Derek Lowe morphs from Braves’ albatross to their key
Derek Lowe celebrated the Braves' wild-card berth and his own turnaround. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
SAN FRANCISCO – The implausibility of the Braves making it back to the postseason despite a cartoon-like series of medical pitfalls and a lineup seemingly written in wet sand – Look out! Wave! – is dwarfed by only this development: Derek Lowe has gone from a $60 million mistake to this team’s possible key.
Mistake might be a slight overstatement. Lowe hasn’t been awful. But when a pitcher is given free-agent dollars that scream, “Ace,” and then goes 15-10 with a 4.67 ERA, there’s going to be criticism.
There also are going to be trade talks. Or as general manager Frank Wren said of this past winter in his best non-denial denial: “We were in the mode that we wanted to explore every possibility.”
The best trade the Braves never made? It sounds strange, but consider this: The Braves are not playing their first playoff game since 2005 Thursday night against San Francisco without Lowe. They don’t fall over the finish line and land in a wild-card nirvana if he is not going 5-0 in September with a ridiculous series of starts – totals: 29 strikeouts, three walks, 1.17 ERA in 30 1/3 innings – that didn’t remotely resemble any previous portion of his Atlanta employment.
In July and August, Lowe was 2-6 with a 4.52 ERA in 11 starts.
In September, he was sprinkled with pixie dust and morphed into Whitey Ford.
“The way September went was the way you kind of hoped and envisioned you’d be pitching every month,” Lowe said Wednesday.
Some of Lowe’s problems were physical. He has a bone chip in his right elbow that had been bothering him for six weeks. Finally, after a start against Florida on Aug. 29, during which it took Lowe 23 pitches to record an out and he allowed five runs in three innings, he knew he couldn’t continue. So he got a pain-killing injection in his elbow and missed a start.
But some of the issues clearly were mental.
Wren, when asked if he believed Lowe struggled trying to live up to the four-year, $60 million contract, said: “I don’t think so. He has signed big contracts before. But it’s like anything else. You come into a new situation, and sometimes it can snowball on you. I just think when he came back, he kind of got a fresh start.”
None of Lowe’s wins down the stretch came against premium competition. The opponents: Pittsburgh, Washington, New York, Washington, Florida. But the 5-1 win over the Marlins, during which he allowed one run and struck out nine in 5 2/3 innings Sept. 29, was particularly impressive because he was coming off three days’ rest.
The turnaround also led to a drop in Wren’s Tylenol consumption. He has been flogged for the signings of Lowe and Kenshin Kawakami. (Alas, the beatings over Kawakami continue.)
Wren again: “I just think that over the course of this season and especially the last month, Derek’s kind of found himself. He’s turned back into the Derek Lowe we knew for so many years, and we felt he had the ability to beat anyone. He’s got that old knack back.”
If pressure from the contract got to Lowe, he’s not going to say. He says his mental and physical approach never has changed. He says “Others look at that break I had as a turning point, but I don’t see it that way.” And then he talked about being given counsel from pitching coach Roger McDowell, going into the game against the Nationals with a different game plan and getting on a roll when it worked.
“This game is about confidence,” he said. “It just steamrolled in the right direction.”
He’s on a nice postseason roll, as well. When he was with the Red Sox in 2004, Lowe started the seventh game of the ALCS against the Yankees — and won, allowing one run and one hit in six innings. He then started Game 4 of the World Series against St. Louis — and won, throwing seven scoreless innings. In his past six postseason starts, he is 3-1 with a 2.86 ERA.
“The biggest thing in the playoffs,” he said, “is how quick can you control your emotions.”
A month ago, those emotions were somewhere else. In the Braves’ big picture, so was Derek Lowe.
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102 comments Add your comment
JSS
October 6th, 2010
9:45 pm
Send your wife a tin of Snookies cookie from San Francisco. The best hidden treat in all of California…
A lot of ya’ll owe Lowe an apology… Remember June?
Michael
October 6th, 2010
9:46 pm
First? Don’t fail us now Lowe.
Godfrey
October 6th, 2010
9:55 pm
Second
Bobby Cox
October 6th, 2010
9:56 pm
Are you going to the game Schultz? I hope so.
