Atlanta Braves: Was weekend Philly series such a huge flop or do we still have a Wild Card shot?
The facts aren’t pretty: NL East-leader Philadelphia came to town and took two of three from the Braves. Philly slugger Ryan Howard dominated the series. Atlanta lost a chance to gain serious division ground.
YOU TELL US: What went so wrong this past weekend against the Phillies? Do the Braves still have a shot at the Wild Card? And what’s Atlanta got to do going forward to make the postseason?
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84 comments Add your comment
Michael
August 17th, 2009
11:10 am
First…They can, but have to be more consistant.
Bill in VA
August 17th, 2009
11:11 am
Braves averaged 2.3 runs per game and 6.3 hits per game AT HOME, for the “big, important” home series!! I must get out my golf clubs.
Eric
August 17th, 2009
11:14 am
Anything can happen with 45 games to go. We are only behind 3.5 games for the wild card
Malted Falcon
August 17th, 2009
11:14 am
Ok, not one single article or blurb on Tiger Woods choking away the PGA? That’s pathetic, I guess it didn’t happen. Way to cover Dixie like the dew, AJC.
Romola Eaton
August 17th, 2009
11:14 am
The Phillies outplayed us in the outfield. We still have a chance for a wild card if they will play like they did against the Phillies.
Bat Masterson
August 17th, 2009
11:14 am
What went wrong? They hit the ball hard but to no avail.
A shot at the wild card? Well they have not been mathematically eliminated, so yes.
What do they have to do to make the post season? Win 2 out of 3 the rest of the way.
Can they? Who the hell knows, they can pitch. Can they get healthy?
Gerontius
August 17th, 2009
11:19 am
I don’t know what went wrong. I was trying to find out by visiting the AJC web site for a game summary, since the morning edition didn’t have anything.
I guess what went wrong is that the Braves showed up to play and met a better team.
Tell It Like It Is
August 17th, 2009
11:21 am
Lets get back to basics now that the Phillies have ended the far out dream the Braves had of reaching the playoffs. The need to get players who can run, throw and catch is critical. Baseball is supposed to be entertaining.
This team is boring. No speed, no controversial statements, no power, no defense(excluding Escobar), no attitude, no swagger. I have watched the Braves ever since the 70’s. I can honestly say that this team is the worst when the entertainment factor is involved.
Bring up Heyward and anyone in the farm system who can bring some excitement to Atlanta.
jimma
August 17th, 2009
11:25 am
what went wrong is WREN still dont have the hitters for playoff baseball just a 500 team
Braves are toast
August 17th, 2009
11:26 am
All the Braves have is their pitching, and it wasn’t enough…compare the Braves vs. Phillies lineups position vs. position. The only place the Braves have an advantage is at C and 3B (and Chipper is ailing). They’re not going to win the division when the Phillies are at least their equal in pitching and better in 6 of the 8 offensive positions. I’m done with the Braves now except for a little scoreboard watching online. I’m switching over to football season now where at least there is hope.
Bobby Coccyx
August 17th, 2009
11:28 am
I’ve checked out
Mark
August 17th, 2009
11:37 am
The problem is that this lineup is a team full of role players. Chipper is no longer the .320/30/100 guy. He’s a good hitter but he’s not what he used to be. At .300/20/70 (appx) McCann cannot be the best hitter in our lineup. He’s one of the best hitting catchers in the game but he cannot carry this offfense. There was plenty of big bats out there before and during the season to trade and pickup. Laroche was the biggest bat we aquired, end of story. Will we even have 1 guy that drives in 100 runs this year?
Absentclutch hitter
August 17th, 2009
11:37 am
G’night post season chances. At least they rolled over a bit earlier than normal this year.
Bingo!
August 17th, 2009
11:39 am
The biggest problem is that Chipper is not earning his superstar money, he is only a slightly above average player this year and surely does not hit in the clutch.
slow roller
August 17th, 2009
11:39 am
This series was effectively a playoff series. Escobar and Chipper choked….oh yeah, Bobby forgot to put his hottest bat in the lineup….Kelly Johnson. Coulda used a few more homers. Why hasn’t Conrad been called back up? Didn’t he hit a pinchhit homer a couple weeks back? I remember a couple years ago in the playoffs when Michael Tucker went 3-5 with a homer and Bobby pulled him for a right handed batter…we lost that playoff series too.
