pay to see! Were you not entertained? That was a good meaningful game. With our budget the Braves could easily be the Astros… count your blessings that these games actually matter.
tennisbrave
August 21st, 2012
8:01 am
Same ole Braves – they’re just choking a little early this year rather than wait till September.
Double Zero Eight
August 21st, 2012
8:06 am
Apparently no one can make Uggla cut down
on his swing with two strikes. Fredi should
make him bunt in that situation.
Even a little league player would have known to
throw to home plate in that 13th inning debacle.
I hate to admit it but the Nationals “own” the Braves.
We should put our sights on winning the wild card
spot..
Gym Nash
August 21st, 2012
8:07 am
Braves fans, welcome back to the 1970s. Yikes, this team is bad.
Kent716
August 21st, 2012
8:07 am
Putting aside the fielding lapse, it was painful to watch Uggla, with a man in scoring position, take a strike right down the middle, swing at a pitch in the dirt, and then take strike three at the knees. He watched two strikes in that at bat and swung at the only ball. Time for film study.
George
August 21st, 2012
8:09 am
Do not know how to WIN.
Big Al
August 21st, 2012
8:09 am
Why is everybody so upset? Dis be dah Braves in their annual skid. Nothing new, just same song, another verse.
clt brave
August 21st, 2012
8:20 am
was a great game–really really sorry the Braves lost it. We left way too many men on base. Not to “pile on” BUT, IF FG had made the decision to send his All Star second baseman to Gwinnett for a few weeks of rehab then Dan wouldn”t have been in the position last night of: A) LOOKING at strike three in the ninth with two men on in a TIE GAME B) making an error that cost us the game in the 13th. This is why i have not been back to Turner Field in 2012 and have no plans to do so. Hey, DOB, WHEN is someone gonna talk to FG ON CAMERA about the Uggla situation? STAT UPDATE: Dan is O N E for F I F T E E N in last 4 games!!! Batting .192 since the All Star break. For the season, .210 MAYBE when he slips below the Mendosa line FG will sit him for a day or two….
drew
August 21st, 2012
8:22 am
Uggla couldn’t field the ball and the ball can’t find his bat. Oh yeah..someone please pay me $12 million a year to act like a little league player – PLEASE !
Nurse Ratched [aka Randal Patrick McMurphy]
August 21st, 2012
8:22 am
Collapse of the Bumbling Braves – Redux 2012… started right about this time for last seasons debacle…
I can see ol’ Havana Fats now… nervous, sweaty & agitated. Can’t figure out what to do next. He’ll fly in ever tightening concentric circles until he flies right up his own Keister. And when it’s all said and done, the apologists within the brain trust of Braves organization will be in full Damage Recovery mode… and somehow, that Idiot will be occupying the managers office next season. It’s just ALL too predictable…
jerry
August 21st, 2012
8:28 am
I never see anything from management as to what they think Uggla’s problem is. Apparently they don’t have any more of a clue than he does and they are comfortable with him going 11 for 150 and striking out 160 times if he can just hit 30 home runs.
Vesaversa
August 21st, 2012
8:31 am
Uggla have been a huge disappointment for the Braves every since they inquired him from the Marlins . Here we go again Chokeaphobia
GaryinBham
August 21st, 2012
8:35 am
1. Dawg Dad has it right. This is a very good team, but not yet a great one. We are probably right where our experience level of young guys and the ability and remaining skills of our vets are
2. We might make the playoffs, not likely to advance far, but who knows? If we bounce out of the one-game deal, I won’t be shocked. We are not yet a top 5 team, but the talent ahead is impressive. Can’t wait to get Simmons and Beachy back and Teheran up.
4. Hate how we are falling short right now, but am REALLY enjoying watching Jason Heyward man up in front of our eyes. He is, as predicted, something special. He’s putting it all together.
5. From an objective viewpoint, I am glad for the Washington fans to have so much to cheer about. I want to shut their team out the next two games, but they have suffered with this team a long time, and it has all come together for them this year. Good for them. Let’s beat them today. Go Braves!
Remembering 1991
August 21st, 2012
8:36 am
Tim and others, I DO stand behind the Braves, as I’m sure most people on this thread that are taking the time to watch the game and then comment. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t have the right to criticize poor or sloppy performance.
I can’t believe that Tim Hudson actually said “the pitching did its job.” WHAT??? Is he really suggesting that he had a successful day on the mound after giving up 4 runs before the 6th batter came to the plate???? Nowadays these guys and their manager seem to call it a succss when a pitcher consistently (3 out of 3 times against Nats) gives up first inning runs. Add to that, sporatic hitting with RISP and you have streaky baseball.
We love and support our team, but they make a helluva lot of money to perform…and they should start doing it, or they will find themselves losing the wild card to either LA or SF and St. Louis
Roger
August 21st, 2012
8:46 am
Our play is not Little League caliber. It you’ve been watching the Little League World Series, you know that they’ve actually been playing better than the Braves.
B. A. Miller
August 21st, 2012
8:50 am
saw the play the teams problem is an old man who can’t run but can hit and occasionally makes a play at 3rd this team needs to bring some kids up and take their lumps and start over
alex
August 21st, 2012
8:56 am
@garyinbahm, agree with #4 and 5, JH has been fun to watch
As for anyone critical of the complainers;WHY accept mediocrity from a player or a manager;accept it in yourselves, but in MY office you are FIRED!
Candide
August 21st, 2012
8:56 am
DC-area Nats fan here. Don’t understand some of the hating going on here. Let me tell you, here in Our Nation’s Capital, NO ONE thinks the Braves are a bad team and NO ONE thinks we have it all locked up. Our Nats have won something like 20 out of their last 26 games and the only team in the NL East that hasn’t hoisted the white flag is the Braves.
For anyone who thinks it’s all over, I have only two words: 1964 Phillies.
weiserthanu
August 21st, 2012
9:03 am
I wish you had to pass a Baseball IQ test to p[ost on this blog. This game was not lost in the 13th inning. It was lost in the 8th, 9th and 10th and 11th innings when the Braves got 6 walks and scored NON of them. The clutch hitting, or lack thereof, was the reason for this loss. There should not have even been a 10th-13th inning.
JohnS
August 21st, 2012
9:03 am
In a game you have to win, your best reliever does not make it into the game. That is the most ridiculous thing about last night’s game. The concept of saving your closer for a save situation here is criminal misuse of resources. Still we are talking about Fredi here.
phil
August 21st, 2012
9:05 am
Excuses, excuses….
Time’s running out.
TN Jeff
August 21st, 2012
9:06 am
Wondering if the Braves are gonna go ahead and implement the Epic Collapse Part 2 now rather than waiting til the end of the season when it is more glaring?
phil
August 21st, 2012
9:07 am
B. A. Miller
August 21st, 2012
8:50 am
saw the play the teams problem is an old man who can’t run but can hit and occasionally makes a play at 3rd this team needs to bring some kids up and take their lumps and start over
*****************
Another blogger with manure for his brains…..bring up some kids? Watch a few more games than just this one.
Train Wreck Bystander
August 21st, 2012
9:07 am
Look at it this way:
The Braves went toe to toe for 12 innings with the best team in baseball last night.
Would I have liked to seen a Braves victory? Sure!
Did I hate to see the game come down to a 13th inning brain fart? Yep. But we all have them from time to time.
It’s not all doom and gloom. This morning, the Braves have the 5th best record in both leagues of baseball.
You people really amaze me sometimes.
DCNative55
August 21st, 2012
9:07 am
Agree with the other Nats fans who have posted (except for the obnoxious trolls) – no one in DC is counting out the Braves. These are two evenly matched teams, and the next two nights should provide some of the best baseball of the season. I think the division race is going to be a white-knuckler for both of us the rest of the way. Even ESPN is having to pull themselves away from their Yankees-Red Sox fetish and pay attention to our division race!
harry taylor
August 21st, 2012
9:10 am
Such a screwed up team and DOB making excuses for Chipper and the team(DOB has to keep his job, can’t tell the real truth). Chipper is like a lumbering 18 wheeler. Never been known for defense. Uggla worked his charm and got the error changed. What a team. Uggla bats .213 and strikes out 143 times or so this year. And then he can’t field a ball. What the h ell do they need Uggla. A MASCOT. I suggest a GOAT. But I don’t know of any goats making that kind of money. SHEEESSSH!!!!