Sonny D
October 6th, 2010
9:58 pm
Make that Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS, rather than ‘03. I had forgotten that until the ESPN “Idiots” program ran last night. I remembered that Damon hit a slam off Vazquez, but I had forgotten Lowe had started that game for the Red Sox. I’d love to see pitch that well in SF, like he’s been doing lately. Good story!
Hit A Single
October 6th, 2010
10:00 pm
Go Braves! With our starting pitching I feel really good about our opportunity. We have got to play good defense and make sure we don’t take too many good pitches and get ourselves into holes we can’t get out of. Braves in 5! Braves upset Phillies in 6 and go on to beat Jeff Franceour and the Rangers in the World Series. It doesn’t hurt to dream and sometimes they come true.
Braves Fan in Baltimore
October 6th, 2010
10:02 pm
I move to Baltimore from Atlanta and I miss the Braves. So I can’t wait to watch the Braves on TBS. I hate the Orioles!
Hit A Single
October 6th, 2010
10:09 pm
Braves Fan in Baltimore – I love the Braves but I was also a big Orioles fan growing up. The Oriole teams of the late 60’s and early 70’s do not get enough credit for what they accomplished. Both Robinsons, Boog Powell, Paul Blair, Davey Johnson, Mark Belanger, Don Bumbry, Elrod Hendricks, Mike Cuellar, Dave McNally, Jim Palmer, and of course one of the best managers in history, Earl Weaver. Bobby Cox and Earl Weaver are alot alike. Both faught for their players and expected them to play the game the way it should be played.
5150 P.O.A.D
October 6th, 2010
10:16 pm
the O’s? I thought that was the Jim Palmers plus are few other juys with bats!
Ken Stallings
October 6th, 2010
10:23 pm
Never mind this! The baseball story of the night and maybe the year is that Roy Halladay pitches a no-hitter in his very first post-season appearance!
WOW!!!!
Mickey Mantle
October 6th, 2010
10:25 pm
Better watch out for all the he/shes out on the left coast.
Mr Charlie
October 6th, 2010
10:28 pm
Lowe is a pro, he make adjustments. How many times have you seen him look done, only to come back with a stellar start, and visa versa. He is also a big game pitcher, however, so the 60 mil is dependent on getting him to a big game. There are few pitchers I would rather have going tomorrow night. A true pro.
Mr Charlie
October 6th, 2010
10:31 pm
I love this team. If they go 3 and out, I will still love this team.
Tweets that mention Derek Lowe morphs from Braves’ albatross to their key | Jeff Schultz -- Topsy.com
October 6th, 2010
10:33 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by ajc sports editor and Jacob Pomrenke, Jeff Schultz. Jeff Schultz said: Derek Lowe morphs from Braves’ albatross to their key http://bit.ly/9u8TgP [...]
Najeh Davenpoop
October 6th, 2010
10:34 pm
Let’s hope Lowe keeps it up.
In other news, why are Joe Simpson and John Smoltz assigned to series that don’t involve the Braves?
Three Balls
October 6th, 2010
10:34 pm
I didn’t know Derek Lowe has three balls. That explains a lot.
JSS
October 6th, 2010
10:46 pm
My goodness, Kim Z, take your acid reflux meds… You have bile on your mouth, and in your heart too!
Jeff Schultz
October 6th, 2010
10:58 pm
JSS — My wife has me! She doesn’t presents! (Maybe a little sumpin’ sumpin’ from Ghiradelli)
Jeff Schultz
October 6th, 2010
10:58 pm
Bobby Cox — Yes sir.
Home of the Braves
October 6th, 2010
11:08 pm
The picture at the top of the blog isn’t actually from when Lowe had been showered with champagne or beer. That was just how much he sweat during the celebration.
kaminari
October 6th, 2010
11:11 pm
Last time I was at the park there, it had a different name from the one now, Barry jacked two bombs against us. But that park is beautiful, what an experience it must be to play there. I hope Lowe is jacked up & ready to pitch. This is the biggest game of his career. I hope he doesn’t blow it. This is his chance to prove to all the naysayers that he’s worth every stinking penny of that contract.