Dave
August 17th, 2009
11:43 am
My impression that the Braves CANNOT win the division, but the Marlins and the Phillies CAN both LOSE the division.
Logically, the Phillies should win it going away because of the improved starting pitching they will receive from Lee and Martinez, plus their overall talent in their everyday players. However, as far as the starting pitching goes, Stanton has historically been a .500 pitcher; Hamels is having a mediocre year, and Happ keeps walking people. The relief pitching is generally good, but Lidge has shown a distinct talent for imploding at the worst possible time (which is the reason the Braves won on Saturday).
If Lee does not continue to pitch lights out every start and if Martinez cannot deliver, I foresee a distinct possibility that the Phillies could have a Mets-like collapse in September where they could lose 15 of 18 and give both the Marlins and the Braves a chance to catch them.
As for the Marlins, they are having both pitching and consistency problems as well when it comes to their overall performance.
BOTTOM LINE: All things being equal, it is the Phillies title to lose. If they play up to their talent level, they win the division by 10 games. If not, it will be an INTERESTING September.
Just my humble opinion…
gil hodges
August 17th, 2009
11:44 am
turn out the lights, the party’s over!!!!! start sending up the young en’s. get a little P-T in the bigs. and, just for good ole times, sign smoltzie and glavine and let them make a fairwell start or two…
see ya next year bravos…
Chris
August 17th, 2009
11:44 am
There’s still a whole lot of season left to play! Don’t count the Bravos out just yet. What went wrong…they lost two vice winning two! The next series with the Phillies will define the season for the Braves. BLUF: they need to get after it like there’s no tomorrow…90s where are you???
Stephen
August 17th, 2009
11:45 am
Ok gang, I’ve said it before and people weren’t happy, but seriously- no playoffs this year. Check out coolstandings.com if you want to see the odds that the Braves make the playoffs. Too much of the team (starting pitching excepted) basically consists of stop-gap-type players that aren’t the stuff that championships are made of. I’m coming around on Prado, but McLouth, Anderson, Church, Prado, Hernandez, Diaz, LaRoche, Anderson aren’t really players that I put much into. Kudos to that group for keeping things mildly interesting… Double kudos to those players for overacheiving and upping their trade value to hopefully make some deals and make a run next year.
@Tell It Like it Is: If you watched Jordan Schaffer come up, you wouldn’t be pleading for rapid call-up’s as a way to generate excitement…
Justafan
August 17th, 2009
11:45 am
Bobby Cox!!! Braves will never be in play-off again with Cox as Mgr.
How much more BS before Wrens and Management wake up…………its time to move on with new blood running the show.
Edward m Howard
August 17th, 2009
11:46 am
Don’t have anyone to hit in the clutch and no relief pitching.
daw
August 17th, 2009
11:46 am
Nothing went wrong. It was a great series. They won one we should have won; we won one they should have one; we just got beat by a great hitter on two bad pitches from a great pitcher. That’s baseball. Hang in there Braves, you are almost there.
PMC
August 17th, 2009
11:48 am
Well a win against the D backs and a sweep of the Mets would be nice!
Yunel Asscobar
August 17th, 2009
11:48 am
Too much Michael Vick focus and not enough focus where it needs to be – on ME!
yall are crazy
August 17th, 2009
11:59 am
The offense needs to stop going to sleep whenever the big series comes up.
Marc in FL
August 17th, 2009
12:02 pm
I agree with Daw, Ryan Howard beat us, that’s what he’s supposed to do. If we had a 40 HR guy in our line-up, maybe he would have beat the Phillies. It was actually a pretty good series. The biggest need we have is a big right-handed bat and this series just proved it even more. If Wren doesn’t get one this off-season we’ll be in trouble again next year.
