Forget division, Chipper says Braves can take Philly in playoffs
Martin Prado is mobbed after his game-winning hit capped Braves' comeback. (Curtis Compton)
It would have been easy for the Braves to slip on their rose-colored Annie sunglasses Sunday and proclaim that they’re going to shake the baseball world at its foundation, storm Philadelphia and miraculously come back to win the National League East title. The numbers say it’s just not going to happen.
“Let’s face it,” catcher David Ross said. “Even if we go in there and sweep them, they’ve still got like a five-game lead with 20 games left. So I don’t think they’re in any kind of panic mode.”
No. But notice the Braves also aren’t panicking? In fact, Chipper Jones would tell you they’re relishing a three-game series against the Phillies that opens Monday and he hopes the teams meet again in the postseason — because he believes the Braves can take them.
Start with this: In terms of the National League East Division race, this series doesn’t carry nearly the significance it did two months ago, when the Braves left Philly before the All-Star break trailing by only 3½ games. Since then, Philadelphia is 31-14 and has overpowered several small nations. The Braves are 7½ out — they gained a game! — after Sunday’s 4-3 comeback win over Los Angeles. They have only 23 games left to play. Division title — not happening.
But this series is not without importance. The Braves are a relative lock to win the wild card spot, and that means there’s a possibility of the teams meeting in the postseason. That scenario served as Jones’ launching pad Sunday. If he didn’t quite throw a flaming spear into the ground, he came close.
“We’re what –10 games back in the loss column?” he said before the Philly lost at Florida (which actually left the team only nine losses apart). “I think it’s safe to say the likelihood of them losing 10 games between now and then is slim. So we’ve resigned ourselves to the fact that we just want to go in and win the series. We want to play well against them. We want to sweep them. The more pressure we put on them, the better.”
Then this: “The only team that can really put any pressure on them and beat them somewhat is us. And I hope we get them head-to-head in the postseason. If we get them head-to-head, we like our chances. We’ve beaten their big three [starting pitchers Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels]. I’m not sure if any other team in baseball has beaten their big three. They’re a great ballclub, don’t get me wrong. But we’re not scared of them. It’s going to be a knock down, drag out [fight].”
The Braves can start thinking about the postseason. They’ve got an 8½ game lead over St. Louis for the wild card. (Their magic number is 15.) Even if the Braves go only 12-11 in their final 23 games, the Cardinals would need to go 20-2 just tie them. So the playoff berth is safe. (The Braves can’t play the Phillies in the first round because they’re in the same division but they could meet for the N.L. pennant.)
“I don’t think anybody is going to cry to their mom if we make it in as a wild card and not win the division,” pitcher Tim Hudson said.
The Braves have survived a blur of issues this season, most recently a decline in health and performance by their starting pitching. Still, they have gone a solid 28-19 since the All-Star break. That’s just too close to mortal to overtake the Phillies (who were 41-12 before losing the last two).
“We’ve had streaks where we’ve gone 7-1, 8-1, and not gained a game,” Dan Uggla said. “But we’re right where we want to be. Of course, we’d rather be leading the division. But we’re [25] games over .500. We’re doing all right. Our goal has just been to get into the playoffs. Then we’ll see where that goes.”
By Jeff Schultz
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166 comments Add your comment
Hooter Girl
September 5th, 2011
6:27 am
I like the Braves chances against anybody in the postseason. However Fredi really concerns me for several reasons. You don’t pitch to the other teams best player with two outs and a base open, and a rookie on the mound. Chipper is a hall of fame #3 batter in the lineup, but all of a sudden McCann is stuck there and has been horrible (Home run or nothing) not to mention he could not throw out a Hooter Girl on the bases.. You trade for the major leagues best base stealer and he has how many since he got here? Constanza continues to be a spark plug and should be batting second when he is in the lineup. I even liked the setup where he batted ninth and the pitcher eighth.
I guess everybody likes to second guess but to me these are legitimate concerns. Go Braves, I like your chances, Hot Wings anyone?
Buzz ME
September 5th, 2011
7:04 am
Chipper is dreaming…couldn’t even take he lowly Dodgers. HAte to say t but Brave will be watching on TV after the first round
vermont 39
September 5th, 2011
7:26 am
WE WILL BEAT THE COMPETITION IN THE PLAYOFFS THIS YEAR!!!
hooter
September 5th, 2011
7:36 am
zip it, chip!
JSS
September 5th, 2011
7:43 am
Chipper Jones is still talking? Was that quote taken during the knee, oblique, or prostrate treatment? Sure, anybody can catch fire in the playoffs, but chances are you better have a rotation that can match up. Healthy versions of Hanson and Jurrigens would make a difference. Chipper Jones? Ha ha, get the jacuzzi warmed up… HOSS (Hall of Stealing Somebody’s money) Jones has spoken!