Go BRAVES!!
JSS
October 6th, 2010
11:18 pm
They make a great Ghiradelli themed basket as well! My late darling kept me well hugged and kissed after I sent her one of those back in 96! They’ve been my go to ever since!
How many kayakers are in the cove with wetsuits tonight?
Professor Moriarty
October 6th, 2010
11:23 pm
Florida and Washington may not be premium competition, but they always play the Braves tough. And if I’m not mistaken, Washington won the season series with the Braves, so I’m impressed.
bwash21
October 6th, 2010
11:39 pm
Kaminari – Gm 1, 2010, of the NLDS is hardly the biggest game of Lowe’s career.
PMC
October 7th, 2010
12:13 am
Albatross to Phoenix. Very apropos in Atlanta.
Geaux Derrick Lowe.
PMC
October 7th, 2010
12:16 am
Some of it is a product of simply knowing how much money the man makes really.
The guy has really worked his tail off since he’s been here. I’m impressed at his coachability and willingness to change approaches at this stage in his career.
If he’s got his sinker working… he’s nasty.
The_Superhoo
October 7th, 2010
12:17 am
pretty sure D-Lowe threw more than 3 balls during the month of September….lol Think you mighta meant 3 walks?
PMC
October 7th, 2010
12:36 am
here’s hoping Mac hits a few in the water.
Dirty Dawg
October 7th, 2010
2:54 am
Suppose it’s way too much to expect the Braves to suddenly become the ‘27 Yankees, or more to the point, the ‘10 Phillies, and start hittin’ the ball all over the yard, but then one never knows what, and when, the Baseball Gods will smile down on you…so let’s go.
NCBRAVESFAN
October 7th, 2010
4:08 am
Cant sleep, is this game every going to start??
longtimefan
October 7th, 2010
7:01 am
Post season Braves baseball in October again. The Falcons winning. Crisp, cool mornings. It does’t get much better than this.
Gen Neyland
October 7th, 2010
7:47 am
May Lowe continue his late season, fine work tonight. May the line up give him many runs to work with. May the Braves keep their errors to zero. May all the stars align.
Tech Sucks
October 7th, 2010
8:12 am
He’s going to shut down the Gints tonight.
Breakfast Bytes, 10/7 | First Up
October 7th, 2010
8:13 am
[...] Derek Lowe’s pitching in September the Atlanta Braves wouldn’t be in the playoffs, writes Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. A playoff berth was precisely what Derek Lee had in mind when he agreed in August to be traded [...]
Tami
October 7th, 2010
8:16 am
What I think is so cool about this team is that they’re still rebuilding and were never meant to be in the postseason this year. So, now they’re flying well under everyone’s radar in terms of expectations of them in the playoffs. Good. I like the scrappy, irritating, spoilers they’re becoming, and could potentially just sneak up on everyone. When the dust settles, who knows? Maybe they’re facing the Goliath-like Phillies in the NLCS. But, remember: David beat Goliath. Heh-heh. OK, OK. I’m not delusional. The Braves could potentially get swept by the Phillies in the NLCS — if they make it that far. I’m just deliriously happy that they’re back in the postseason. And of note: The Braves of 1995 weren’t that much better than the 2010 Braves, and still won it all. I know…the ‘95 Braves had Glavine, Maddux & Smoltz. But, they weren’t hitting much (remind you of the ‘10 Braves at all? I would say so). All Glav needed was DJ’s homer and it was “lights out” after that.
All of this is somewhat negated, though, if Derek loses tonight — and badly. I hope, though, this scrappy bunch manages to win at least one in SF and sweep the Giants at home. GO BRAVES!
Jfreak13713
October 7th, 2010
8:37 am
The Giants don’t hit much better than the Braves so Lowe has a good chance of keeping the game close. On the road in the playoffs just keep it close for 6 or 7 innings and see what happens! I wouldn’t be surprised if Lowe is good not great but still giving Braves a chance late win?? Looking for 1 out of 2 games their and then back to Atlanta with Hudson! Good Luck Boys we are all pulling for you back home!
bob
October 7th, 2010
8:39 am
I remember watching the Braves and Amazing Mets in the playoffs at school. My son won’t remember this Braves playoffs because he will in bed during the games. So MLB I doubt he will grow up to be a baseball fan or spend money on the sport like I do.
