We’re LIVE from Braves, as Lowe tries to make statement
If Derek Lowe wants to start games in the postseason, he needs to win games like these.
Welcome to the Braves’ series finale against the Florida Marlins.
It’s “Bark in The Park” day, so there are several dogs in the stadium, although I’m not sure at this time if Bob Wickman has been invited back to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
(Thank you. I’m here all game.)
The Braves, coming off Saturday’s 12-3 win over the Marlins, will try to win consecutive games for the first time since winning four straight Aug. 15-18 (two over Los Angeles, two over Washington). That was followed by a 6-2 loss to the Nationals and a stretch of six losses in eight games before Saturday’s 12-3 win over Florida.
A few subplots in today’s game:
♦ Derrek Lee suffered a strained in his right side Saturday night and is out of the lineup today (Eric Hinske starts at first). The injury is believed to be minor and Lee could be back Monday night against the New York Mets.
♦ If pitcher Derek Lowe (11-12, 4.33) wants to make a statement that he should be a postseason starter, he needs to win games like today’s and start stringing together some impressive games. He was tagged early in his last outing at Colorado, though he ended up allowing only three runs in six innings in a 5-2 loss to the Rockies. The Braves have won only one of Lowe’s last seven starts (Lowe in that span: 1-4, two no decisions, 4.17 ERA).
♦ The Braves are 45-18 at home this season and 17-1-2 in home series (trying to make it 18-1-2 today). Their only home series loss of the season came to Philadelphia back in April.
♦ Omar Infante, who went 2-for-4 with a double Saturday, is batting .344 — 18 points higher than National League batting leader Joey Votto (.326). Infante, however, doesn’t qualify for the batting title. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Infante needs 146 plate appearances in the Braves’ final 33 games (4.42 per game) to qualify.
That’s it for now. Here’s the question of the day (and a possible subject of my column later): How important do you think it is for Lowe to have an impressive performance, going into the postseason (should the Braves make it)?
♦
DID YOU MISS . . .
♦ College football special: Predicting Georgia Tech’s season
♦ College football special: Richt says Georgia is poised for bounce-back season
♦ Contest announcement: Here’s your chance to pick winners and ‘Sack Schultz’
♦
Follow me on Twitter @JeffSchultzAJC and Facebook.com/JeffSchultzAJC
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
656 comments Add your comment
Matt k
August 29th, 2010
2:39 pm
If we start dropping series at home we are really in trouble because we are awful on the road.
Jeff Schultz
August 29th, 2010
2:39 pm
LuisG — Or, depending on how you look at it, Lowe has made a loud statement today. Just the wrong one.
Peter
August 29th, 2010
2:40 pm
OK Braves win 1 for 3 rest of the season……how far do we drop in the standings ?
Braves73
August 29th, 2010
2:40 pm
It’s painful to watch two out of the last three pitching performances this weekend (Hanson & now Lowe). I can only hope that this is only a blip on the radar screen because the Braves will have to pitch better than this to win the division. Also, J.J. wasn’t sharp in his last outing (granted, it was in Colorado). Let’s cross our fingers and see if our Bravos can come back in this one and make it a game.
It’s likely that these next five days will decide how the division will play out (with Philly on their West coast trip).
Kyle
August 29th, 2010
2:40 pm
Hanson is the Worst we have but Lowe isn’t far behind him. As long as Bobby keeps running them out there you could bet on the other team and more times than not you would have a great day.
Nurse Ratchet
August 29th, 2010
2:41 pm
Look in the home dugout at those faces, they way they’re walking, the body language… if this team was wound up any tighter, they’d have to rename them the Timex Braves… sheez….
Jeff Schultz
August 29th, 2010
2:42 pm
POAD — I used to try that as a kid a lot. Don’t watch. Change seats on the couch. Move a magazine on the table. Never worked.
TTTT-Thumbody Thed Thats Thupid!
August 29th, 2010
2:42 pm
Schultzie apparently didn’t get the memo about Infante based on his comments in the article today. I thought all AJC writers knew the story. He can still win the batting title by taking an 0-fer for his remaining bats to reach the required number. MB went through this the other day. Do you guys even read each other’s columns?
SRF
August 29th, 2010
2:42 pm
So for months, the bloggers have said “Settle down people – we are in first place !” then they said “OK well maybe we do not win the division – but we are way ahead in the wild-card” – so now I guess it is ” Oh !@#$%^ !!!”
Peter
August 29th, 2010
2:42 pm
Football starts Soon…..Bobby is gone this year…..BUT we still have Wren…… Thus we will not get ant better.
If the Braves do not make the playoffs ……How many years in a row will that be ?
"Chef" Tim Dix
August 29th, 2010
2:42 pm
When Lowe looks at his hand he must be thinking,” How do I endorse checks with this fiddler-crab appendange?”
Bravesfansince66
August 29th, 2010
2:42 pm
Strike out and double play that’s the ticket to come back on…
Phredd
August 29th, 2010
2:43 pm
if your just going to wave at the damn ball and roll it to the shortstop, go sit the bench!
Bravesfansince66
August 29th, 2010
2:44 pm
I heard Lowe was having to back up to the pay window…we got rokked in the trade for him. He has wilted in the second half every year he has been a Bravo.
Jeff Schultz
August 29th, 2010
2:44 pm
Vinny3 — It’s gotta be Hudson-JJ-Hanson, as far as I’m concerned. In a 5-game series, definitely a 3-man rotation. Gotta have Hudson pitching Game 4.
TTTT-Thumbody Thed Thats Thupid!