Natstoyou
August 21st, 2012
9:10 am
Wow, you Braves fans need to calm down. 6 games out with over 40 to play. Last year means nothing. I love the Nats, but they are untested and swimming in uncharted water (for them). Strasburg will be shut down soon and the Braves have 5 more games against us. It’s still anyone’s division. Enjoy the fact you have a contender. Hasn’t been one in Washington since 1933!
Gene in Columbia
August 21st, 2012
9:14 am
Gonzalez is afraid to make any changes. C. Jones knows he will receive nothing but adulation no matter what mistakes he makes. Uggla needs a vacation. McCann at least is trying. Seems like his vision is still a problem. Bottom line – lost a game should have won.
Prediction – Braves won’t catch anybody. Watch out for St. Louis.
Gene in Columbia
August 21st, 2012
9:15 am
Enter your comments here
Lobosolo
August 21st, 2012
9:18 am
alexis, you, like the rest of these fans, are just too plain pussified to watch baseball… Puss-sters, “your” team is playing lights out baseball since the break and are perched in the top five of all baseball… If you pricksters could watch a little more ball, different teams, read a book on the game, or ANYTHING to become more aware, by all means DO IT… The Braves are at or near the top in fielding in the whole league… THINGS LIKE THIS HAPPEN, EVEN TO THE BEST OF TEAMS, EVERY YEAR, EVERY SEASON… The stretch run is not for crybabies… The Braves are among the best, “your” team… Y’all can’t handle it… take up knitting, or something close… this game is not for you girly whimps… alexis, you have got to be the biggest smartass blubberer around, with absolutely zero bonifides to back it up… one thing for sure, there is no mediocrity in you when it comes to being a total asswipe…
Chief pitchanono
August 21st, 2012
9:22 am
Gotta forget it and go get em tonight. The nl east is on the line the next two nites. They got us in round one but were not ko’d just yet. That was a great game but tough loss. Dont hang your heads boys gotta keep on fightn. If we can leave washington 4 games back i like our chances. We got three more with these guys at our place and these guys have some tough series left with the phills and cards. These guys are gonna hit a little bump in the road before its over but have to be close enough to take advantage. Go Braves!!!!
Flo-Rio-Duh
August 21st, 2012
9:23 am
Nationals are in a different class. Braves can only beat the bottom feeders. Wild card for the Braves – maybe. One and done.
Jo
August 21st, 2012
9:24 am
Guys, what is all the stress for? Has anyone not noticed that it is late August and time for the Braves to do a great swoon again? The Braves will finish with about 88 wins and 4 games off the mark of the wildcard and really it doesnt matter anyway. As a Braves fan I am big enough to say this team is not going to beat a good team in the playoffs. Pitching is losing steam a bit and the hitting will fall back off to mediocre. NO stress….just mediocre.
anti-negative guy
August 21st, 2012
9:27 am
Never seen so many ignorant bastards on a blog before. Biggest bunch of A-holes I’ve ever seen!!!!! Very few Braves fans here!!!!!!!!
areyoukiddingme
August 21st, 2012
9:28 am
Dan Uggla please do braves team and their fan a favor, injure yourself that way fredi gonzoles (who secrelty has man crush on you and thts the reason you are still playing) can replace you with minor league 2nd base kid and i garuntee that kid will have better offense and defense than you
bananajacket
August 21st, 2012
9:30 am
Amazing blogs! Wren can’t evaluate talent. Players are lazy, can’t field or hit and don’t care. We are a terrible team. It is obvious that most bloggers on here have never been on a team or in a locker room (at least not for any amount of time). Wonder what the Nats fans were saying when they failed to score time after time (even with bases loaded) against this awful team)? Please take a breather and appreciate what you have—-an above average team that is not quite championship quality. The best team does not always win anyway—-look at St. Louis last year.
harry taylor
August 21st, 2012
9:30 am
Just the truth, man. Tell it like you see it. Time to choke again.
JNick
August 21st, 2012
9:32 am
Love seeing all the haters on here after a Braves loss (sarcasm)
I was at this game, sitting about 10 rows back from the Braves dugout, if anyone has any questions. As for the Werth double in the first, Chipper was playing off the line and it ticked off the end of his glove as he went for it.
The whole night was weird. Game started an hour late (for no reason…it barely rained, even though there were dark clouds all around the stadium). Just a weird vibe in the air. First inning, the only hard-hit ball was the HR. Heywards HR was a laser – one of the hardest hit balls I’ve ever seen. The sound of the ball coming off his bat when he squares up on one is just electric. You can almost smell it.
Nats had a bunch of cheap hits and the umpiring crew was pretty awful (many bad calls against the Braves, mostly on check swings – on that note, Freeman has me a little worried, he was check-swinging all night). Bourn looked awful at the plate for the most part – he sure does strike out a lot.
Nats stadium overall is decent, fans are annoying, and the food isn’t impressive (while being seriously overpriced). Nice to see Chipper one last time before he goes off into the sunset.
GRAPHITE
August 21st, 2012
9:35 am
When are all of you good folks going to learn that the annual nose dive is in the DNA of Atlanta. It’s time for football now,and the Falcons will dissapoint us as usual,not to mention the birds,I mean Hawks.Save your money,go fishing.
JNick
August 21st, 2012
9:35 am
….and I’m pretty sure the Braves still have the 4th best record in all of baseball…
hunter55
August 21st, 2012
9:36 am
The reason players like playing in Atlanta, soft manager that will not hold players accountable and a media that is flat out lap dogs. In the northeast Uggla would be crucified for his play this year.
Ken Stallings
August 21st, 2012
9:36 am
Looks like the resident basement dweller posted under seven different forum ID’s last night! I wish Gonzalez would stop criticizing his players so much in the media. Bobby Cox would not do that. In truth, Uggla had no play — at least not a play that would have prevented the loss. His only true play was throwing to first, because with one out and the runner breaking for the plate from third, there was zero chance to throw to home and record the tag out. No chance at all. If you look at the replays, by the time Uggla started to transfer the ball to his throwing hand, the runner was about to start his slide.
What Uggla then tried to do was run to tag the runner standing two feet off first base and then flip to Freeman at first. However, the ball then ran up his arm as his eyes and mind processed the loss of the play at home. In truth, Uggla had no chance to make the double play either. This is because the runner at first was no moron! He was smart enough to handle his part of the play correctly. Had he taken another few steps to second, Uggla could have made a quick tag (vice run him down) and then had the time to flip to first to record the force out.
What I criticize Gonzalez for is that this double play was the most likely option for Uggla, but it was taken away by smart base running by the Nationals. A quick throw to home would have “looked good,” but would have been late. I suppose none of the basement trolls would have anything negative to say about Uggla, but the game would have gone down just the same way.
As I posted in the other thread, this is baseball people! If you truly cannot understand the nuances of the game, then stop calling yourself a fan of the game! Uggla did not “lose” that game on that final play. He contributed to the loss by unproductive plate appearances with runners in scoring position, but was hardly alone in that regard! Uggla did at least record a double.
The Nationals also squandered many opportunities to win the game. I guess that has something to do with good defense and good relief pitching, but also something to do with the random nature of the sport of baseball. The hardest hits balls were outs and it took two weak grounders with eyes to set up the Nationals win. Again, that’s baseball. Sitting around like a chump and posting stupid commentary under an alias does nothing but reveal stupidity.
I wish the AJC would do some IP address searches and get rid of these morons who troll here!
Chief pitchanono
August 21st, 2012
9:38 am
And i hate to say it but some of these nats fans are rite. We gotta appreciate the fact that we have a good team and were able sit here on this site every year haveing the same conversation about games that actually mean something in late august and september. The only thing that changes is the team were trying to chase down. The last few years its been the phills and now its the nats but the one constant is allways the braves. Were fighting for first place every year and theres allot to be said for that.
Hock a Homa
August 21st, 2012
9:39 am
Should of went for the double play Fredi . in the 13th. Any other coach would have back up the infield and turned.
two I don’t understand your thinking. you were out coached again.