Jeff R
October 7th, 2010
8:46 am
Lowe certainly earned his money in the September stretch. In fact, he was one of a few Braves who did earn their dough.
Daniel
October 7th, 2010
8:48 am
Hindsight is a wonderful thing. We were rejected by AJ Burnett who signed with the Yankees and then we had to “overpay” for the older Ace. Go Lowe, get us a win!
DOCTOBER
October 7th, 2010
9:04 am
Good morning, Braves fans…did you happen to see the Phillies-Reds game last night?? To all of you experts who predicted a Reds sweep, hahahahaha!! Good call…now, be honest…you don’t really want to face the Phillies in the NLCS do you?? Derek Lowe? Tim Hudson? Please!! If the Braves are smart, they will fold in the NLDS just like they did down the stretch.
keith
October 7th, 2010
9:07 am
Great thing about being the underdog in the playoffs is that you have no expectations as a fan. But I actually like our matchup tonight and we have a good chance:
Lowe’s career numbers vs Giants (esp in their park) is impressive.
Lowe’s postseason numbers are solid.
Lincecum’s first start in the playoffs…ok, wait…last night was Hallday’s first time, too. Ok, maybe I should throw that one out.
We have hit Lincecum pretty well earlier in the year (think we scored 3 runs on him in 5 innings).
GO BRAVES!
keith
October 7th, 2010
9:08 am
*Halladay
E-6
October 7th, 2010
9:11 am
Just need one of two out west. Very similar teams – good pitching throughout but not many bats.
Dr. Phil
October 7th, 2010
9:17 am
We love this man!
coach joe
October 7th, 2010
9:33 am
win tonight.. get a split in San Fran and back to Atlanta to close it out.
Go Braves… Can’t wait.
Tech Sucks
October 7th, 2010
9:34 am
Michael and Godfrey fail at life. Must be Tech fans.
dean
October 7th, 2010
9:35 am
Bob @ 0839.
My dad took me to game 1. Only the second or third game we went to since they came down in ‘66. Even though the Braves lost, I got to see Hank Aaron hit a double and a home run. That’s something I’ll always cherish….right behind being called by a friend, on the afternoon of the game, who had an extra ticket to game 7 against the Pirates in ‘92. I drove 4 hours to get there. I was a day late getting back home. I almost got fired. It was AWESOME!
I’m with you on the late starts. They stink. I always told my kids if they wanted to hang for a late game, I didn’t want to hear any crap at wake up time.
Ted Striker
October 7th, 2010
9:42 am
Is that a picture of Lowe or is it one from Rothlisberger’s old Facebook page?
Btw, I’d take some Snookies. Or Ghiradelli. Or even a Frightened Rabbit or EELS t-shirt from a concert at The Fillmore. Just no stories about lap dancers named Trixie Delight.
rudy
October 7th, 2010
9:44 am
Dreaming of a World Series in ATL…………MMMMMMMMMMMM
keith
October 7th, 2010
9:52 am
LOL @ Ted Striker regarding Ben’s FB page.
Skeezix
October 7th, 2010
9:55 am
To get us off to a great start, we need Lowe to pitch like his last outing-which was superb. His performance in Sept. exceeded my expectations. He is currently our ace. I have been a doubter-but maybe after all is said and done this post season, Wren will turn out to be right about Lowe.
Halladay last night was simply unhittable. Glad I got to see baseball history; but sure hope the Reds come back and win today.
dean
October 7th, 2010
9:56 am
Holy Coeds! That DOES look like the infamous photo of Benjamin.
Skeezix
October 7th, 2010
9:58 am
Frenchy had a big hit for the Rangers yesterday.
BDK
October 7th, 2010
9:59 am
Why start games at 9;37 in S.F. and then 4;30 here? That makes no sense.I guess fans and kids in both cities will have trouble seeing the games.
wintervilledawg
October 7th, 2010
10:05 am
I’ve always said that the 90′2 and early 00’s Braves were alot like the Orioles of the 60’s and 70’s. Unfortunately, also very similar in the postseason. but hey, they won a world series the year after Weaver left.