Charles Justice
August 17th, 2009
12:03 pm
What happened? Why do you pitch out over the plate to Ryan Howard in critical situations? Jam him or pitch him way far away. He’ll chase or he’ll walk…a walk is much better than a three-run homer! Where is Bobby’s head?
Steven L
August 17th, 2009
12:05 pm
Geez… freak out much? A former MVP and post-season hero hit some monster homers against good pitching and won 2 of the 3 games for them. We played great both games, timely hitting didn’t happen (but it sure ALMOST happened). Had we won 2 of 3, instead of lost 2 of 3, would things really be that different?
Again, stop freaking out! A lot more baseball left.
Mama Cox
August 17th, 2009
12:10 pm
What do you mean what went wrong? Nothing went wrong, Mama’s boys were just being Mama’s boys….and they love Mama Cox and Mama Cox loves her boys.
Erskine Thompson
August 17th, 2009
12:15 pm
Certainly the Braves have a shot at the Wild Card. They even have an outside shot at the division. However, losing 2 of 3 to the Phillies didn’t help things. The next four games (one against Arizona and 3 vs. the Mets) should help the Braves get back on track. However, if they don’t go 3-1 or better, the post-season is almost certainly gone. However, after those four, the three games against the Marlins are MUST-WIN games. What the Braves really lack is a game-changing player, like Ryan Howard or Hanley Ramirez in Florida. The Braves don’t have that one guy who, every time he comes up, can turn the game around. Chipper Jones was that guy in previous years, but age has apparently caught up with him, and he isn’t the Chipper he was. As such, nobody has taken that mantle and run with it. If the Braves are to catch the other teams in the Wild Card, someone has to stand up and say, “Just get me to the plate, and I’ll get you in,” and then go out and do it.
yall are crazy
August 17th, 2009
12:18 pm
Our offense just sucks, plain and simple. Once we have Heyward and Freeman in the lineup, things should get better, but that won’t be this year, so please folks, stop crying for Heyward. Wren isn’t about to repeat the mistakes that were made with Frenchy, Schafer, and Devine. Rushing players to the bigs is never a good idea, especially if it’s just to make the playoffs one year. Just wait, we have a few good years ahead of us. Patience is a virtue.
submariner
August 17th, 2009
12:20 pm
What went so wrong this past weekend against the Phillies? No timely hitting with RISP. Do the Braves still have a shot at the Wild Card? Maybe! And what’s Atlanta got to do going forward to make the postseason? Easy, have more wins than loses and play like they want to get into the postseason instead of planning hunting trips in October!
submariner
August 17th, 2009
12:24 pm
I will say this though, it was nice to see them be a little more aggressive on the bases. Stealing bases and trying to put pressure on was nice to see for a change.
Truefan96
August 17th, 2009
12:26 pm
I can’t believe we are talking about this again. Can we find a new topic for crying out loud. If our Braves win 4 or 5 out of the next seven do we have to hear this question again? We are contenders, but it will come down to the end of the season or barring any major injuries.
submariner
August 17th, 2009
12:28 pm
Mama Cox…….you funny!
Truefan96
August 17th, 2009
12:28 pm
If I’m not mistaken the games were played close by both teams this weekend. Late inning scores all the time to win games. Looked like playoff baseball to me! But if I have one criticism I would have said walk Ryan Howard over and over.
mike
August 17th, 2009
12:29 pm
It”s quite simple. The Phils have five big boppers in a row. If the two table setters get on, as was the case for Howard’s 3run shot then it’s lights out almost everytime. the braves don’t have one let alone five big bats in the lineup that can change a game in a hurry consistently.
submariner
August 17th, 2009
12:32 pm
I don’t fault them for pitching to Howard. He did what he was supposed to do, and if you look at his strike out numbers, you have to roll the dice and challenge him. He just got the better of them this time. The offense just let down the defense……..again. The Braves have great pitching. If they could just get the hitters to wake up. Where would they be if they had that one big bat spark plug?
submariner
August 17th, 2009
12:33 pm
Mike,………EXACTLY!!!!