Davey Sprocket
August 21st, 2012
9:40 am
@Big Ron 6:55am – Except you are totally incorrect that the Nats spend big bucks, while the Braves don’t. The Braves payroll is at LEAST $10M MORE thant the Nats right now. (It may be $20M, actually, I looked it up a couple of months ago, and was startled). Even with Jayson Werth and the new deals for Gonzalez and Zimmerman, they have one of the bottom-third payrolls. Sure, it wil go up as teh youngsters need to get paid, but they are under team controls for quite a while, including all the pitching but Edwin Jackson.
Candide
August 21st, 2012
9:41 am
JNick, I agree that Nats Park overall is decent, the food isn’t impressive, and it’s overpriced. But what is it about Nats fans that you find annoying? At least we don’t sing “Sweet Caroline,” chant “DE-rick JEEE-ter” the way Yankees fans do (though “EEEE-yan DES-mond” probably isn’t far off), and we don’t do anything resembling your REALLY annoying tomahawk chop. Most annoying thing our fans do that I’ve seen is The Wave, and a lot of the pre-bandwagon Nats fans hatehatehate seeing it.
And just before the top of the fourth inning, we always stand and salute the several dozen Wounded Warriors sitting in the seats I only wish I could afford, seats I have to assume the Nats provide gratis.
Frank Wren - GM Extrodinaire
August 21st, 2012
9:46 am
Hi Everyone –
We have the the highest paid errrrrrrrr the best second baseman in the game. We know Uggla’s average was never going to be really high, we got him for his pop. Look at those awesome power numbers! And his fielding never ever costs us games. Man I am a good GM!
Go Braves!
Jay
August 21st, 2012
9:47 am
Ugly SUCKS! He is black hole at the plate and on the field. How many more years of him do we have left?!?!?? Thanks Wren!
mike
August 21st, 2012
10:06 am
The Braves will lose because they are unable to play smal ball. Leaving Prado on second after leadoff double was classic case of this. Not being able to move runners along has been an annual problem for them. Unfortunately uggla and mccann are now pulling them down even more. Do not understand why Prado does not go to second and Johnson to left field. At least give it a shot. Can’t be any worse than it currently is. FG is demonstrating a lack of good management skills. Stubborness will only get the Braves out of the playoffs.
mike
August 21st, 2012
10:06 am
The Braves will lose because they are unable to play smal ball. Leaving Prado on second after leadoff double was classic case of this. Not being able to move runners along has been an annual problem for them. Unfortunately uggla and mccann are now pulling them down even more. Do not understand why Prado does not go to second and Johnson to left field. At least give it a shot. Can’t be any worse than it currently is. FG is demonstrating a lack of good management skills. Stubborness will only get the Braves out of the playoffs.
mike
August 21st, 2012
10:06 am
The Braves will lose because they are unable to play smal ball. Leving Prado on second after leadoff double was classic case of this. Not being able to move runners along has been an annual problem for them. Unfortunately uggla and mccann are now pulling them down even more. Do not understand why Prado does not go to second and Johnson to left field. At least give it a shot. Can’t be any worse than it currently is. FG is demonstrating a lack of good management skills. Stubborness will only get the Braves out of the playoffs.
mike
August 21st, 2012
10:06 am
The Braves will lose because they are unable to play smal ball. Leving Prado on second after leadoff double was classic case of this. Not being able to move runners along has been an annual problem for them. Unfortunately uggla and mccann are now pulling them down even more. Do not understand why Prado does not go to second and Johnson to left field. At least give it a shot. Can’t be any worse than it currently is. FG is demonstrating a lack of good management skills. Stubborness will only get the Braves out of the playoffs.
alanfalcon
August 21st, 2012
10:07 am
Happy to see the Braves fight like they did however one more loss to the Nats and the NL East title is loss, the only thing that matters here is the next two game’s and we need to win both.
Taylor Wooten
August 21st, 2012
10:08 am
I especially liked Chipper’s lame attempt at a ball down the 3rd base line early in the game…a good 3rd baseman would have knocked the ball down and probably made a play. He is a liability in the field at this old age.
Phil F
August 21st, 2012
10:13 am
It’s way past the time to address the Uggla situation. He obviously needs a break. Prado to 2nd, Reed Johnson to left eliminates the Uggla automatic popup / strikeout.
JNick
August 21st, 2012
10:14 am
@Taylor, it wasn’t a lame attempt, he was playing off the line, it was a weird hit ball that hit off the end of his glove. No 3B playing in that position would have made the play. He’s made plenty of incredible plays there this year. The ball was down the line, questionable fair, and had some weird spin on it. Trust me…the play unfolded right before my eyes (literally).
@Candide – appreciated the salute in the 4th…I think it’s many things that make the Nats annoying – but hey, I’m sure every visiting fan feels that way at an away game
I will say it’s much better than being in Philly – but personally, I like going to Baltimore games better. Camden Yards is probably the most underrated stadium in all of baseball.
Larry30
August 21st, 2012
10:22 am
Typical of a braves infield. Mental breakdowns all around. Seems like uggla thought of every scenario except one……throw the lead runner out at home. I remember two years ago in new York when McCann followed a runner to first on an infield fly rule play. Chipper dropped the infield fly and the runner on 3rd realized no one was covering home and scored without a play. Hudson said it right but I don’t think he means it like I do, but little league-esque is absolutely right. Mentally, chipper, uggla, and McCann are about as sharp as a pound of wet leather.
Too Tough
August 21st, 2012
10:23 am
Uggla..didnt loose the game in the 13th…he lost at every other bat he had after the first inning…Also, what idiot cant see McCann needs REST! Use Ross, DU needs REST he is killing our hopes with his swinging for the fences every @ bat…Been a Braves fan since the 60’s folks, Im afraid we are done. Uggla is killing us at the plate. Time to give him some off time..Prado at 2nd, Reed LF, and EVERY Player needs Bunt practice!
Davey Sprocket
August 21st, 2012
10:24 am
As a Nats fan, I was completely nervous basically the whole game from the 6th inning on. If you’d like to lament the Braves’ failures to move runners along, or to take advantage of opportunities, you need to see how horrible teh Nats were at those same things. Bases loaded with one out, and swinging at balls in teh dirt?! Popping up with one out and runner on third? Check. Hitting THREE balls that are caught at the wall, when any of them would have ended the evening. Nah, both teams squandered plenty of chances. It was not the umpires and their bad calls (as someone said earlier). Chipper’s defense definitely cost a run or two – he has the range of a typical 40-year old with a bad knee. The double in the first got a LOT of leather, not just “ticked of the end of the glove”. Give credit to the relief pitching on both sides, throw in a handful of overanxious hacking and bad situational hitting, on both sides. Just glad to see the short bullpen of the Braves get all that additional work – perhaps it will show up in teh next two games. Go Nats!
TheAT
August 21st, 2012
10:25 am
another choke for the braves in a big game. It never ends.
JNick
August 21st, 2012
10:28 am
Braves are 4th overall in all of MLB in defense. I hardly think this is “typical Braves infield”. ESPN power rankings list the Braves as #3 behind only the Nats and Reds.
Bunch of crybaby fair-weather haters on here today….
brad james
August 21st, 2012
10:29 am
Prado to 2nd. R. Johnson to left, McCann sits… Ross primary catcher.
JNick
August 21st, 2012
10:29 am
Davey Sprocket, I was 60 feet away from Chipper, it didn’t get a lot of leather. Go find a replay and watch it.
Grandpa gave away his Season Tickets
August 21st, 2012
10:31 am
Hudson keeps burying our butt in the 1st, Uggla is the reason we lose another one. Can’t hit, can’t catch
pdt
August 21st, 2012
10:32 am
We supposedly got Uggla for his great offense, of which we’ve seen zilch. Fredi and the announcers/cheerleaders then spent a lot of time praising his great defense. That would be the defense that lost the crucial game last night. How can it be any clearer — bench him now. Trade him and take the financial loss this winter. Just don’t put him in any game of importance (which is all of them now) ever again.
harry taylor
August 21st, 2012
10:33 am
Ken Stallings:
Just because someone disagrees with you there is no need for a IP search. I am glad we have the perfect analyst for our braves games.