Lew Burdette
October 7th, 2010
10:06 am
Hope the Braves enjoyed their fifteen minutes Sunday night. Three and out starts tonight.
Dontavius Supremo
October 7th, 2010
10:09 am
Start times are all about money and TV ratings – not the fans, not the players, and certainly not your little kids. They want the start times to accommodfate as many time zones as possible in prime times for television. On Sunday, that’s 4:30 in Atlanta, 1:30 in Frisco. Than there’s those other games going on……
I just want to say...
October 7th, 2010
10:09 am
Roy Halladay is a stud! Philly fans should be very proud of the team they’ve put together.
As a Braves fan, I admire that staff.
NickGranite
October 7th, 2010
10:13 am
Why do we owe Lowe an apology JSS? We said he sucked because….he sucked. Now he is pitching great and we note that he is pitching great. I just hope it continues.
Dirty Dawg
October 7th, 2010
10:22 am
Since there was no opportunity to respond to the piece on Braves’ fan apathy in previous NLDS attendance, I’ll do it here. As just about any Braves season ticket holder for most, or all, of the run of Division Series wins will tell you, the only way one could get their regular tickets to the playoffs was to purchase, in advance, every (potential) home game for every (potential) series that ‘might’ be played. Ans since the price for tickets was raised, then the total was in the several thousands of dollars. Then, more often than not, when we didn’t advance to the WS, or even to the League Championship, they were stuck with waiting for the Braves to refund the money – and generally having to argue that they weren’t interested in using the money toward the ‘next’ year’s season tickets…something about the ‘float’. Back then season tickets represented a pretty good percentage of the fan base – companies were actually buying ‘em to entertain their customers, but when it stopped being fun to go watch the Braves lose, then the incentive to buy sorta shrank. And about that time things started to tighten up for just about all of us…we couldn’t afford to attend every game that would, in fact be played, so we had to choose. And the choice was that ‘I’d rather see us in either the NL Championship Series and/or The World Series than a couple of games in the first round only to have to go home sad because we lost’…plus the beer and hot-dogs are a lot cheaper at my house than at the ‘old ball-yard’.
Now, with the passage of time and the ‘fun’ being restored to early ’90s levels, I expect we’ll sell out our games here – especially since nobody’s giving us much of a chance to advance anyway so we better get down there while we can – then if we win we’ll line-up to see us batter the Phillies….heh, heh, heh.
Katherine
October 7th, 2010
10:27 am
DOCTOBER
October 7th, 2010
9:04 am
Good morning, Braves fans…did you happen to see the Phillies-Reds game last night?? To all of you experts who predicted a Reds sweep, hahahahaha!! Good call…now, be honest…you don’t really want to face the Phillies in the NLCS do you?? Derek Lowe? Tim Hudson? Please!! If the Braves are smart, they will fold in the NLDS just like they did down the stretch.
I wouldn’t get so cocky just yet…..anything can happen.
Katherine
October 7th, 2010
10:30 am
I just want to say…
October 7th, 2010
10:09 am
Roy Halladay is a stud! Philly fans should be very proud of the team they’ve put together.
As a Braves fan, I admire that staff.
Well the phillies and yankees are SUPPOSED to be in the playoffs…they spend way more then most teams…anything short of a world series win for them will be failure. The braves are beat up, battered, without some of their best players and still made the playoffs. It wasn’t expected and is a nice surprise. Anything else is just gravy. Go Braves!
Katherine
October 7th, 2010
10:35 am
Well said Dirty Dawg
I just want to say...
October 7th, 2010
10:41 am
Katherine
The Phillies don’t spend what the Yankees spend. They got Oswalt for next to nothing. The only players with big salaries are Howard and Halladay.
I just want to say...
October 7th, 2010
10:44 am
“Well the phillies and yankees are SUPPOSED to be in the playoffs…they spend way more then most teams”
The Cubspayroll is higher than the Phillies. If you look at payroll then you are flat out wrong about teams that are supposed to be in it. No team is supposed to be in the playoffs.