Ralph
August 17th, 2009
12:39 pm
They still have a chance if they act immediately and fire Bobby Cox, release Norton, bring up Heywood for right field, no garantee but otherwise, NO CHANCE.
Pete
August 17th, 2009
12:43 pm
Playoffs ?? Playoffs ??
Are you serious ??
They’ll be lucky to finish 4th in the Div.
Less than mediocre. They strand so d.amn many runners on base I can’t watch them anymore.
Bring on football !!!
submariner
August 17th, 2009
12:45 pm
Ralph, although I don’t think that you are far off, making that kind of change NOW would send this team into a downward spiral. It’s taken since the all-star break to rekindle the chemistry. Francouer and Kotchman’s departures had to be jumpstarted with the arrivals of Church and La Roche. I agree it’s time for Cox to hang em up, but it probably should be in October, when they’re done.
Mark Biles
August 17th, 2009
12:50 pm
Offence, Offence, offence. That’s what went wrong. Leaving too many runners in scoring position and just not being able to muster up scoring opportunities. Injuries to McClouth, Prado and Chipper didn’t help, either.
We still have a shot at both the division and the wild card, but not if we lose 2 of 3 to the Phillies again no matter where the games are played!
James Spencer
August 17th, 2009
12:52 pm
Rest the key players so they can play healthy in the key series instead of having them on the bench during those key games.
splitfinger
August 17th, 2009
12:54 pm
It’s not rocket surgery…
The Braves lack that one big power bat in the middle of the lineup. Blame everybody and everything you want, but they don’t have a complete team without a legitimate power bat. Blame Cox, blame Norton… whoever. Casey Stengel and Manny Mota wouldn’t make a difference on an incomplete team. I think Philly showed us what a bopper in the middle of the lineup can do for a team…
Bill Heller
August 17th, 2009
1:00 pm
The lineup is disfunctional – two of our best power hitters, McLouth and LaRoche, are separated by 6 spots in the order (leadoff and 7th respectively). Chipper’s skills don’t warrant the third slot anymore, McCain’s too much of a double play threat to bat cleanup. Here’s my UNpolitically correct batting order: Church/Diaz, Prado, Escobar, Jones, McLouth, LaRoche, McCain, Anderson, Pitcher’s spot.
HAL
August 17th, 2009
1:08 pm
the phillys stars performed mcann was ok chipper non exsistent nuff said
Gabron Salome
August 17th, 2009
1:09 pm
Easiest question you’ve ever asked. Ryan Howard happened to the braves! He’s a stud, period. Remember how chipper used to dominate the Mets? A lil’ bit of deja vu should be slapping all of us braves fans in the face. We pitched very well, could’ve hit more but when its all said and done Mr. Howard single handedly ruined our chances of winning the East. the phillies will get theres soon in the name of Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman, patience peeps they’re coming.
Gary Petersen
August 17th, 2009
1:10 pm
WHY wasnt PRADO pinchhitting for CHURCH with bases loaded…..that was the ballgame….CHURCH cannot hit left hand pitchers….or if NORTON is so valuable why isnt he hitting for CHURCH….Johnson was also on the bench..he hits lefthanders very well!!!!!!!
MiltonDawg
August 17th, 2009
1:10 pm
we need to find a “miracle worker” asap!!!
Ryan Howards Nostrils
August 17th, 2009
1:17 pm
When healthy the biggest difference between the Braves and Phillies is Ryan Church for us Jason Werth for them. All the other positions have at least at least a respectable comparison.
jfreak13713
August 17th, 2009
1:19 pm
The Braves got beat by a better “team”. The Braves have good starting pitching and that’s about it. They pitched well enough to win every game but the better TEAM played great defense and their star player showed up and hit a few homeruns. If you don’t score more than three runs you are beating the Phillies.
SMOLTZ could help our bullpen!!!
Can they win the wild card? Yes! Starting pitching can make up ground because it keeps you from slumping. I’d say beg Smoltz to come pitch in our bullpen to give some of those guys some rest and hope to stay healthy? It’s possible but probably a long shot?