JNick
August 21st, 2012
10:36 am
If it “got a lot of leather” – why wasn’t it ruled an error? And don’t give me a “it was a Nationals scorekeeper” answer.
pdt
August 21st, 2012
10:36 am
Love Hudson’s comment that the pitchers did their job. Well, the one pitching in the first inning didn’t. How many times has Hudson given up multiple runs in the first inning this year? Too many. An ace is supposed to be someone who is reliable. Hudson has moments of brilliance, but you never know when he’s going to blow up. Hardly an ace.
JNick
August 21st, 2012
10:38 am
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=23151653&c_id=mlb
Yeah, terrible defense at third (sarcasm). Again, #4 defense in baseball….get over yourselves, haters. Go cry to your mommas.
Section242
August 21st, 2012
10:38 am
When Simmons returns move Janish to second and cut Uggla. Better defense and a better batting average.
Uggla has been a decent player fro 3 or 4 weeks since we got his the rest of the time has he has been on the Mendosa line.
JNick
August 21st, 2012
10:40 am
@pdt, Hudson made one bad pitch (HR on a hung slider) – the rest of the inning were slap shots (especially Harper’s – what a dribbler) that were just hit in the right place.
Claudell Washington's ghost (and he's not even dead)
August 21st, 2012
10:43 am
forget player’s salaries because even rookies are over paid at 450K plus. That’s just the market for their profession so get over it. if you think it’s unfair you should have practiced more as a kid so you could get better at baseball. go cry somewhere else.
baseball players make errors. fact of life. get over that too. too many of you are fairweather fans. I’ve followed the Braves since Dusty Baker played in the OF. I logged the hours pulling for duds in the 70’s and 80’s, enjoyed the 90’s as much as most of you, and still pull for them today as much as I did then. The Braves are my team, win or lose. Still in the playoff hunt and still one of the best teams in the game. not THE best, one of the best. all it takes is to get hot at the right time. Ask Tony LaRussa and his Cardinals. People talk about how they hate Yankees and Phillies fans. You know what? I absolutely love them (Red Sox too). you know why? because win or lose they cheer their team on as if they were undefeated and the WS trophy was on it’s way to their stadium. Fanatic fans. plain and simple. I respect that. I respect their passion for their team. I have the same for mine.
So, to all you nay sayers out there go pull for someone else. The Braves and true Braves fans don’t need you or that whine you bring.
Jason Bourne
August 21st, 2012
10:43 am
Glad to see someone thinks 1 guy posted under all those names blasting Uggla. If he or she is that good shouldn’t he be employed by the CIA? No, in reality many hundreds of people are sick of Uggla and the deal he signed. The deal may be worse than Uggla’s play. It has become fashionable to say people who despise Uggla’s play HATE him as a person. They are called “haters”, i don’t believe any reasonable person HATES Dan Uggla but are they allowed to express displeasure over his play? I guess not. Because then they are the dreaded “haters” One thing that remains amazing is the perception that Freddi Gonzalez has total control over this lineup card. i don’t believe that for a second. The inimitable Frank Wren made a horrific deal a couple of years ago for a second baseman and this guy at 13,000,000(80,000/game) is not going to sit on the bench this year. maybe next year but not this year. Wren is not going to be stigmatized by having an 80,000 a game bench guy. Freddi WILL play this guy the rest of the year. Does not matter if he hits .167 and costs the Braves a playoff spot, dan Uggla will play. i still believe the Braves are just too good to miss the playoffs ,however, when i hear this talk about “luck” after Washington hits 4 balls to the base of the wall,just in extra innings,it is pretty silly.
The Atom Bomb
August 21st, 2012
10:44 am
Most of those players in Atlanta act like a bunch of amatures. Surely the hitters are near record setting with strikeouts. Can you tell me how that manager call always say that he is proud of the team with they strike out 10 times a game and lose? Oh well, it’s about time they went into their season ending record and disgusting losing streak, isn’t it????
Arizona Brave
August 21st, 2012
10:48 am
The Braves won’t be able to beat the Nats if they continue to play Uggla and McCann.Prado should play second and Johnson in left. Ross should be the regular catcher till McCann gets his eyes and his shoulder fixed.
meg
August 21st, 2012
10:52 am
UGGLA can’t hit, UGGLA can’t throw the ball to Freeman without him having to pull a muscle to reach to catch it, UGGLA can’t make a decision to throw the ball in a game like this, UGGLA can’t catch the ball when it comes to him….is there ANYthing UGGLA can do, other than chase the fans away in droves??? Look at the empty seats at Turner field every night. How long do we have to endure a player that doesn’t show up to play every night?
Deanna
August 21st, 2012
10:53 am
The third baseman always has dibs over the shortstop on any ball he thinks he can get to. Come on hater guys. Didn’t you ever play any ball and learn how this stuff works? I guess not.
UGAly
August 21st, 2012
10:54 am
Ugla has been a mistake. Time to cut the losses and trade him.
ejh
August 21st, 2012
10:54 am
Fredi Gonzalez lost this game for the braves. When Prado led off the 11th with a double and none out, heyward should have bunted him to third. With only one out you have many ways that run from third can score. The pressure is then on the pitcher to make good pitches, because a wild pitch or pass ball means a run. A SacFly could score a run a ball hit through the drawn in infield, a squeeze bunt. There were many ways the braves could have scored if Prado was at third w/less than two outs. Gonzalez managed the situation all wrong. He was trying to play for a big inning instead of try to score the one run for the lead and turn it over to Kimbrel.
Ken Shelton
August 21st, 2012
11:01 am
Appears all my fellow Braves fans who have hung onto great hopes (about like Uggla, held tight to the final ball hit his way, to serve up a loss lol), perhaps we are faced with non-better than hitting the diamond for one game into September, before sending Chipper hanging up his uniform for all eternity. As last night’s loss, found our Bravo’s falling too far back with the Nationals pitching to regain the first place hold, our team with the proud tomahawk chop resided as a permanent fixture in the 1990’s. Now devoted fans we are likely faced with the prospects of playing the new Wild Card format of one game and out, as unlike those fore-mentioned teams of the 90’s we have no Glavine, Maddox and Smoltz, and current starters are a crap shoot to say the least, when facing potential opponents like Clayton Kershaw, Matt Cain, etc. Most of all, to play so many exciting games during 2012 and with sending Chipper off in fashion, obviously this is next to the epic collapse of 2011 as far as total let-down to what could of become a championship caliber Braves team!
Kill the Messenger
August 21st, 2012
11:02 am
Jason–You must be new. Last year this Lou guy came on here early in the year and said Uggla would be a bust based on a whole bunch of reasons. can’t remember them all. he was insistent while majority reamed him out for his stupidity and lack of baseball knowledge. As month after month passed and people on this blog kept revising the month that Dan would finally hit, the level of disgust for Lou grew as he would periodically come on here to remind us that “Dan can’t Play”, it obviously grew into a Hate the Messenger type thing. Now that everybody, except for some fanatics on this blog and people in the Braves Front Office, realizes you couldn’t give Uggla away unless you paid 90% of his salary, it has become the mantra that anyone knocking Dan must be Lou. This in spite of the fact that he would need about 50 computers and assistants all working in harmony to produce all the Uggla vitriol. Just remember, whenever someone criticizes Dan, it must be Lou.
Disbott3000
August 21st, 2012
11:07 am
If they have a special night for Dan Uggla, they should give away Dan Uggla BobbleHAND toys.
joe
August 21st, 2012
11:07 am
Lots of angry Mets and Phillies fans posting their garbage here. Your teams are 19 back, go cry somewhere else.
Go Away Lou
August 21st, 2012
11:08 am
I see Lou is back.
Just a Little Down Year
August 21st, 2012
11:11 am
Hey, at least the Phillies have won more than 1 World Series in the last 50 years. I forgot. You guys hang banners for winning divisions. Our flags fly for winning it ALL. Bunch of choking playoff dogs!
BrandonLee49
August 21st, 2012
11:13 am
If it Weren’ for Jones Ineptness Brain Lapse Not Covering His Base… The Runner would’ve been on 2nd Base Not Third… Blame Uggla all you want… Jones Looked Totally INEPT on the Play Before the Nats Scored the Winning run…
P Rose
August 21st, 2012
11:13 am
If last night’s game was a must-win, then tonight’s is an absolute, do-or-die, GOT-TO-WIN. But after that demoralizing, 13-inning meltdown, Chipper will opt to sit this one out tonight.