August 29th, 2010
2:44 pm
Markie Mark, SORRY, I was typing when you posted. I was surprised no one had already brought this up. At least we are on the same channel, huh?
The big girl in Wilson Phillips
August 29th, 2010
2:44 pm
“I know that there is pain…”
"Chef" Tim Dix
August 29th, 2010
2:44 pm
I see Lowe has taken a seat in the stands…
Bravesfansince66
August 29th, 2010
2:44 pm
All right Derrck is out…
Peter
August 29th, 2010
2:45 pm
I disagree…Lowe is thinking WOW did I get lucky……end of my career, and I get this much money for being a loosing pitcher.
Gee how many more years am I signed for ? Me and Kawakami have allot in common…..and he is a newbie!
Kentavo
August 29th, 2010
2:45 pm
OK, at least it looks like Booby is trying and not conceding this game. If Martinez stinks, I will not blame it on Booby; I promise.
Jeff Schultz
August 29th, 2010
2:46 pm
Markie Mark (and TTTT)– Hadn’t read that, wasn’t aware of that, but am now. I’m just going by what Elias reported in today’s game notes. But that would be an interesting twist/loophole if that’s true. The question, of course, is whether he could afford to go, say, 0-for-22 (in theory), and still have a high enough average.
Rotation
August 29th, 2010
2:46 pm
I’d like to see what Minor does for the next month…he may work his way into things as far as a postseason rotation goes.
Bravesfansince66
August 29th, 2010
2:46 pm
We have got to get the starting pitching back on track. We also need to figure out how to consistantly score runs. Our run to the play offs will be short lived unless we get a handle on these areas.
kirkinga
August 29th, 2010
2:46 pm
Should’ve taken Lowe out much earlier. Why wait and let him dig a deeper hole?
JMOR
August 29th, 2010
2:47 pm
Is that Jesse Chavez pitching?
"Chef" Tim Dix
August 29th, 2010
2:47 pm
If they paid that chick working the Sun Trust seats by the pound, she could make change for D. Lowe.
Janitorial Supervisor
August 29th, 2010
2:47 pm
Okay, Martinez…you know what to do.
Peter
August 29th, 2010
2:48 pm
Ok folks do the Braves have any come from behind attitude ?
Kentavo
August 29th, 2010
2:48 pm
Can anyone in a Braves uniform who feels like pitching today, please raise your hand? No, not you Farnz, keep your hand down.
JMOR
August 29th, 2010
2:49 pm
The TV announcers have lost interest in the game
Peter
August 29th, 2010
2:49 pm
Look at the home record……… odds are we would drop a group at home……. BUT can they win on the road ?
Grave Digger Supervisor
August 29th, 2010
2:49 pm
Grab your shovels. Time to get to work.
Peter
August 29th, 2010
2:50 pm
Aren’t pennant races exciting……
Especially when you have a motivated fired up team to watch ?
Bravesfansince66
August 29th, 2010
2:50 pm
Lowe sucks and the bull pen is not much better!
Jeff Schultz
August 29th, 2010
2:50 pm
Lowe’s shortest outing of the year. Previous was 4 innings (7 runs) in loss to Arizona.
3 innings, 6 hits, 5 runs, 5 earned, 3 walks, 4 Ks.
Tucker T
August 29th, 2010
2:51 pm
Ok that’s it. Have a nice day guys and gals.
Bravesfansince66
August 29th, 2010
2:51 pm
Time to go find soething else to do as this is a lost cause!
JMOR
August 29th, 2010
2:51 pm
This team looks dead…Thats what Lowe can do with all the early runs.
Jeff Schultz
August 29th, 2010
2:51 pm
Report from Marlins: Hanley Ramirez left the game with “light-headedness.”
Peter
August 29th, 2010
2:51 pm
Impressive stats Jeff for a guy who just got called up……….good thing he isn’t highly paid, and we have him for a few more years !
kirkinga
August 29th, 2010
2:52 pm
Minor might turn out to be a safer choice than Hanson. If he continues to pitch as well as he has then Hanson is #4 unless Friday was an aberration.
Jeff Schultz
August 29th, 2010
2:52 pm
Peter — Yeah, only 2 years and $30 million to go after this season. Oops.
Braves73
August 29th, 2010
2:52 pm
Guzman = Chavez = Reitsma = Clontz = Clancy = Bobby’s Blunders
Road Beef
August 29th, 2010
2:52 pm
This is not a good homestand. When do they go back on the road?
Peter
August 29th, 2010
2:53 pm
I guess it is safe to say the Braves don’t really want to win this year……. Or they would have called fresh arms, and young hustling guys from the AAA team.
Watch Braves…..learn how to blow a season in a month or so !
Steve
August 29th, 2010
2:54 pm
Jeff why do you think Lowe is so bad? Really, what’s his deal? He is terrible! Not sure if I would rather have him or KK in there. We have him for one more year correct?
TTTT-Thumbody Thed Thats Thupid!
August 29th, 2010
2:54 pm
JS, “if that’s true” is not even part of the equation. I even heard it discussed on ESPN, and you know if it’s on there, in between the Yankees, Red Sox, and Brett Favre reports, it has to be true! It’s getting a little old having to “straighten” you guys out on this baseball stuff.
The Amazing Karnak
August 29th, 2010
2:54 pm
I predict they’re going to let Farnsworth get some work in today.
Peter
August 29th, 2010
2:54 pm
Gee Jeff…….. that means we have zero money to get a good player…….
Say he was let go…..do we eat his whole salary ?