LIVE: Braves can clinch tonight (and it starts with Lowe)
The Braves will do more scoreboard watching tonight, and hope to have another banner to raise.
Amid all of the angst of the Braves’ collapse (10-18), the injured starters (Jair Jurrjens, Tommy Hanson), the slumping hitters (Martin Prado, Jason Heyward, Brian McCann) and the overused bullpen, guess what? The Braves can actually clinch the wild card tonight.
OK, for that to happen, the Braves need to hit a long-odds parlay: 1) The maligned starter, Derek Lowe, needs a strong outing to defeat the Phillies at Turner Field; 2) The St. Louis Cardinals need to lose for a second straight game in Houston. Those two developments would give the Braves the National League wild card spot for the second straight year, and render Wednesday’s regular-season finale against Philadelphia meaningless.
Few expected the Cards to lose to the Astros Monday night. It happened (5-4 in 10 innings). But the Braves’ postseason chances mostly hinge on Lowe. If he and the Braves win tonight, at worst the magic number is down to one, with Tim Hudson on the mound Wednesday against Joe Blanton (advantage: Braves).
What the Braves need is the Lowe of Sept. 2010, not 2011. Last season, he went 5-0 with a 1.17 ERA (29 strikeouts, three walks) in his final five regular season starts. But this has been the worst season of his career. He’s 9-16 with a 4.92 ERA. He’s 0-4 in his last four starts with an 8.24 ERA (though his last start at Florida was solid).
The other obvious issue for the Braves is a lack of offense. They lost 4-2 on Monday, have scored two or fewer runs in four of their last five games and three or fewer in six of their last 10. They’re also hitting only .239 in the month of September and .181 (32-for-177) with with runners in scoring position this month.
They’ll need to break out of that against the Phillies’ Roy Oswalt, who has been strong in two starts against the Braves this season (1-0, 2.08 in two starts) but in his career is only 1-3 with a 5.15 ERA.
As you prepare to scoreboard watch, your second favorite team, the Astros, will start Henry Sosa (3-5, 4.68) against the Cardinals’ Jake Westbrook (12-9, 4.48).
And with that, I turn it over to you. We wait to see what Lowe gives us.
Can this be an omen? There was a rainbow over Turner Field two hours before the Braves' game.
By Jeff Schultz
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1,258 comments Add your comment
Chad
September 27th, 2011
8:21 pm
Gonzalez looks scared
FlaBrave695
September 27th, 2011
8:21 pm
The Natue Boy
September 27th, 2011
8:19 pm
Who gets the champagne that’s on ice, if it’s not used..??? I’m a vulture….
Falcons will Sunday after beating Seattle…
monarch
September 27th, 2011
8:21 pm
finally a real pitcher
Philly Phanatic
September 27th, 2011
8:21 pm
I truly feel sorry for you Braves fans. If it was anybody else I’d say we’re out of our slump, like Washinton or Florida. You’re lucky the cards lost last night. They won’t tonight. If you saw the 8th, man on 2nd, 3rd, 1 out and nothing. They slipped on the Braves uniforms while I wasn’t watching.
I can’t stand Homer Simson. He tries to turn dogshit into honey with analyzing what a good pitch Victorino singled on. Do Do bird finally came out of the dugout to send lowe home for the season. We need this game like a bee sting although you’d think it was the opposite. If we laid down to avoid the Cards that’s saying we’re scared. This crew has been together too long to be scared of anyone. We’d sweep the Cards, D’Backs, anyone in the NL.
Brave-less
September 27th, 2011
8:21 pm
5th time this year the overpaid vet was taken out before the 5th inning. That only happened twice with him last year
IlliniBrave
September 27th, 2011
8:22 pm
“Chief”: you are too nice. Yes, the $5M I agree with. But then he should say “get the f*** outta here!”
01HAWK
September 27th, 2011
8:22 pm
I am ashamed of BRAVES FANS at the game
Why did you not BOO very LOUD when DLOWE came out of the game.
Ridonkulous
September 27th, 2011
8:22 pm
Lowe has been a disaster … but face it, you won’t win many games getting shut out. This team has been an offensive dumpster fire for weeks.
Coach
September 27th, 2011
8:22 pm
Maybe you guys could pick up Ozzie…. We will not miss him
NagoyaBrave
September 27th, 2011
8:22 pm
I guess the only good thing is that the Phillies are getting old and crusty and have absolutely no chance of competing against us in the future. Oh wait, they have owners who care. I guess they’ll buy a pennant.
5 Time National Champs Nebraska
September 27th, 2011
8:22 pm
The Reuben Sandwich was created in Omaha Nebraska.
timbo2589
September 27th, 2011
8:23 pm
watching the braves game, my heart goes out to the braves fans who waste their time going out supporting this crappy team.
dawg4u
September 27th, 2011
8:23 pm
Memo to Frank Wren – don’t just clean house – burn it down!
Old Dawg Fan
September 27th, 2011
8:23 pm
The entire starting line up plus Lowe just got traded to the Houston Astros for a player to be named later. AJC says we got the best of the trade.
john
September 27th, 2011
8:23 pm
If the tickets did not cost so much for the fans, they should just walk out tonight, and not even come back tomorrow. If the team has no heart why should people spend their hard earn money for what they are getting.