P Rose
August 21st, 2012
11:16 am
Forget all the “bench Uggla” talk. Fredi will run Popup arms out there once again tonight, just as he ran Derek Lowe out there again and again down the stretch last season.
Optimist
August 21st, 2012
11:16 am
If the Nats go 20-20, all we have to do is play 26-14(.650) to tie them, a piece of cake..
Three holes is too many
August 21st, 2012
11:17 am
Can’t compete w the Nats with three sure outs in the lineup. Mac had a hit, big deal. His shoulder is shot. and he’s not hitting the ball nor can he throw. Sit him and let it rest. Uggla, a genuinely good guy, has no idea at the plate. The pitcher is of course, the third hole in the lineup. I’d say Janish is a fourth hole, but his D is so good, I can’t throw him under the bus.
CARROLL. You nor DOB would make it in NY as beat writers….and that is a complement. You’re both too talented and too decent. So, you both need to stay here. Let the cornbag NYers move back up there!
Frank Wren
August 21st, 2012
11:20 am
Hi i got Overbay to help us lose wildcard n chance win east..hey i said we will win World series i mean the minor league teams…we are really a double-A team!So be great n come out see chipper retire and we will raise our tickets up alot for you here…enjoy it folks 2013 another freddi Gonz. season of bad playin as i go to winter meetings and fall in pool behind MLB folks again!
bubba
August 21st, 2012
11:20 am
LOL at the dumb Phillies fan. Braves franchise has three World Series titles. Phillies only have two. Thanks for playing retard.
Jason Bourne
August 21st, 2012
11:23 am
You know how to tell a player is really bad? You will have hordes of people saying how nice he is. Three Holes, I bet you are a nice person. Anyone pay you 80,000 a day for that character trait? Let’s stop bashing Freddie for playing uggla. Wren tells Gonzalez to play Uggla. How can that not be more obvious? Do Gonzalez’facial expressions indicate a really assertive guy or someone who would roll over and go fetch. Uggla is Wren’s baby, pure and simple.
Johnny Logan
August 21st, 2012
11:29 am
Bubba-I believe the Phillies fan was referring to last few years. He probably wasn’t alive in 1957 when Wes Covington was a darn good left fielder and Hurricane Hazel hit over .400. The problem about living in the past is it usually becomes our prime. He probably also wasn’t here for the Boston Braves stuff. Hell, neither was I. We are closing in on 20 years since we won one of those fancy trophies. wouldn’t it be nice??
And Uggla Strikes Out
August 21st, 2012
11:30 am
Wish the ‘91 Braves were back. They’d win games like this.
jharber
August 21st, 2012
11:32 am
Maybe Uggla will take Wren with with him when he leaves, Whenever that might be. If you do not put best team on the field why do you expect to win?
Bravesfan54
August 21st, 2012
11:33 am
Sha-na-na-na, hey-hey-hey, goodbye!
Suicide Squeeze
August 21st, 2012
11:34 am
Leads the team with 10 boots, and has a .210 average with 138 strikeouts in 410 at bats. Now that’s value.
Three holes is too many
August 21st, 2012
11:38 am
Bourne,
If I were FG, I wouldn’t play Uggla. I said he seemed a nice guy, he does. He wouldn’t be on my infield if I were the mgr. I think he needs to ‘de-bulk’ to regain quickness w his bat, and I think his approach at the plate needs retooling. He was a .280 hitter under FG in Miami.
FG has the fourth best record in MLB with a payroll in the bottom half. Not bad. Problem is, when you lose starters, or go after bench help we can only afford guys like Overbay, Hinske, etc…
We can’t compete, long term, w the Nats as they have twice our payroll. Doesn’t hurt that they are basically younger than we are. Except for RF,1B and SS (Simmons), we are thirtyish or older at every spot.
Jason Bourne
August 21st, 2012
11:40 am
jharber-People who are viewed as really special in their fields(Think Wren) are very reluctant to admit mistakes. Mistakes don’t happen to them, they happen to other people. Wren probably can’t believe Uggla is 2 bad days from the Mendoza line. Frank Wren made up his mind to sign Uggla well past what should be his prime and “Darn it!! Uggla will play like that”, this Uggla stuff goes against his feelings of self worth–Frank Wren does not screw up. It’s just a given. I’m telling you guys, Frank Wren writes in Uggla’s name and you will really be able to verify that when Wren says in the next few days that he DOES NOT have anything to do with the lineup card.
Can't Fredo Go To Vegas
August 21st, 2012
11:44 am
You can tell Uggla has been around Freddi too long. His facial expression on that last play was a carbon copy of what we see on our leader;s face every evening.
JNick
August 21st, 2012
11:48 am
Uggla is hitting over .500 against Strasburg, of course he’ll be out there tonight.
marty
August 21st, 2012
11:52 am
its time tp put reed jonhson in left an prado at 2rd
JNick
August 21st, 2012
11:52 am
Three holes is too many
Nats Payroll is about 10-15 mil less than the Braves – not twice ours. Look it up. And for the record, we have the 2nd youngest team in baseball (behind the Rays, I believe).
bobbymahlon
August 21st, 2012
11:53 am
Carrol :
If scorekeepers scored games like a high school game there would be twice as many errors as there are now. I’m sure Major League baseball does not want a lot of errors so they score them as hits. I saw one game this year where in my eyes Uggla made two errors on a play and another later in the game and he was not credited with a single error.I’ve seen players run for a ball have it in the middle of their glove than drop it and it was called a hit and the ruling was that they had to run for it. I guess we should not expect major league players to have to run for balls.
Brave Hokie
August 21st, 2012
11:57 am
LOSER+ville = All Atl Professional Teams
Couldn’t play w/ the Walgreens EXPOS when they sucked and can’t now that they are better.
Get ready for that 1 game WTF Wild Card game in Turner field w/the opposing teams celebrating.
BravesFanSince80s
August 21st, 2012
11:59 am
Lou wasn’t the only one who got railed for making doomsday predictions about Ugly Dan guys, I received a lot of the same, I just find it funny that I KNOW some of you calling for his head are the same folks who called me an idiot last year:)
bruce benedict
August 21st, 2012
12:04 pm
Even if we get the wild card- does anybody really believe we can win a one game elimination?!! This team cannot hit under pressure, and that’s been a problem as long as I can remember. The Cardinals are licking their chops. We are just staring the choke a little earlier this year.
Blake
August 21st, 2012
12:05 pm
doe’s anybody really feel the Braves have a chance against this team? Mark It down….Atlanta’s going to lose 2-3 from these guys….
JNick
August 21st, 2012
12:11 pm
We sure have a lot of ex-MLB players/managers/coaches on here…experts all around. I’m in awe.
JNick
August 21st, 2012
12:12 pm
http://www.examiner.com/article/youngest-teams-major-league-baseball-2012
3rd youngest team, my mistake….
BravesFanSince80s
August 21st, 2012
12:15 pm
JNick, I enjoyed your original post about being at the game, not sure why everybody kept bringing up that double off Chipper’s glove? It looked pretty hard hit and pretty far from him to me? Anyway, I thought Chipper could’ve given better effort on that ball in the 13th, but I can’t say with certainty it would have mattered, tough play, even if made. Someone earlier said Ugly Dan had no chance at home on that final play, but I disagree. It was hard hit and he was on the grass, even with Kenny Lofton on 3rd, there should’ve been at least a chance of getting the out at home?
bobbymahlon
August 21st, 2012
12:17 pm
Somebody please tell me why Freddi the last two games has Hinske pinch hitting before Francisco. Like last night if it wasn’t an extra inning game Francisco would not have got to hit. Probably because of his limited plate apperance all Hinske is doing lately is striking out. By the way Eric is hitting a robust .203.
jharber
August 21st, 2012
12:17 pm
BravesFanSince80s—Never have I called anyone names on the blog but I have received a lot of flack for my bashing of Uggla dating back to spring training of 2011, Freddi G. as well. You can not buy a Chevy and expect it to be a Cadillac.
crackbaby
August 21st, 2012
12:20 pm
@Candide – Nice post.
@optimist – that’s the way to look at it!