Explain Tampa Bay.
Explain why Boston, who has the second highest payroll in baseball, didn’t make it.
The Tigers, White Sox and Angels all have higher payrolls than Texas, Tampa Bay, Minn, Braves and Giants and yet they are not in it.
Thanks for playing.
Justin "Palm Beach County" Berry
October 7th, 2010
10:48 am
Hey man we are not even playing the phillies yet. Let Cincinatti worry about philly we need to beat the giants. All of the giants starters are hittable. The braves can count on our 1-3 to limit the giants to 1 run a game. If we make hard contact, continue to play a fast defense and aggressive baseball we will take care of the giants and head to philly for the championship. OH LETS DO IT!
bruce mac
October 7th, 2010
10:49 am
D Lowe’s wife is on the trip, saw her on the tube last night. So, he needn’t send her cookies from the coast. Oh yea, she is very easy on the eyes. D. Lowe is the man. Catch the darn ball Braves.
Katherine
October 7th, 2010
10:53 am
Team Payroll Avg. salary
Yankees $206,333,389 $8,253,336
Red Sox 162,747,333 5,611,977
Cubs 146,859,000 5,439,222
Phillies 141,927,381 5,068,835
Those are the top 4 team payrolls in baseball “I just want to say”….
The braves are 15th on the list:
Braves 84,423,667 3,126,802
The yankees, phillies, giants, and twins are all in the top 10. The reds aren’t far behind the braves. I give the rays, and padres a lot of credit..their payrolls are among the lowest. The phillies might not spend what the yankees do..but they spend a lot more then most of the other teams in baseball. Its no surprise they are where they are…they should be.
papadawg
October 7th, 2010
10:55 am
KICK BUTT BRAVES
bruce mac
October 7th, 2010
10:57 am
To: I just want to say, are you on this planet? The Phillies spend over $140 Million on payroll and lose money every year. Brag all you want to about how good the Phillies are, but don’t kid yourself about how smart the management is. They just have owners that like to win, period. Braves spend $80 Million and make money every year. So, who has smarter management?
I just want to say...
October 7th, 2010
10:58 am
Katherine
You totally missed my point. The Phillies do not spend what the Yankees spend. They don’t go out and buy every great player on the block. The only big number of money spent this year was on Halladay. Yes, they gave Howard a hefty amount of money but he was already a Philly. The Cubs are just retarded when it comes to paying out money to players.
The Giants payroll is not nearly as big as the Yankees and most of their players are from their own system.
Now, do the math. Look at what the Yankees spend and look at everyone else.
IT’S INSANE!!!!!!
I just want to say...
October 7th, 2010
11:00 am
“The Phillies spend over $140 Million on payroll and lose money every year.”
How, and on who? They have the best pitching staff in all of baseball. Their lineup is unmatched by any team other than the NY Yankees.
“Brag all you want to about how good the Phillies are, but don’t kid yourself about how smart the management is. ”
It’s called respect, troglodyte. And yes, their management picked up Halladay and Roy Oswalt. THAT is a smart smart move by MANAGEMENT.
Now, please let me know what other team in baseball is smarter than the Phils management.
crickets….chirp…chirp….
I just want to say...
October 7th, 2010
11:01 am
“The Phillies spend over $140 Million on payroll and lose money every year.”
Guess you missed last nights no hitter.
bruce mac
October 7th, 2010
11:04 am
Forbes reports the Phillies lost over $20 million in 2008 and they continue to lose. If I am a fan I dont’ care, but those are the facts. Get over yourselves.
balismith
October 7th, 2010
11:05 am
i was wondering how d lowe went 5 and o in september that third ball had to help
I just want to say...
October 7th, 2010
11:06 am
“Forbes reports the Phillies lost over $20 million in 2008 and they continue to lose.”
Forbes also claimed that Obama would be the bestest president ever.
bruce mac
October 7th, 2010
11:08 am
What does a no hitter have to do with making money? Do you think they will sell more tix now? They already sell out. They will sell a few more jerseys and the bar gets to sell more beer.
bruce mac
October 7th, 2010
11:09 am
I will go with Forbes over you DA logic, that is for sure.