Lee Weber
September 5th, 2011
7:43 am
“Since then, Philadelphia is 31-14 and has overpowered several small nations. ”
Great line, Jeff. Fine scribing. Kudos.
NorCal Brave
September 5th, 2011
7:51 am
I recall a “can’t be beat” 1993 Atlanta Braves team that was upset in the playoffs by the upstart Philadelphia Phillies. Time to return the favor. But I agree: do not overlook the Brewers.
Longtimefan
September 5th, 2011
8:33 am
JSS
Your envy of Chipper is showing. I won’t enumerate C. Jones accomplishments. They are well known. Current ESPN poll queries the nation ” Is Chipper Jones A first ballot HOFer?” Overwhelming majority-YES. If you aren’t a Chipper fan after his 15 plus year with Atlanta, you aren’t much of a Braves fan. ( Also see recent objective ESPN analysis of all-time best third basemen-Chipper ranks second.)
jfreak13713
September 5th, 2011
8:56 am
Say what you want about the brave overall record this season but the playoffs are won with starting pitching and power bullpens. We’ve got one of those and had both for the first half of the season but with JJ and Hanson having serious issues our pitching went from good to average. Average starting pitching will not beat the Brewers muchless the Phllies. However, some of the youngs guys that the Braves have brought up have looked pretty good and if one of them can step in with Hudson, and Beachy and then assume JJ or Hanson come back healthy then Braves have chance. If not then forget it.
melinda
September 5th, 2011
9:02 am
chipper is jon conkak in cleats…
country boy
September 5th, 2011
9:52 am
C’mon Chipper… don’t stir up the Phillies. They clearly would carry a bigger stick into this fight. However two things that have been said by others 1) It’s about who is hot 2) San Fran World Series Champs – how woulda thought this a year ago.
Wren to Win
September 5th, 2011
10:00 am
Gonzalez is proveing me wrong the longer the season goes. I thought he was the right choice as mngr. but now I’m not so sure. He makes alot of dumb decisions with his pitching staff and ones that are no brainers , well he shows he doesn’t have one. He needs to seek out the wizzard of OZ for a brain or we are going to see Cox like decisions come the playoff’s. The Braves have a strong club but bone head moves like letting Delgado pitch to Kemp with 2 outs and an open base has got to stop or we will be one and done in the playoff’s. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BRAVES.
JSS
September 5th, 2011
10:01 am
Longtimefan
September 5th, 2011
8:33 am
JSS
“Your envy of Chipper is showing. I won’t enumerate C. Jones accomplishments. They are well known. Current ESPN poll queries the nation ” Is Chipper Jones A first ballot HOFer?” Overwhelming majority-YES. If you aren’t a Chipper fan after his 15 plus year with Atlanta, you aren’t much of a Braves fan. ( Also see recent objective ESPN analysis of all-time best third basemen-Chipper ranks second.)”
You’re full of feces…
I envy only one man, the Dali Lama…
Chipper Jones is a BASEBALL PLAYER. He is LONG past his prime! I respect the resume of his work between 1997-2003, but since that time, he’s been stealing the money of the baseball paying public. ESPN has not seen every person who manned the 5 spot on the lineup card. Can he hit a baseball? Sure, he can… Is he of the best three in the history of the Atlanta Braves? No, Aaron, Carty, Garr, were light years better hitters. Hey genius, go see how many homers and games Aaron actually played after reaching age 35! And just so you know, Jones is on a level below Clete Boyer in the field. He is one of the best at this, he sure knows how to keep a trainer’s table warm.What makes him novel is that he was a switch hitter. I’ve seen every game he has played sans the road games he played in Minor league in the SALLY league and once he was promoted to Richmond. He is a shell of the athlete he was at Macon by the time he rehabbed the first knee reconstruction. If Henry Aaron would run his mouth about his teammates as much at the end of career as Jones did, I respect him less too! Aaron played with a still inconsistent Phil Niekro, Dusty Baker, Darrell Evans, and Ron Gentry his last two years here, and never did you hear him shredding them like Chipper Mouth!
reckingball
September 5th, 2011
10:08 am
every game?
Wren to Win
September 5th, 2011
10:15 am
JFreak you might as well forget about Jurgens because he’s washed up for this season. There’s no way he can gain the 3-5 mph he’s lost on his fastball before the playoff’s and that’s been his main problem. His now pedestrian fastball at 89 mph is being knocked out of the park because he can’t fool batters with his change-up. His change-up averages 84-85 mph only 4mph different from his fastball he now throws. Might as well stick a fork in him because he’s done.
dean
September 5th, 2011
10:15 am
Chipper is just trying to sell tickets…maybe we won’t embarass ourselves and have fans in the stands for a change.