Not sure how many Braves fans post here – mostly whining know-it-all monday morning QBs. What a bitch fest… LOL!
Here are some facts:
1) The Nats have the best record in baseball.
2) Braves are 3 games up on the second wild card team.
It remains to be seen if the Nats can continue to win down the stretch with the pressure of a pennant race and fan expectations. A four or five game skid could catalyze a lot of puckering in that young lineup. Their starting pitching is strong, but let’s see how they perform under stress.
Braves just may have to take the wild card route to play in October. I’ll take that, thank you.
Carl Farvman
August 21st, 2012
12:21 pm
Ken Stallings is a genious. I believe he scolded when I pointed out Sheets is a career .500 pitcher…providing a bunc of theories to support his position. Well, given a reasonable sample size it basically means he loses half the games he starts as the official pitcher on record. Over time it’s an indication that he is an average pitcher.
BravesFanSince80s
August 21st, 2012
12:21 pm
well said jharber, I predicted from the day of the trade that a guy hitting around .260 in a low-pressure environment would probably drop to low .200’s in a high-pressure environment, and tons of people lashed out at me. I said if someone had asked me prior to that trade to give my short list of players I hoped to never see in a Braves uni, Ugly Dan would have been on it. I even had regular bloggers trying to convince me that Ugly Dan could play better defense at 2B than Prado could!
Brave New World
August 21st, 2012
12:22 pm
Good comeback by the Braves, frustrating loss nonetheless. Still quite a few games to go in the regular season. GO BRAVES!
bobbymahlon
August 21st, 2012
12:22 pm
Somebody ought to explain to JNICK this is a blog and people are venting their anger. So don’t be so sarcastic and join in on the fun.
Brave Hokie
August 21st, 2012
12:22 pm
JNick
Just cause LOSERs get OLDER does not mean they won’t continue to be LOSERs.
Hell, give us the younger UGGLA who use to KILL the Braves ~ over and over. He is now more experienced, older, and a bigger LOSER.
I’ll take an old team of winners over LOSERS, anyday.
ATLNatsFan
August 21st, 2012
12:24 pm
As well do not understand the Braves hating by their fans….Nats left so many opportunities on base last night. They were lucky. Our bullpen is just average to good so I think the race will go down to the end. And I do not think we will go to the World Series if we manage to make it to the NLCS due to our average bullpen.
Sonny Jackson
August 21st, 2012
12:25 pm
Everybody feel better now? Sometimes you just need to blow off some steam…
jharber
August 21st, 2012
12:26 pm
How nice would it be to have Omar and
How nice would it be to have Omar and Mike Dunn right now?
Dan Faber
August 21st, 2012
12:27 pm
It’s time to consider Uggla to be one of those bad contracts.
BravesFanSince80s
August 21st, 2012
12:29 pm
@Dan Faber: finally, JUST now?
BravesFanSince80s
August 21st, 2012
12:31 pm
I would have thought last year was a pretty good indication of how bad the deal was. Even during his ridiculous “hitting streak” he had like 8 games where he had 1 infield hit to keep it going so it’s not like he was raking the ball even then…
jharber
August 21st, 2012
12:32 pm
We added him to the list the day he signed it, Freddi also.
Brave New World
August 21st, 2012
12:36 pm
Dan Faber August 21st, 2012 12:27 pm It’s time to consider Uggla to be one of those bad contracts.
What should the Phillies consider about Cliff Lee’s contract, or the Mets about Jason Bay?
jharber
August 21st, 2012
12:36 pm
In my opinion Prado should still be our second baseman, We give away to much talent for junk players.
Mike
August 21st, 2012
12:37 pm
@CarlFarvman
If you think pitcher wins are a reasonable way to evaluate how good a pitcher is, I suggest you don’t travel beyond the horizon otherwise you might fall off the face of the earth.
jharber
August 21st, 2012
12:39 pm
At least Philly could have dumped Lee on the Dodgers, Bay was never that good.
BravesFanSince80s
August 21st, 2012
12:44 pm
@Mike, if a guy has a career .500 winning percentage on a decent team, that seems like a pretty reasonable example of his being an average MLB pitcher. How is that a stretch or unrealistic? Now if he had a career ERA under 3 and played for Kansas City and his record was .500, that’s another story, but that’s not what was said now was it?
benchwarmer
August 21st, 2012
12:47 pm
Werths “double” past CJ was at most a single and an extra base on the misplay. Dude just freaking missed the play.
JNick
August 21st, 2012
12:47 pm
@BravesFanSince80s, yep, the ball in the first – I can’t say any 3B would have gotten that ball. Part of me wonders if he hadn’t tipped it, I think it would have been ruled foul. Who knows though, b/c the 3B ump was legally blind last night
The 13th was a weird inning if I ever saw one. Uggla definitely had a play at home, but it seemed like he was thinking too much – he self-admitted to (over)thinking before the play about what he would do – sometimes you just have to react and go with the play – but with it being after midnight, 13th inning, game that was dragging on, I understand that they’re human and are going to get tired. We’re 120-ish games into the year – these guys aren’t perfect – and as much as people think they are “informing” me that this is a blog and the object is to vent frustrations – I still say wake up – this team has the 4th best record in the game, probably playing in the 2nd toughest division (with baseball’s already unfair unbalanced schedule). People here are idiots and expect the Braves to go 162-0, all 5 starters to have 20+ wins, every position player have zero errors and hit .300 with 30 HR and 100 RBIs…oh and never strike out.
benchwarmer
August 21st, 2012
12:49 pm
Uggla was always a very streaky hitter. His bad streaks have just gotten worse and longer. Some indicaters are that he may not be the sharpest knofe in the drawer either.
BravesFanSince80s
August 21st, 2012
12:54 pm
I agree, if it had been about anybody else on the team I would’ve given him the benefit of the doubt considering the circumstances, but as poorly as his overall performance since coming to Atlanta has been, I can’t find forgiveness in my heart where he’s concerned. They all make mistakes, a good hitter only hits a 3rd of the time, but with Ugly Dan, it’s a whole ‘nother matter. Terrible trade, period. Give me Infante back ANYDAY…
benchwarmer
August 21st, 2012
12:56 pm
Truth is Braves do not play well against better quality opponents. They have to win more of those before I believe they can go through the playoffs.
The Truth Will Set You Free
August 21st, 2012
1:05 pm
Nolie, So many Lous and so little time. You do have the brains to realize-since you wait on spread sheets at 1:00AM—that everybody who hates uggla is not named Lou, so what was the purpose of that crap? Uggla can’t play. Deal with it. Get the guy in deleware to deal with it. It’s not personal against you or Uggla. Nobody hates either of you. This is a baseball blog and contrary to what you, a few dozen Pollyannas and Dave say, Dan Uggla was a horrible signing. Just beyond the pall. He was obviously the product of a time and a place. he had already entered his 30’s. He had never shown any kind of willingness to adapt any new approach. Bases loaded one out, 2nd and 3rd 1 out, 2nd nobody out, 1st and 2nd 2 outs, it does not matter to Dan. It will still be the helicopter, power swing with that hand coming off the bat and continual chasing of ball in the dirt. It’s who Dan Uggla is and in fact the defending of his kind of play is indicative of a recalcitrant mind set. Just say it–This Was A Mistake. It will set you free.
BravesFanSince80s
August 21st, 2012
1:08 pm
@The truth: awesome
Charles
August 21st, 2012
1:08 pm
Most disheartening loss! But while it is tempting to rip Fredi, Uggla and Chipper (yes, he did cut Janish off to create the infield-in situation that led to the Uggla boot) the fact of the matter is that the Nationals are simply a much better team. With the exception of catcher, their lineup is solid and consistent at the plate and their bench is strong. They don’t have Janish, Uggla and McCann dragging down their offensive stats. The Washington papers are all over Bryce Harper because his BA has dipped a few points to .260. What would the Braves be if McCann, Janish and Uggla hit .260. Washington’s starters and bullpen are excellent. The Braves didn’t lose the game in the last inning. The offense is anemic. In addition to Uggla, McCann and Janish who don’t hit at all, the Nats broadcasteres made an excellent point that Michael Bourn is 7th in the National League in striking out with 123 strikeouts — not what you want from your “franchise” leadoff man. Bottom line is the Braves offense failed to produce a single run for six inning innings which would have allowed them to bring in Kimbrell for the lights out. The bullpen, including Martinez, kept them in the game much longer than could reasonably be expected hoping for just a single run, beating back the Nats for six innings. Frankly, I was surprised the Nationals did not win the game earlier with their lineup. You can’t expect to go 6 innings against this team and not score and still expect to win. Right now they have 3-4 players who just aren’t hitting, and they can’t expect to make up any ground until that changes.
