Kimbrel relishes four-out save chance
The Braves were already feeling good about entering the month of September with the back of their bullpen better rested than last season. On Wednesday night they saw yet another perk.
Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez called on closer Craig Kimbrel in the eighth inning of a 1-0 game against the Rockies and he came through with the first four-out save of his career.
Kimbrel struck out Jordan Pacheco with two runners in scoring position, then went back out in the ninth and struck out three of the four batters he faced, while allowing one walk.
“If Fredi asks me to do it, I’m more than willing to do it,” said Kimbrel, who last recorded more than three outs on April 21, 2011 in a blown save against the Dodgers. “At this point in the season, I think anybody on the team is willing to do whatever to get a win because each win is very crucial at this point of the year.”
Through Sept. 5 of last season, Kimbrel had pitched in 68 2/3 innings over 70 games. After Wednesday’s game, Kimbrel was at 50 1/3 innings over 50 games. He pitched in only nine games in the month of August with only three save opportunities. While that meant the Braves weren’t playing many close games, it also meant Kimbrel was fresher for duties like Wednesday’s.
“If he pitches in normal save situations where he gets two, three, four saves a week, it’s hard to do that,” said Gonzalez. “But if it’s there and we have it there on a double-switch or something that we could do it with, we’ll take advantage of that. It all depends on the workload coming into that situation.”
Kimbrel, who threw 25 pitches, drew some laughs Thursday morning when he described what it felt like to sit on the bench while the Braves batted in the bottom of the eighth.
“I saw my name on the scoreboard and I was like, ‘Man, let’s go down there and let me get an at-bat,’” Kimbrel said, who watched the Braves fourth, fifth and six hitters go down. “Then I was like ‘No, c’mon, let’s stay focused.’”
Kimbrel said his teammates didn’t talk to him in the dugout – almost like a pitcher with a no-hitter going – and he had to figure out how to act going back on the field for the ninth from the dugout.
“I found myself not knowing how to come out of the dugout: ‘Do I run out there or do I walk?’” Kimbrel said. “I think I walked halfway and kind of jogged the other half. It’s a little different because I have all the music and adrenaline coming into the game. I just pick up the ball, throw my warm-up pitches and let’s go…..(Wednesday night) was a little different, but once the batter stepped in the box it was exactly the same.”
As a closer, who craves adrenaline, Kimbrel fed off pitching in a jam in the eighth.
“It’s kind of nice to go out there and be put in that pressure situation,” Kimbrel said. “Those are the situations I like to be in, and it was nice.”
An attitude like that is what has got Kimbrel back-to-back trips to the All-Star game. He showed his appreciation to his bullpen mates on Thursday morning, handing out All-Star gnome figurines he ordered from Kansas City. They arrived on Thursday morning, as well as All-Star T-shirts he gave to the rest of the team.
“It’s for getting Craig to the All-Star game,” reliever-turned-starter Kris Medlen explained, while showing his off gnome. “It was pretty much us.”
Simmons update
Shortstop Andrelton Simmons was scheduled to play in the third game of his minor league rehabilitation assignment Thursday night in Lynchburg where he would play either one or two games before rejoining the Braves in New York.
If the Hillcats’ best-of-three playoff series extended to a third game on Friday, Simmons would play in that game too. Otherwise he would fly up to New York on Friday and could return to action shortly thereafter.
Simmons will have played at least three games in three different cities. Because the minor league season ended on Monday, Simmons had to play for Double-A Mississippi Monday in Mobile, in a playoff game Wednesday in Rome with the low-A Braves and Thursday in Lynchburg with the high-A Hillcats.
Simmons went 1-for-4 with a single and a throwing error Wednesday night in Rome, after going 1-for-3 with an infield hit on Monday for Mississippi.
Time change
The Braves-Phillies game in Philadelphia on Saturday Sept. 22 has been picked up by FOX, so it will now start at 4:05 p.m. instead of the 7:05 p.m. scheduled time.
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49 comments Add your comment
Widespread Panic
September 6th, 2012
11:49 am
Let’s go Braves. Last series we won was Aug 16 vs. the Padres. If it’s really a new year, we take care of business today and get ready to dispatch the Mets this weekend.
reckingball
September 6th, 2012
11:51 am
Need a win in game 2 of this winning streak.
go braves
reckingball
September 6th, 2012
11:54 am
The Braves wood, needs to rise up today.
And I am talking about their bats at the plate, of course.
go braves
ole dawg
September 6th, 2012
12:24 pm
Okay Fredi bashers… give him some love for making this move last night! I was sitting and praying he would bring Kimbrel in and BOO YAW there he comes. LIGHTS OUT! Good move Fredi.
billy bob baseball
September 6th, 2012
12:49 pm
This manager is stupid, stupid, stupid. I cannot believe that anyone on this team really wants to win this thing, else they would pull a red sox type revolt and go to Scheurholz to have him booted. What kind of moron benches a .300+ hitting LF in order to insert a no-hitting, no range alleged second baseman, while he puts one of the league’s best second baseman in LF. What idiot puts a nearly blind, nearly crippled catcher into the line up every day while sitting one of the league’s best catchers on the bench. Pure unadulterated stupidity, and this team will be looking up at LA and StL soon as the wild card chances go down the toilet.