Kashi
August 17th, 2009
1:34 pm
O yea….I would insert Kelly Johnson over Infante too. To me our center fielder is gone for rest of the season. DL him and bring back Blanco to play center. Bench Anderson and move Church to right and Diaz to left.
shawn
August 17th, 2009
1:35 pm
This team has no heart. Ryan Howard stood forever and watched that second homer fly out. I expected he would pay for hit his next AB. Not even one inside pitch. He should have been beamed. Throw right at him and let everyone know we are in this fight, dont try and show us up. This team needs a spark and O’flattery could use the rest. Why didnt this happen?
Boricua
August 17th, 2009
1:39 pm
What went wrong?…Only one Thing…The Braves Lefty line up was expose.
For next year we need a RH Power Outfield…To many Lefty in the line up
(McClouth,Anderson,Mac,Church,Laroche,kelly,).
sgebraves
August 17th, 2009
1:42 pm
The Braves played a lot better than the end results. Friday night they were killing the ball but the Phillies turned in one of the best performances by and overall outfield that I’ve seen. Saturday they showed a lot of heart coming back and winning that game but lost McClouth and Prado in the process. Sundays game they hung in for the whole game but with McClouth and Prado out and chipper obviously hurting too they just didn’t have the offense to come back. Give credit to Howard he carried the Phillies like he is paid to do, but the rest of the Phillies didn’t do much of anything. I still think the Braves have an outside chance at the division and a good chance at the wild card if they can get healthy in a hurry, but I think they’ll have to sweep the Marlins and Phillies atleast once to do that. The only second guessing of Bobby in the series I have is why he didn’t pinch hit Prado for Church when the bases were loaded last night Infante could have played CF the rest of the game. And friday night I would have left Gonzalez in to pitch to Howard but I understand Soriano is the closer so I see his thinking on that one.
Duane
August 17th, 2009
1:45 pm
Ryan Howard came in on a hot streak, so we could have pitched around him a little better. The other hitters, Utley, etc, weren’t so hot coming in. Given their ERA’s after the break, Cox could have foreseen to switch Gonzalez back to the closer role and Soriano back to the 8th. The team looks good to me, we were in every game, very competitive with the Phils, didn’t expect their pitching to shut us down quite so much. I predict we will continue to win 6 of 10 or better. I just like to see them playing well, even if they don’t make the playoffs. So much better than the past 2 years. As long as we keep playing well, then if the other teams choke, we can be witin striking distance.
Wolf
August 17th, 2009
1:59 pm
The Philadelphia series was “the season in miniature.” The Braves had excellent pitching but NO offense AGAIN, seven runs in three games, and two of them handed to Atlanta on the throwing error Saturday. AGAIN, the Braves wasted some good pitching, both from the starters and the pen. Atlanta is very vulnerable to LH pitching, of which there is a lot in the NL East. Over the winter, Wren needs to try to keep the pitching staff intact but do SOMETHING about the offense. The offense lacks both power and speed–can’t win big without one or the other, preferably some of both.
Braves hit like girls
August 17th, 2009
2:11 pm
The Braves won’t have a single player hit 30 HRs or have 100 RBIs this season (and will finish near the bottom in SB). The Phillies will probably have four do both (Utley, Howard, Ibanez, Werth). That alone should predict where we will finish. We’ve got to get some bats to have any shot next year. This year is done, regardless of what those with eternal optimism think. We’re too far back to catch the Phillies and have 4 clubs to catch in the wild card. Not going to happen. Wren- get some guys that can hit for next year!
Coach (2010 or Bust)
August 17th, 2009
2:16 pm
Our Braves are good and the Phillies are simply better. End of story.