JSS
September 5th, 2011
10:22 am
Had Macon Peaches, Tigers, Cardinals, and Braves season tickets till the day they deserted the town for Rome. I used see Chipper and Wife #1 come into our family eatery. Was working in Raleigh area when he was in Durham. Every game and all of those that he has missed since he has been called up . Even I lived in L.A. I had the package to catch the Braves.
Wren to Win
September 5th, 2011
10:31 am
JSS I don’t why you added Dusty Baker to your list because he was one of the Braves best young players at the time and was involved in one of the worst Braves trades ever. John Mullen was the worst GM ever for the Braves. He made some of the worst trades in baseball history. The only sports GM worst than him was the GM for the Hawks during the Jon Koncak era. Can’t think of his name. Believe it or not he was even worse than Billy Knight. WOW when you think of it Atlanta Sports have had some of the worst GM’s of all time. Thank goodness the Braves and Falcons now have 2 of the best.
Hooter Girl
September 5th, 2011
10:33 am
JSS Chipper must have snubbed you for an autograph once and you have resented him since. If I recall Aaron and Carty had a fight on the charter once upon a time. Chipper is the leader of the Braves and has the right to have his say.
Hooter Girl
September 5th, 2011
10:36 am
Everybody was below Clete Boyer in the field at third base except Brooks Robinson,
what does this prove, Chipper is better than Prado!
Sonny Clusters
September 5th, 2011
10:37 am
Is Chipper planning on playing in all the games? Will he run hard to the base? Will he move to his left and to his right to field batted balls? Why listen to Chipper? How many rings does he have? We think maybe Hinske (two rings in three trips) is the one who should be talking right now.
Ted M
September 5th, 2011
10:42 am
The only reason Chipper is saying this is b/c they are playing the Phillies now and b/c he was asked.
I certainly don’t think the Braves are looking past the Brewers. If they are they’re stupid, the Brewers are good.
Ted M
September 5th, 2011
10:44 am
I think Matt Diaz is gonna be the hero tonight.
JSS
September 5th, 2011
10:44 am
Silly girl, I haven’t asked for a autograph since I was 13 from former All-Pro wide out John Gilliam. Chipper is better than Prado? When, in 2003? Chipper is a Led Zepplin in the field now!
Hooter Girl
September 5th, 2011
10:48 am
Somebody sure peed in your cornflakes, lighten up and enjoy the run.
JSS
September 5th, 2011
10:50 am
Carty fought with everyone, was he on my list of struggling teammates? Rico was inndifferent in the field, he was a professional hitter until his bat got slow…
JSS
September 5th, 2011
10:52 am
That’s your own flakes you’re tasting… Besame Chulo!
Hooter Girl
September 5th, 2011
11:02 am
Rico Carty career 299 Batting average, 204 HR, 890 RBI, 1677 hits, good but not great. Now I am out of here, got more to do than blog with you all day. Good day JSS.
Mitchell
September 5th, 2011
11:19 am
Columbus
September 5th, 2011
3:47 am
The Braves played their butts off against SF and if not for a couple bad calls, might have won another game or two. Braves were ALL heart with a weak hitting lineup and inferior pitching. Too bad with a MUCH IMPROVED LINEUP, We dont have a chance!
I agree. They did play their butts off and it was really exciting to watch. Probably the most competetive they’ve been in a playoff series since the ’90s. And yet even with the Giants down to their last strike in Game 3 the Braves found a way to lose.
So while it was somewhat of a consolation to see that we were the only team to really give them a series it doesn’t change the fact that even with the absence of Martin and Chipper, we probably should have won.
Just like we should have won a dozen times before.
You might recall we played the Giants eight years before and also lost in spite taking a 2-1 series lead, which is still the first and only time a National League team has lost a division series after leading two games to one.
The point being it’s just what they do. If they’re not cursed then I don’t know what to call it but it’s been made painfully clear time and time again that the Braves from April to September are not the same Braves in October.
Let’s hope this time it’s different.
JSS
September 5th, 2011
11:26 am
Wren, I added Dusty because like Earl Williams he was still prone to having long lapses of inconsistency despite all of his promise. Aaron and Matthews never gave up on him despite the naysayers like Mullen. He saw what they were doing to poor Darrell Evans, he was rarely going to ever hit for a high average consistently, you drove in runs and drew walks, but he didn’t fit the old baseball model.
And for idiot who still doesn’t get it about Rico Carty (and his Braves years)
1964 BA
.330
1965
.310
1966
.326
1967
.255 (He was playing with an injury that would keep him out all of 1968)
1969
.342
1970
.366 (NL batting champ)
1971-77 (He missed all of 71 and his injuries turned him into a shell of what he was…)
By the way, that was the “dead ball” and higher pitching mound era) but that is obviously over your head…
And just to make it clear to Hooter fool: “Besame el ****!”