I just want to say...
October 7th, 2010
11:30 am
“What does a no hitter have to do with making money?”
It means the Phils have the best pitcher in baseball, moron.
“I will go with Forbes over you DA logic, that is for sure.”
Go ahead, retard.
JSS
October 7th, 2010
11:31 am
@ Nick…
He didn’t suck any worse than Smoltz did in the 1st half of ‘91… I said it when Jeff Schultz was making a daily joke of Kawakami, you never know when a pitcher with that kind of experience can help you down the stretch. Not saying that you roll them out everyday if they are getting their brains pounded out! But Lowe was treated like a DOG! People were Reitsma’ing him in the local media and blogosphere. I wished they’d been one-third as hard on that other guy who hadn’t played more than 2/3rds of season in the last 6 years… Let me throw some red meat out there: Greg Norton! Ha ha ha ha!
JSS
October 7th, 2010
11:33 am
@ Ted Striker…
Seriously, they are great, deliver anywhere. look ‘em up…
PRE ALL STAR BRAVES TEAM
October 7th, 2010
11:41 am
If we keep running out there Ankiel and Mclouth along with the pitchers that means SF only has to get past 6 hitters in our line up and 3 easy outs.
I just do not understand why these guys get 3-4 at bats a game and Diax , Hinske, Glaus get 1 at bat a week??
I know Hinkse and Diaz and Glaus hit about 250 but thats 50 points higher than Ankiel(a pitcher playing an outfileder on tv) and McLouth (a minor leaguer playing a major leaguer on tv)?
We’ll see what happens?
Go Braves!
BDK
October 7th, 2010
12:05 pm
Wow that Blue Jays pitcher is tough! oops,I’m sorry,they didn’t have the money to keep him.Then there’s that Astro pitcher.same thing.Fact is without those two pitchers, the phillies are just another good team. Throwing money at howard was also important. I wish we could have done the same thing to keep Tex. Payroll does matter.
PRE ALL STAR BRAVES TEAM
October 7th, 2010
12:53 pm
Secret to success, DO NOT WEAR THE BLUE JERSEYS, look it up, they lose almost every time they wear those softball looking t shirts, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE even if Bobby plays our minor leaguers, Ankiel and McLouth at least wear the MAJOR LEAGUE UNIFORM, Classic road gray and home whites.
At we will look goood!
Brendan
October 7th, 2010
1:05 pm
If the Braves push this to a 4th game, they will have done well vs. the Giants.
bruce mac
October 7th, 2010
1:10 pm
I am sorry man, but you have not made one valid point. I hope you are not the typical Philly fan or Philadelphia is due for a run of idiots falling out of the upper deck. You probably think that 1 Million extra fans and a no hitter produce $60 Million in additional profit for the team. DUH!!!
Mark's for the Braves
October 7th, 2010
1:35 pm
Used to love to watch Lowe pitch crucial games for the Red Sox and then pitch well for the Dodgers years later.
I think he’ll be fine against the Giants. My worry is if we’ll even score enough runs in the series to make it interesting.
Wes
October 7th, 2010
1:50 pm
I hope Ankiel is starting in CF tonight… I already foresee Triple’s Alley giving the Braves outfield a major headache. If Melky is in center field tonight, I might just cover my eyes if any balls are hit to him. He’s so damn slow.
GT Alum
October 7th, 2010
1:50 pm
Let’s not go crazy with the Lowe lovefest, huh? The guy has a great September, and people are talking like he’s Greg Maddux. We wouldn’t have made the postseason without him? Well, that probably depends on if the guy we had pitching in his place could’ve posted an ERA below 4 in any month other than September. Or if we had spent the money we’re paying him on a CF or LF that hits consistently. And this might not be our first postseason berth since 2005 if he hadn’t had an ERA over 5 half of last year.
He’s on a great stretch, and I appreciate it, and I’m glad he’s starting game 1, and I just hope he can keep it up through the postseason and spend the next 2 years pitching like this pitcher instead of the one he’s been for the majority of the past 2 years. But he earned all of the criticism he got, and now he’s earning a good bit of praise.