The Phillies can only lose the division and the wild card is just out of reach. 85-86 wins and heartbroken is where our Braves are headed.
cdog
August 17th, 2009
2:22 pm
WHAT WENT WRONG? THE BRAVES WERE LED BY OVER THE HILL, BOBBY COX WHO COULD CARE LESS ABOUT WINNING A CHAMPIONSHIP. WHEN YOU START MANAGING WITH YOUR HEART 95% OF THE TIME AND THE OTHER WITH YOUR HEAD, IT EQUALS INCONSISTENT PLAY AND LOSSES.FOR EXAMPLE, HE BROUGHT SORIANO ON FRIDAY WORRY ABOUT WHETHER SORIANO WAS MAD BECAUSE HE HADN’T BEEN USED SINCE HE BLEW THE DODGER GAME. IT DIDN’T MATTER TO COX THAT THE BRAVES ARE IN A PENNANT FIGHT.HE WANTED TO KEEP SORIANO HAPPY SO HE BROUGHT HIM IN AND THE RESULTS WAS A LOSS
Dog Days
August 17th, 2009
2:31 pm
The ‘09 Braves unfortunately don’t have the offense. Upgrades in the offseason and maintaining the current good pitching staff provide the first cause for real optimism in years.
bvillebaron
August 17th, 2009
2:35 pm
What went wrong? I thought these were 3 pretty well played games all of which could have gone either way. Unfortunately, Ryan Howard picked the wrong time to get hot (he probably should have pitched around). For all of you chicken littles out there proclaiming that the sky is falling, consider the following: (1) the Braves do hold an 8-4 season series advantage over the Phillies; and (2) they are only 3 1/2 games behind in the wild card (they were not going to catch the Phillies any way)’ and (3) three are still 45 games left to play.
McCann Fan
August 17th, 2009
2:36 pm
Stop all the worrying. There is plenty of time left to make up ground, be it in the division or the wild card. 7 of our last 10 are against the Nationals.
End is Near
August 17th, 2009
2:39 pm
As a Braves fan do you have a right to be frustrated after this wknd? Sure. But be honest, with a 5mph wind blowing out we win Friday’s game handily and no matter what Howard does in 9th, it’s over. Tough luck with too many loud outs. Brad Lidge almost gave that one to us too despite the great defense behind him! Saturday, we turned it around on them (reminded me of one of those Mets game 6 or 7 years ago when Benetiez would just collapse and you could see it coming no matter what the lead) and then last night, one guy that finally woke up after break did all the damage (for the most part). Not the end of the world and our team did not exactly fall apart guys… You have SIX games left with them and TEN vs Florida. Ask the Mets about a safe lead in this divison! Did Joe “they are no 76 Reds” Morgan finally force the Kool Aid on you guys last night?? So, in one week we went from dominating LA on road to being a team that should give it up and start calling up people because the AJC just did a feature story on them??? Right. Still way too much baseball to play. Save the doom and gloom for mid-Sept. Those who just can’t wait will know by then……..it ain’t over yet. Big series with Marlins is right around the corner. Buy some tickets, fill it up! Get ready for a little fist-bump’in payback. After last three dismal seasons it is still good to be alive at this point!
BeachBrave
August 17th, 2009
2:39 pm
What went wrong? The same thing that has gone wrong most of the season. Lack of bats. 7 runs in 3 games; without a 2 run error in game 2, it would have been 5 runs in 3 games and a 3 game Phillies sweep. No power, no speed, no bat discipline= few ways to score. We need bats!
Ben
August 17th, 2009
2:40 pm
Ryan Howard – 4 the Atlanta Braves – 1
Baba O'Riley
August 17th, 2009
2:40 pm
I’m ecstatic for Reid Gorecki. I saw him play for a couple of years for the Palm Beach Cardinals. You will not meet a nicer guy. Several years of hard work have finally paid off. Congrats Reid!
Nativebird
August 17th, 2009
2:55 pm
No power, No playoffs. MOST major league GM’s know this simple and cutting edge 21st century truth in baseball. While it may have been true in 1991, today pitching alone cannot get you there.
willcoop
August 17th, 2009
2:58 pm
I’d say it’s pretty obvious what went wrong. They lost 3-2, should have lost again 3-2, and 4-1. If your pitchers are going to pitch excellent games and you only score 1-2 legit runs you are going to lose. Counting on the staff to hold them to only 1 and at best 2 runs a game is not possible.
This feels like the 2001 offense except this one has much better offensive players and a better 5-man rotation. I remember back then the only way I could ever expect them to score was if someone happened to lead off the inning with a double and then could be moved to 3rd and score on a SF.