John
September 5th, 2011
11:27 am
The Braves will probably get swept by the Phillies in the playoffs if they played.
Chipper Jones on the Phillies: “we’re not scared of them” | HardballTalk
September 5th, 2011
11:48 am
[...] Braves are going to catch the Phillies in the NL East — he rules that possibility out — but he thinks the Braves stack up pretty well with them overall and is hoping the teams meet in the playoffs: “The only team that can really put any [...]
BobDawg
September 5th, 2011
11:53 am
@ Hooter Girl… which Hooters????
JSS
September 5th, 2011
11:55 am
“@ Hooter Girl… which Hooters?”
The one in basement of the Clairmont!
MJ
September 5th, 2011
12:17 pm
I like Chipper’s confidence. He’s acting like a player/coach right now. Don’t think that his acts won’t be watched and duplicated by the younger players. Chipper is leading, which is exactly what the team needs. (he does not deserve to be criticized for injuries – the guy is 39 and gives 110% every time he hits the field) His public display of confidence will rub off on the young guys. They will have no fear of going to Philly. I’ve been watching the Braves for a really long time, and I like the mix of talent on this team. Pitching, a dangerous batting order, speed, a great bench, and youth. This is a fun team to watch. Go Braves
John
September 5th, 2011
12:19 pm
Braves should have signed Barry Bonds we can use a power bat coming off the bench going into the playoff.
David
September 5th, 2011
12:23 pm
@Mitchell
I love after all your posts on here you still act like your a braves fan. The braves would be embarrassed to see someone like you cheer for their team. Your no better than a scum of the earth Mets fan.
Austin
September 5th, 2011
12:28 pm
Braves will lose again in the first round of the playoffs.
Max
September 5th, 2011
12:57 pm
@ Austin ,i have no idea why u r posting here? Let’s go Braves!!!!!
Max
September 5th, 2011
1:00 pm
No one know if they r gonna get out of the 1 st or 2 round or the world series for this matter. But i’ll say this You need to be in it to win it . And they r almost a lock to make it to the playoffs. Love their chances.
James H
September 5th, 2011
1:03 pm
Yes we have to get past the Brewers and they are a great team but really if u shut down Braun and Fielder which is no easy task but ur chances of winning go up as shown when we swept them in Atlanta this year both didnt do much of anything in that series.Honestly as long as the Braves can get a lead in the postseason OVentbrel can be used more because the days off that the postseason has If I remeber correctly they only play like two games in a row sometimes only 1 which gives them rest between games the same goes for Chipper he can play every game because not every game is played in a row
chief pitchanono
September 5th, 2011
1:06 pm
Don’t worry about overlooking anyone, Chipper is just stateing the obvious with the philly series at hand. Its very likely we will square up in the playoffs. Nothing against the Brew Crew or the Diamondbacks, but if the Philly & Braves starting pitching is healthy they should both reach the NLCS. Even though its our pitching that is questionable right now, even if Jurggens and Hanson are done for the year, we can still win a short series with Hudson, Lowe and Beachy. People will laugh at Lowe’s era, but I believe he is Mr. September/October and could finally prove his worth if we can make a deep playoff run.
Max
September 5th, 2011
1:07 pm
@ James H ,my thing is this i prefer Prado at 3rd base over Chipper and Constanza in left. wish Chipper was 21 and could play shortstop lmao
Max
September 5th, 2011
1:08 pm
Guys Grienke,Gallardo and Marcum are very good. we need to play SOLID
Hillbilly D
September 5th, 2011
1:12 pm
The Phillies are argueably the best team in baseball. Why would you want to say anything that would motivate them, knowing you’ll likely have to get through them to achieve your goal? I never have understood why Chipper likes to talk so much.
Max
September 5th, 2011
1:12 pm
Plus we dont have a BRAUN nor Fielder type power in our lineup . We need to find a way to shut them down.And did i mention KROD and axord? They r a great group . I still say Lets GO Braves!!!!
Max
September 5th, 2011
1:13 pm
@Hillbilly it’s not about motivating the Phillies it’s about motivating your clubhouse with positive energy. Good job Chipper
Hillbilly D
September 5th, 2011
1:20 pm
Max
So why say it in public, then?
Max
September 5th, 2011
1:24 pm
it doesnt matter if it’s in public or not. he’s being asked questions and he’s answering them.
Barry from Bama
September 5th, 2011
1:24 pm
Hillbillie, because Chipper is correct, the club can take the Phillies and the bulldog season is over.