Judging from the mass of blue we are seeing on the tv, 1000’s of empty seats, the majority of the Braves fan base sees it the same as I, this season is a wash and this team, potentially the best in the league with the talent we have, is being brought down by a clueless, spineless manager who lets a couple of pouting non producers dictate the destiny of this team because he doesn’t have the cajones to bench them permanently..
Bronke
September 6th, 2012
12:56 pm
Wow can any team be worse than the Braves right now?
Chas
September 6th, 2012
12:59 pm
AGH…more sawdust bats for the Baves, with RISP. McCan’t is a total waste, for the past year (check out his numbers since LAST August), and since the All Star break, Bourn has been lousy. Strikeouts all over the place. Great lead off man. He has really choked at the plate for weeks. Sad. Maybe not the long term guy the Braves are looking for. Scott B. will still ask more more than he’s worth.
Bronke
September 6th, 2012
1:04 pm
If the Braves don’t get it right soon even the lowly Mets can put a beating on them this weekend!
Semper Fi Braves Fan
September 6th, 2012
1:09 pm
Braves have yet to score an earned run on colorodo.
Bronke
September 6th, 2012
1:17 pm
This is beyond unreal
Semper Fi Braves Fan
September 6th, 2012
1:22 pm
Awesomesause
Bronke
September 6th, 2012
1:22 pm
Are the Braves on drugs or something?
Semper Fi Braves Fan
September 6th, 2012
1:23 pm
So back on my bandwaggon. Uggla and McCant need to just go away.
Bronke
September 6th, 2012
1:24 pm
This is inhumane for all fans. McCann should remove himself from the game
billy bob baseball
September 6th, 2012
1:26 pm
1:22 PM and our “all-star” second baseman and our “all-star” catcher both just hit harmless pop-ups with the bases loaded and the Braves fail to score again. Meanwhile our clueless manager yawns and goes back to watching “Days of Our Lives,” or whatever it is he does while the team is playing.
Too Tough
September 6th, 2012
1:26 pm
best coaching move I have seen FG do yet…its about time….!
Yehuda Hamer
September 6th, 2012
1:27 pm
Happy Kimbrel is not being abused
Alan
September 6th, 2012
1:28 pm
Why is Uggla back in the lineup today? Is he blackmailing someone?
NORRIS CHUCK
September 6th, 2012
1:29 pm
Freddie should never bat McCann and Uggla back to back. Bases loaded and nobody out, they do it again!
Now im pretty sure after a team lets a golden oppurtunity like that get away, the next inning the other team scores…Just watch and see.
This team as currently constucted is full of “DUMB” hitters. They all have the same approach every single time trying to hit homers and not understanding how to put the ball in play.
What a DUMB group this is!
Bronke
September 6th, 2012
1:32 pm
The Braves pitchers have no room for error with this high school team hitting on the field. 2 for 32 with runners in scoring position. How is this possible? Why does Fredi bat Uggla and McCann back to back?
Chas
September 6th, 2012
1:32 pm
HEY! Bases loaded. No outs. Jaun Gone, Worthless Dan, and McCan’t up to the plate. A “K”, and 2 pop outs. Inning over. No runs scored. What a collection of LOSERS. Time, after time, after time…chokers and losers supreme…And Fredi G. (Dumbest man in baseball) filling out the lineup card. Fredi is a 100% total idiot. Can’t wait until his sorry behind is out of Atlanta. BRAIN DEAD.
How much falure does it take before FREDI puts McCann on the bench, and stays with Ross?
How can one person can be so completely brain dead stupid is beyond all rational thought.
Semper Fi Braves Fan
September 6th, 2012
1:36 pm
Janish warning track power… reminds me of Rafael Belliard.
Hudson should be batting 6th, he has the highest average of the 6-9 hitters.
Alan
September 6th, 2012
1:40 pm
Its sad when your pitcher is one of the best hitters in your lineup.
Semper Fi Braves Fan
September 6th, 2012
1:42 pm
Base hit with RISP!!! Without a run scoring.
GDP coming next?
rich
September 6th, 2012
1:44 pm
Did you see Heyward dash through the dugout back to the clubhouse? He swung at the first pitch cause he had to take a leak
rich
September 6th, 2012
1:46 pm
Alan – Uggla is back in the lineup cause he wears knee pads when he goes in to Fredi’s office
Semper Fi Braves Fan
September 6th, 2012
1:46 pm
This just isn’t possible.
Alan
September 6th, 2012
1:47 pm
Another wasted opportunity with bases loaded. Amazing!