Oh, and please play Garrett less. When Prado returns there is no reason GA should ever play against lefties (despite his higher BA against them). Put Infante in left and even let KJ play at second with Prado at 1B. I don’t think at this point he should really be playing against RHPs either. Omar has higher OPS against both RH and LH.
Mac
August 17th, 2009
3:05 pm
They probably won’t make it. They’re starting to get dinged up.
envoybass
August 17th, 2009
3:06 pm
This is not hard to figure out! Phillies have better front line pitching and 6 out of 8 position players are better than ours! World champs for a reason. Braves can only hope for wild card!
Keef1234
August 17th, 2009
3:06 pm
until the braves keep pace with the RedSox payroll of around $150 million ( 2 world series in 5 years!), IMHO–all discussion is moot. Our beloved Braves have needed 1-2 big bats and we can’t afford it…when a $249 million dollar payroll (Yankees) is 30 games OVER .500, we can play “respectable” all we want. But when it comes down to brass tacks (like this weekend) we can’t compete…I just hope Arthur Blank is planning a takeover after Liberty media dumps us for another tax writeoff…Remember when the braves had a Yankees Matching $100 million payroll IN THE 1990′S????? Remember when we owned TBS which would give us 10’s of millions?
gene garbage
August 17th, 2009
3:10 pm
bottom line folks, here it is, the phillies are a better team, from top to bottom…the best team won that series, plain and simple…
and i’m not sure that we’re better than the cubbies, fish, or the rockies.. i do think we’re better than the giants, but fact is, we’ve gotta pass the other three to get in..not gonna happen, so just watch the games with a little ease, that way we wont be so disappointed. BUT, maybe they will surprise us….
LivinInAL
August 17th, 2009
3:18 pm
They need to make someone beside Howard beat them…he has proved too many times that he can.
Dave
August 17th, 2009
4:08 pm
DAW and End is Near have it right. Its early to bail on our Braves.
Daniel
August 17th, 2009
4:14 pm
we are still in this thing.
Ur a tool
August 17th, 2009
4:21 pm
Braves hit like girls — is that supossed to be a put down? I’d like to see you hit in the majors. No, scratch that. I’d like to see you make a hit against a women’s fastball softball game. LOL
w
August 17th, 2009
5:12 pm
Justafan = Moron. Editor are you crazy.. Braves dominating this season. If Fridays game was played in Philly Braves win by 5… SHUT UP Braves are fine.. we got the pitching.
Hope
August 17th, 2009
5:21 pm
I guess several of you are seeing something completely different than I. Not sure if they make playoffs or not, but remember the last couple of years Phillies seemed to sneak into playoffs. The Phils had a great road trip, no doubt, sweeping Chicago and 2 of 3 from Atlanta. We played well on Friday — game could go either way — they make a few great plays in outfield, but we hit the ball better, than them overall. Saturday, we did not look that good at all but hung in there and got lucky at the end. Sunday, more similar to Friday, just a couple of mistakes which you cannot make to Ryan Howard. It happens. I have hope that we will continue to play well — at least we are worth watching and discussing.
ATLdawg
August 17th, 2009
6:36 pm
What went wrong? The Phillies are the best team in the NL and we’re fighting for a wild card spot. 1 out of the 3 doesn’t derail that aspiration.
JASon
August 17th, 2009
7:33 pm
Good to see many of you are with me on the “many games left to play” mentality. Sure, they didn’t produce as much in games 1 and 3 in that series, but they are still a hot team right now and can compete with the Phillies and Dodgers. Get beyond this “we have to win every game” attitude, sportswriters.
Chuck Uga
August 26th, 2009
9:05 pm
With the old man running the show? Wild Card is a PIPE DREAM. Cox gets the least accomplished with the most talent. Same ‘ole, same ‘ole.
clinging bitterly to my guns and religion
September 12th, 2009
11:25 pm
Any “must win” series were about three weeks ago. The chances ot get the WC? Three words:
HIS TO RY.