Eddie Long
October 7th, 2010
2:03 pm
So, my boys are playing tonight huh? Don’t know if I can watch it or not, may be “tied up”.
DOCTOBER
October 7th, 2010
2:08 pm
Dirty Dawg…Batter the Phillies?? Please, lay off the moonshine for awhile! You mean batter the Phillies like they did the last 6 games they played them. Doc just no hit the best hitting team in the NL…what do you think he’s going to do against the Braves and their Double-A lineup?? He’s going to do the same thing Gen. Sherman did to Atlanta…Face it, the Braves just can’t hang with the big boys…
Phillies, Class of the NL
October 7th, 2010
3:39 pm
Let’s not forget the best catcher in the National League, Chooch Ruiz, when discussing Doc’s no-no last night…
Starring Kam Fong as Chin Ho
October 7th, 2010
4:23 pm
@ Mr Charlie, ditto. @Lew Burdette, bite me. Bobby Cox should be manager of the year for engineering this playoff miracle. There will NOT be a 3 and out, see you in Philly
Bama fans = retarded
October 7th, 2010
4:28 pm
“I am sorry man, but you have not made one valid point. ”
Not my problem if you can’t read.
DOCTOBER
October 7th, 2010
4:36 pm
You’re right Class of the NL, Cooch is the best…he and Doc could be co-MVP’s of the team. Damn, the Phillies are good!! Hey Kam Fong, it may not be 3 and out, but it’s over and out for the Braves! They should know by now not to go toe-to-toe with the Phillies.
ShempHoward
October 7th, 2010
5:04 pm
I dont think anybody believe the Braves can win the world series. I know they can, but the media are extremely cool towards the Braves and dont want to give them their fair share of media coverage. If the Braves win the world series this season it will help accomplish three things: #1:Cement Bobby Coxes legacy as the greatest players manager of all times; #2:Enable Chipper Jones to get enough respect to get into the HOF; and #3:Shine the spotlight on the Braves for being world champions that it will allow an injustice to be made right (former brave Fred McGriff will be allowed to enter the HOF when his name comes up on the next ballot)
Ted M
October 7th, 2010
5:13 pm
Tonight’s lineup (9:37 TBS): Infante 5 Heyward 9 Lee 3 McCann 2 Gonzalez 6 Diaz 7 Conrad 4 Ankiel 8 Lowe 1
THE CURSE OF DAVID JUSTICE WILL BE BROKEN THIS YEAR
October 7th, 2010
5:24 pm
2010 WORLD SERIES CHAMPS! (BRAVES)
THE CURSE OF DAVID JUSTICE WILL BE BROKEN THIS YEAR
October 7th, 2010
6:21 pm
CAN YOU SAY RING?
LIVE BLOG: Can Braves keep the miracle run going? | Jeff Schultz
October 7th, 2010
7:36 pm
[...] Lowe has been rolling of late (5-0, 1.17 ERA in September) and he’ll need to roll tonight because he’s opposed by the Giants’ two-time Cy Young winner, Tim Lincecum. The Braves’ best chance this series is to win low-scoring games. Offensively at least, their key player could turn out to be first baseman Derrek Lee, the late-season acquisition meant to make up for the loss of Chipper Jones. Lee was a member of the 2003 Florida World Series team, as was shortstop Alex Gonzalez. [...]
After Babel » Blog Archive » LIVE BLOG: Can Braves keep the miracle run going?
October 7th, 2010
7:59 pm
[...] Lowe has been rolling of late (5-0, 1.17 ERA in September) and he’ll need to roll tonight because he’s opposed by the Giants’ two-time Cy Young winner, Tim Lincecum. The Braves’ best chance this series is to win low-scoring games. Offensively at least, their key player could turn out to be first baseman Derrek Lee, the late-season acquisition meant to make up for the loss of Chipper Jones. Lee was a member of the 2003 Florida World Series team, as was shortstop Alex Gonzalez. [...]
Totaluga.com
October 10th, 2010
3:36 pm
LB Washington, RB Thomas won’t play today…
Found your post interesting. I’ve added a Trackback to it
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