Alan
September 6th, 2012
1:49 pm
You are probably right Rich! LOL
Bronke
September 6th, 2012
1:49 pm
This is worse than a horror novel. The Braves are like Zombies with runners on base!
Semper Fi Braves Fan
September 6th, 2012
1:49 pm
9 men left on base THROUGH 4 INNINGS! ZERO Runs batted in. How is that even possible.
Chas
September 6th, 2012
1:49 pm
Bases loaded again…this time with one out. NOT TO WORRY. Two pop up out end the inning, without a run.
CHOKE JOB LOSERS…Your 2012 Atlanta Braves, ladies and gentlemen.
What a group of clutchless head cases. Unbelievable how worthless this group is. They grab a bat, head to the plate, and piss down their legs. The Atlanta Braves.
joe
September 6th, 2012
2:04 pm
Why would anyone pay to see Mac and uggla strike out and pop up…lol
No. 1 Braves Fan
September 6th, 2012
2:06 pm
All of you who are bashing Fredi and the players need to chill out and turn off the TV. Go out and cut the lawn or do something constructive. The team does not need fans like you.
Chas
September 6th, 2012
2:07 pm
Next AB…Worthless Dan, pop out to the catcher. Brian McCan’t, 3 pitch strikeout. Total failure, time after time. Too bad Fredi is soooo stupid, he doesn’t see or understand what is going on. Good news is that Fredi will be fired, at seasons end.
McCan’t is toast. Career over. Uggla just doesn’t have the brains to make adjustments at the plate. Either way they all do nothing but hurt the team.
ejh
September 6th, 2012
2:09 pm
Chipper Jones shuld be in the lineup everyday unless he says he can’t go. need someone who can get a timely hit at least once in a game.
wowOwow
September 6th, 2012
2:14 pm
Has there been a crowd announcement today?
Music City Hammer
September 6th, 2012
2:20 pm
What is it with Chipper and Mike Minor. During his TV interview today he heaps praise on Medlen and Hanson for their work in the first two games against the Rockies, then only says how disappointed he was with the team’s play Wednseday night and not a mention of Minor. After his last start, Minor’s first shakey performance in a month or more, Chipper was very quick to call him out. What’s up with that?
Semper Fi Braves Fan
September 6th, 2012
2:23 pm
Chipper shouldn’t say a word about pitchers with the way the offense is playing.
Bronke
September 6th, 2012
2:36 pm
It looks as though the Braves have just given up trying. Heads should roll after this game!
ChipperisGod
September 6th, 2012
2:46 pm
FG NEEDS to stick to his guns and bench Uggla. I am convinced his head is not there after going to the game last night. Looked lethargic on the field. A Little Leaguer could have made that play he blew. This is the first and only time I’ve ever questioned Uggla’s work ethic and hustle despite his horrendous year.
Reed has been a great pick up, and is incredibly clutch. He should be an every day player regardless of lefty righty match ups.
Pitching is all we have right now. Gotta do better with RISP or we will not succeed down the stretch or in the post season if we make it. I am pulling for us and I believe in this team. We have the talent to do it. We’ve just got to put it together.
Bronke
September 6th, 2012
2:52 pm
They just need one batter to break through. The tension is so high and will break like a dam! Remember the Mets are playing for pride and have nothing to lose. Braves should relax and put a line up of speed and play small ball. I know it’s easier said then done. But something has to give. They are putting to much pressure on the pitching staff., which has been great these last few days!
Semper Fi Braves Fan
September 6th, 2012
2:56 pm
Absolutely pathetic.
Chas
September 6th, 2012
2:58 pm
In the 8th…Worthless Dan, ground out. Totally McCan’t another strike out on 3 pitches. Great job. It’s like there is absolutely NOBODY ELSE that can play second or catch. FREDI G. your insanity continues, you poor hopeless excuse for a baseball man.
RetiredSoldier
September 6th, 2012
2:58 pm
Isn’t time to play Ross almost everyday. Mac is a below average average defensive catcher w/ a below average arm. Now that he can’t hit lets play Ross. It should be a no brainer.
StevoDeg
September 6th, 2012
3:04 pm
That slider Kimbrel threw in the dirt that Mac somehow stopped…If Kimbrel can control that, he will be literally untouchable
Quack Quack
September 6th, 2012
3:12 pm
I believe I’ve heard that Ross can’t be an everyday player. He sure does a good job when he does play.
Another win. Anyway to get it counts, just kind of sad,back to back 1 unearned run games. How long can we keep this up?
GO BRAVES!!!
coach13
September 6th, 2012
3:13 pm
At this point, you go with who is hot. Matchups go out the window. Bunt, hit n’ run, steal, do what you have to do to get runs on the board. This team needs to have a little more fun and get behind eachother; every pitch, every hit, stop taking themselves so seriously. You can be a proffesional and still have fun.
Semper Fi Braves Fan
September 7th, 2012
8:52 am
Ross WAR > McCann WAR
Yet who’s the starter?