I'm A Numbers Guy
August 21st, 2012
1:15 pm
Nobody expects the Braves to go 162-0. Now a significant number of people have come to the realization that IF the Braves miss the playoffs–and I don’t think that happens–it will be the result of continuing to send out a .208 average, power guy with diminished power who has just lost it. Don’t know why he has lost it but it is gone. There have been more than a few people in last few years who suddenly forgot how to play. Who can explain it but to act like it hasn’t happened is crazy. Does anyone defending Uggla really believe the Braves would not be in 1st place right now if Infante would have been second baseman entire year? Plus the Braves would have had 10,000,000 in additional money to play around with.
BravesFanSince80s
August 21st, 2012
1:17 pm
If we can’t sign Bourn next year, I say Dexter Fowler needs to be a serious target, he’s on the verge of breaking out in a BIG way, and in my opinion, is a better defensive outfielder:)
Nice Guys Finish At The Mendoza Line
August 21st, 2012
1:21 pm
Charles-If Dan Uggla played in a real baseball market with a critical fan base and aggressive newspapers and vitriolic call in shows, he would have been run out of town. can you imagine his act playing in New York, Boston, Chicago? Hell, his act would not play in DC. Really nice people in Atlanta, do their nice chop and all feel like family, friendly and forgiving beat writers, radio shows dominated by Georgia football recruiting. Dan landed in one of the few places outside of Seattle and Houston where he could hit .208 and get defended by significant numbers.
JNick
August 21st, 2012
1:28 pm
If you think there’s a better defensive CF in the game than Bourn, you haven’t watched many games this year….he’s probably single-handedly saved at least 5 wins with his defense alone. While I do agree that he strikes out WAY too much for a top-tier leadoff guy, his defense is 2nd to none.
Carl Farvman
August 21st, 2012
1:31 pm
@CarlFarvman
If you think pitcher wins are a reasonable way to evaluate how good a pitcher is, I suggest you don’t travel beyond the horizon otherwise you might fall off the face of the earth
Mike, it is a metric used with others that, over time, can help understand/assess talent and ability……..over the course of a career. Any talk of Cy Young is accompanied by W/L and ERA, then SOs, innings pitched, QS, etc., etc, etc. Never has there been a CY Young awarded where W/L was not a central factor in the decision, along with ERA….and this is only over the course of 1 season. You can pull examples of ‘W/L’ doesn’t matter” out of the hat all you want, but in the aggregate it has always been an important measure. You and Ken can get a room together and overwhelm each other with your superior knowledge of the game of baseball. Sheets, to date, has settled into his career average of just over.500 and, guess what, we’ve lost about half the games he’s started. See the connection?
BravesFanSince80s
August 21st, 2012
1:36 pm
oh I’m not saying Bourn isn’t a good CF’er, he covers good ground and runs good routes to the ball, but I was a pretty good CF’er myself in college and I recognize strengths and weaknesses pretty well in these guys. Bourn is actually better going back on the ball than coming forward. Strange given that in most MLB CF’ers, its the other way around. No big deal there, he covers tons of ground. Here’s my biggest complaint about his defense: he has NO arm whatsoever, he throws no one out and gets ran on quite a lot. Teams that run, make him look bad going 1st to 3rd A LOT. Now, as long as he’s hitting over .300 and leading the league in SB’s that’s ok too. BUT, he’ll be 32 next year and for a speed guy, that ain’t young anymore. Should we in good conscience pay him Scott Boras money or go find somebody younger? Dexter Fowler covers ground well and has a much better arm, all I’m saying…
Jaded
August 21st, 2012
1:36 pm
I didn’t get why people were making this out to be some epic series. The Nats are in complete control of this division. They’ve been on top for virtually the entire year, and now they’ve opened up a six-game lead. Even if we win the next two nights, the odds of making up a four-game deficit with less than 40 games remaining statistically quite small if you look at baseball history.
My focus is on the wild card.
Sam
August 21st, 2012
1:42 pm
This is my first time reading these comments and it totally justifies why everyone thinks Atl has a God awful fan base. Long live Chipper and Dan the man. Go Braves
BillEGoat
August 21st, 2012
1:43 pm
Honestly, the Nats have a better team, not by a big nargin, but better. With Uggla and McCann having bad years, the Braves are a step or two behind the Nats, and it is nobody’s fault, just the facts. Add in the questionable defense at 2B ands 3B and the mediocre pinch hitting, and we see that the Braves are playing for the wild card this year. Hinske has gotten some big hits in past seasons, but it looks like his career is over. We can HOPE this was just a bad season for Uggla and that McCann will get attention to his injuries over the winter and be his old self in 2013. This Atlanta team has some holes, but the Nats do NOT.
BravesFanSince80s
August 21st, 2012
1:45 pm
a big nargin?
Nice Guys Finish At The Mendoza Line
August 21st, 2012
1:47 pm
Jaded–If the braves split next 2, that means if the Nats go 19-19 in last 38 the Braves must go 25-13 in their last 38 to tie them. Right!!!!
Nice Guys Finish At The Mendoza Line
August 21st, 2012
1:51 pm
Sam–Thank You!!! You just justified my earlier comment. The Braves have the most kindly and benevolent fan base in America. If Uggla played in Boston, he would not only NOT read the papers, listen to the radio or watch TV but he probabaly has an alias put on his lease. The same thing goes for New york, Chicago, detroit, St Louis and every other REAL baseball city.
TPic
August 21st, 2012
1:52 pm
Carroll, I’d like to respond to the answer you gave Csonka. Scorekeeping (as you know) is very subjective. I did not see that play, so I won’t comment on it. But I have seen dozens of plays this season that should have been ruled errors and were not. It is very simple – if an out should have been recorded and was not, it’s an error. I don’t care if an outfielder ran 50 yds for a ball and it bounces off his glove. Or a rocket is sidestepped by an infielder. Or a ball drops in shallow left field because no one called for it. Major leaguers are supposed to make those plays. When they don’t, they should be charged an error. It’s a wonder the NL doesn’t have several players with 1.000 fielding percentages.
Joe Gordon
August 21st, 2012
1:53 pm
BillEGoat, Was last season a “good season” for a 13,000,000 second baseman???
larry dothan al
August 21st, 2012
1:56 pm
choke,choke,choke 12 games out end of season.
Mark Wohlers
August 21st, 2012
1:57 pm
Yeah, let’s focus on the one game Wild Card, guys…
What possibly could go wrong?
Joe Gordon
August 21st, 2012
2:00 pm
Sam, Atlanta actually has very good fans who have been rewarded with 1!!!!!! World championship in 3 sports since 1966. we are actually Buffalo and Cleveland with 1 more Title.
Spoiled?? I Don't Think So
August 21st, 2012
2:04 pm
Yea!! Lay off the fans. A bunch of division banners and 1 Super Bowl appearance. We are not exactly spoiled. Now I know many are really proud of that 1,333 NL East thing but I believe that should have resulted in more than 1 World series Crown.
BravesFanSince80s
August 21st, 2012
2:13 pm
@Mark Wohlers: PRICELESS!
JNick
August 21st, 2012
2:15 pm
@BravesFanSince80s – I’ll have to look up Fowler…but the guy I really like is Roger Bernadina. If the Nats overpay for Bourn, then I say we try to get Bernadina. Dude is fast and has (IIRC) about a .390 OBP in limited play. I say give him a shot.
BravesFanSince80s
August 21st, 2012
2:22 pm
Fowler is from Atlanta as well, probably be pretty easy to get him here…
TPic
August 21st, 2012
2:34 pm
JNick – Bernadina has a .379 OBP right now, the highest of his career. I think he may be one of those guys (see Diaz, Matt) who gets exposed with regular play. Good speed, decent defense, but a 4th OF in my opinion.