BRAVESFAN
September 27th, 2011
8:23 pm
Hit hit in the head!
truth23
September 27th, 2011
8:24 pm
How can any of you people blame Chipper? you always bash him and have no reason too. Why not bash Prado or McCann, they have been non existent the second half of the season.. If it wasn’t for Freeman or chipper we wouldnt be here….. and lowe has to be the worst starter in baseball, f Fredi for starting him
Silky-d
September 27th, 2011
8:24 pm
So, are we blaming Terry Pendleton for the hitting woes of this team now? What has Parrish done with these guys? Nothing at all and your former all star second baseman, now left fielder, is hitting without a clue. Who do you blame now????!!!!!
monarch
September 27th, 2011
8:24 pm
I would keep Bourn
Octavius
September 27th, 2011
8:24 pm
Man, these Braves are bad. It really shows when they have to play the better teams. This game is over. Now the only thing left to do is root for the Stros.
TampaGator
September 27th, 2011
8:25 pm
Why bother any more…….The Braves players are dead men walking….playoff wise. The Braves and the Red Sox should combine players and go play the Internaltional League Champions and see if theyh could win that game. I have been watching and pulling for the Braves since 1966…..and this team almost makes me want to become a Tampa Bay Rays fan. At least they play with heart and desire…..and skill.
monarch
September 27th, 2011
8:25 pm
I have hope
G
September 27th, 2011
8:25 pm
Folks this is the team Wren gave us!!
BRAVESFAN
September 27th, 2011
8:25 pm
Go Astros!
Chad
September 27th, 2011
8:25 pm
We don’t deserve to scoreboard watch Joe Simpson. It just don’t feel right.
LakeDawg
September 27th, 2011
8:26 pm
The Bobby Cox era continues…
boots
September 27th, 2011
8:26 pm
Honestly, if we cannot win a few games in the last month to have put this away, then we deserve to be shut out of the playoffs. Counting on Houston to win is no way to make it to the post-season.
Aggrevated Brave
September 27th, 2011
8:26 pm
next year I want to see….
LF new bat(Lowe steps down and we spend the money on a big bat.
CF Bourne
RF Heyward
3B Prado/Chipper as backup
SS Pastornickey
2B Uggla
1b Freeman
C McCann
pitchers: Hudson….Jujjens….Hanson….Beachy…Delgado
keep in mind…our management is cheap….see y’all next year!
Robbie
September 27th, 2011
8:26 pm
We have a good arm in RF only he doesn’t know where it’s going when he throws it.
"Chef" Tim Dix
September 27th, 2011
8:26 pm
monarch
I would too. got him for next year, would look for an extension
Old Dawg Fan
September 27th, 2011
8:26 pm
Now McCann can’t even catch the ball. How embarassing. This just keeps getting worse and worse.
LOB Braves
September 27th, 2011
8:27 pm
That is exactly why I hate you McPopup. You suck.
chapman
September 27th, 2011
8:27 pm
“Turn out the lights…..the party’s over….”
The entire starting group for Philadelphia would have to suddenly get the flu and leave for their hotel for the Braves to even have a whiff of a chance of overcoming this 4-0 deficit that is here in the 5th innning.
And why would we want them playing in post season anyway? To further embarrass the organization?
The Atlanta Braves have given true meaning to the term “Choke Boys”
TampaGator
September 27th, 2011
8:27 pm
Speaking fo the Cards……why are they playing the Astros the final series instead of the Cubs. The Braves get matched up with their main rival….and the Cards don’t. What is that all about?
Lance Berkman
September 27th, 2011
8:27 pm
We cant make up our mind if we want it either.
Chipper
September 27th, 2011
8:27 pm
“Hey Derek, when’s our Tee time Thursday?”
FlaBrave695
September 27th, 2011
8:27 pm
Ballgame!
Jeff Schultz
September 27th, 2011
8:27 pm
Alrighty, then. That makes it 6-0. Who’s next?
Old Dawg Fan
September 27th, 2011
8:27 pm
Home run Pence.
NorCal Brave
September 27th, 2011
8:27 pm
As is their custom, Braves offense is going down with barely a whimper; at 4-0, this game is officially a blowout.
Robbie
September 27th, 2011
8:27 pm
You guys notice Pence chokes up about 3″ as all he wants is a base hit and see what he gets!
What
September 27th, 2011
8:28 pm
The man we all wanted except Wren…kills us
john
September 27th, 2011
8:28 pm
WOW! 6-0 and this is heart! Go Freddi, tip that hat, you moron!
kerryb
September 27th, 2011
8:28 pm
I dream of a team with a cursive A on their hat that can hit like this.
Old Dawg Fan
September 27th, 2011
8:28 pm
The Phillies are just toying with the Braves. Jeff you are right-what would really happen if they were trying???
BRAVESFAN
September 27th, 2011
8:28 pm
I didn’t know the Eagles are playing the Falcons?
R2D2
September 27th, 2011
8:28 pm
Game Over. Now that non-Hunter Pence trade looking bad. Julio Teheran STILL sitting with best arm on the team.
Vain Jangling
September 27th, 2011
8:28 pm
Fredi was shocked, shocked to learn that Lowe was still in the game. He turns to Roger McDowell, “Round up the usual suspects.”
Philly Phanatic
September 27th, 2011
8:28 pm
Having fun? The Phils need this game like a bee sting although it looks like the other way around. Don’t worry, the pitcher has the best winning percentage of any active pitcher. That’s nauseating that you have to show the Astros game. tjhjere’s no way the Cards are losing tonight. You’re lucky they slipped into Braves uniforms during the 8th with man on 2nd, 3rd, 1 out and didn’t score. WOW! Pensy, where the Phils are from. This is a joke. Thanks for getting us out of our slump. See ya goofballs!
kerryb
September 27th, 2011
8:28 pm
This team is in a coma.