JNick
August 21st, 2012
3:00 pm
Thanks TPic…his defense is what I’m unsure about. Figure there had to be a reason he wasn’t starting, other than the obvious glut of OFs that the Nats have.
ERman
August 21st, 2012
3:03 pm
Everybody is on Uggla pretty good and well they should be, but we can’t forget Freeman and B McC. Uggla’s bat has been in the deep freezer all year, Freeman’s bat the last two weeks as well as B McC’s. When Brian is at bat, he looks like he would rather be some where else. He needs to go talk to his brother again.
JNick
August 21st, 2012
3:09 pm
Rockies outfielder Dexter Fowler is hitting just .194 away from Coors Field this season, compared to .338 at home in 2012.
JNick
August 21st, 2012
3:11 pm
Looks like he has brought that stat up in the last month though, up to .269 – but the first half of the year on the road was ugly…
harry taylor
August 21st, 2012
3:19 pm
JNick: We sure have a lot of ex-MLB players/managers/coaches on here…experts all around. I’m in awe.
I’m sure you are included in those experts.
JNick
August 21st, 2012
3:27 pm
Fowler won’t be a FA until 2016, and his agent is Scott Boras
JNick
August 21st, 2012
3:28 pm
Harry – I’m not on here criticizing players for being imperfect. It’s ridiculous some of the comments you read on here…
Backdoor Slider
August 21st, 2012
3:43 pm
MORE FREDI MISMANAGEMENT
Consider these well stated comments from Craig Calcaterra of Hardball Talk on Fredi’s mismanagement of the bullpen last night:
“Nationals 5, Braves 4: I suppose you can yell at Dan Uggla for messing up the play with the infield in and a runner on third in the 13th inning which allowed the winning run to score. But perhaps it’s also worth noting that the Braves played perhaps their most important game to date, in a series that, if they don’t win, the division title is basically out of reach, with their best relief pitcher sitting on his butt. But hey, at least Fredi Gonzalez saved Craig Kimbrel for a save situation that never came. Not having him then would have been terrible. Far better to leave everything up to Cristhian Martinez in a situation when a strikeout is absolutely critical, not the guy who strikes out 15.8 batters per nine innings.” — End quote.
Carl Farvman
August 21st, 2012
3:49 pm
“Carroll, I’d like to respond to the answer you gave Csonka. Scorekeeping (as you know) is very subjective.”
Yeah,I was surprised by his response…..coming from a beat writer. Scorekeeping in MLB is wildly inconsistant and can lack total credibility. The most notable example that I personnally observed was a STL/Philly game in STL when Bob Forsch was credited with a no-hitter. Late in the game, Pete Rose hit a hard grounder past 3rd…the 3rd baseball moved to his left and couldn’t get a glove on it; the ruling by the home team scorekeeper: Error. As long as there is subjectivity, incompetence and agendas…..you can take it for what it’s worth and sometime that’s not much. Rose said during a post-game interview: “Bobby just pitched a heck-of-a 1-hit game.” Even as an avid Cards fan I agreed. Surprised to see Carroll defend these rulings as if an exact science is used.
harry taylor
August 21st, 2012
4:40 pm
JNick
I realize there are some ridiculous statements on this blog. In a perfect world it would be different, but this is not a perfect world. Thus it is not unusual to see average folks to state an opinion right beside an idiot. In a natural world that is normal. Just get a chuckle out of those idiots and smile. That is what makes the world go around. If everyone was the same it would be a boring world. Take iit from an old man who learned the hard way- by experience. lol.
JMac
August 21st, 2012
4:44 pm
The collapse has started. The Braves WILL NOT be in the playoffs this season. They have NO leadership on or off the field. They will fold just like last season, and the wildcard teams will be St. Louis and either the Pirates, Dodgers or the Giants. I said it last year and everyone scoffed at the thought, and I say it again, and am positive it will happen again. The Bracves have some talent, but not enough PLAYOFF quality talent, and sadly no leadership.
JNick
August 21st, 2012
4:51 pm
^speaking of chuckling
KYBravos' fan
August 21st, 2012
5:05 pm
Wow! I’d sure hate to have some of you guys in a foxhole with me. Tough loss? Definitely. Lots of them in a 162 game schedule. We tend to forget the games like this that WE win. In baseball you HAVE TO HAVE a short memory. Any closer knows that. Any hockey goalie knows that. Baseball is great because you don’t have to wait too long to “get back in the saddle.” Go Braves!
JMac
August 21st, 2012
5:35 pm
Chuckle if you want, but the only way the Braves players will get to attend a playoff game is if they buy a ticket. Take off the rose colored glasses and remove the blinders, and you will see that I am right. I said the same thing last season, and even Mark Bradley laughed. I am saying the same thing this season, because it is going to happen. The Braves have absolutely no direction, no leadership. They have been overacheiving according to their talent level, while teams that have been crippled by injuries, (Washington and St. Louis especially) have outperformed the Braves, based on the talent those teams had to work with. Now they both are getting healthy, and both will finish ahead of Atlanta. And remember that the Cardinals, besides having to replace many injured players, including 2 of their 5 starters, have had to replace the best manager of this era, and the best player in baseball. (And they are still nipping at the heels of the Braves)
bravesincebirth
August 21st, 2012
5:39 pm
Why dont Uggla lead off. Whats the difference. Get his out , out-of-the-way because stupid fgonz gonna play him no matter what.
bravesincebirth
August 21st, 2012
5:43 pm
Why cant Uggla get hurt? Not seriously, i dont mean to be melicious r rude, but thats what its gonna take..Put constanza in left and prado at 2nd and try to manufacture some runs. The players u need r hurt and the useless ones like uggla cant get injured to save his life
bravesincebirth
August 21st, 2012
5:52 pm
No leadership says it all. This team has none.Great point JMac. Its that one little thing thats missing thats holding this team back from reaching its full potential. No upper management, managers r coaches. No players. No leadership at all. Just point out how great the other team is and intimidate your younger players is all these so-called leaders do. What happened to the old-fashioned were coming after you attitude like the great teams of the past in mlb. This team follows its leader chipper/with his lackadasical, lazy, never in a hurry, never worry, dont matter attitude. Hes been the leader for 10 years and his attitude is why th team is headed nowhere again!!!
bravesincebirth
August 21st, 2012
5:54 pm
Th Braves need to quit complimenting the nats and go kick their ass!!!
Keefro
August 21st, 2012
6:45 pm
Hey DICK NUT I mean NAT NUT…act like you’ve been there before…. Remember, when your team has sucked as long as yours has, you are put in a position to draft the best players available…when your owner is happy to buy big names, it also puts you in a position to have a great team…. With that said, our owners are the pioneers of bringing porn to your hotel room and the team is simply a tax write-off…I’m tired of Freddie Gonzalez.. I’m even more tired of Dan Uggla… Congrats Nats and quit being little girls with stras and let the dude help y’all win the WS…. Peace out
Bo
August 21st, 2012
7:12 pm
Have you seen any of these Little League Games? Some of those kids can Play solid defense. Nuff said about that. Uggla is a true liability to this Team and salary or no salary should be benched. Of course, hardheated and stubborn as he is, won’t make a difference. The rest of the league is chuckling at us for keep playing this dud.
Rob Smith
August 22nd, 2012
12:21 am
Looks like Uggla’s “rebound” August never really panned out…hard to believe he’s on pace for worst year of career, even worse than the year where he was batting .175 before the all star break. His contract has all the makings of a bust, given how horrifically streaky he’s been its hard to imagine him having another year as good as one from the Marlins days. Totally unreliable bat in the line up and the opposite of clutch, doubtful that 12M will ever look like its being well spent when you could find a solid fielding 2B w decent OBP and avg and free up budget space for either a power hitting outfielder if Prado goes to 3B, or another reliable starter…
Nurse Ratched [aka Randal Patrick McMurphy]
August 22nd, 2012
8:50 am
Candide – 1964 Phillies… lived thru it. Let me remind you of a little something… 2011 Atlanta Braves…
‘Nuff said…
Submariner
August 22nd, 2012
9:59 am
Why are we not complaining about Fredi Gonzo? He lets Juan hit for himself in the top of the 9th, leaving Chipper standing in the on deck circle with duck on the pond? Stupid!