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
Kimbrel rocks
September 27th, 2011
8:03 pm
and can someone please tell leo mazzone to go find a bar to hang out in. sooooo TIRED of hearing his bone-headed remarks. what a bum
tmc
September 27th, 2011
8:03 pm
down 3-0 in the bottom of the 3rd inning and you lead off with Derek Lowe, who bats for himself?
I know it’s early, but this is a must game…
Now Lowe gives up 2 hits in the top of the 4th…
Sorry, that was a mistake. You can’t lose this game.
Vain Jangling
September 27th, 2011
8:03 pm
“Braves bullpen starts to stir . . .” Uh, shouldn’t those words have been uttered before now?
Brave rave
September 27th, 2011
8:03 pm
Well the good news is JJ and Hansen will be ready for the playoffs…LOL!
Robbie
September 27th, 2011
8:03 pm
yanking Lowe about 7 games too late
"Chef" Tim Dix
September 27th, 2011
8:03 pm
Jeff, In a column with a prop. I might even buy a paper.
G
September 27th, 2011
8:04 pm
Here is the problem, your 2 oldest guys, Chipper and Lowe make the most money. Lowe will be released or traded but the Braves will eat a lot of that money. Chipper should retire but won’t because he wants to continue to rob them of money by not playing full seasons… Not much money to work with next season and Wren needs to do what he should have done this year.. improve the pitching staff
the truth...
September 27th, 2011
8:04 pm
Unbelievable that you let Lowe bat to lead off the inning and then start the 4th………..
Fredi is hopeless………
That was PH time like Constanza with Bourn on deck………….speed….
Do now with more base runners and no outs he starts warming up a pitcher……..great Fredi way to go ….didn’t need a game plan did you?
Joe
September 27th, 2011
8:05 pm
I am NOT trying to be a smart allic(sp?) but are the Braves just conceding this game with the hopes they can win tomorrow night and the Cardinals will lose at least one of their last two games? Maybe the Braves just want to save their Bullpen for tomorrow night and possibly another one against the Cardinals (and, that could be ugly!)?
Kimbrel rocks
September 27th, 2011
8:05 pm
officially switched over to the dream/ the fever WNBA….LOL they are the only good team in atlanta. how sad is that
Sonny Clusters
September 27th, 2011
8:05 pm
If we was playing like the Buck Commander we’d go ahead on put on our camouflage suit and try to hide over there at third base. Of course, there’s no hiding on the baseball field as we will see when a ball gets hit over there.
Bissch
September 27th, 2011
8:05 pm
4th inning and this team is playing like a bunch of stiffs. Lifeless and lackluster so far and after tomorrow the season will be officially over on this choking bunch!
Robbie
September 27th, 2011
8:05 pm
I bet Wrens in Arizona scoping out the hotels there
GT 2011
September 27th, 2011
8:05 pm
4-0
Hater
September 27th, 2011
8:05 pm
I almost feel sorry for the Phillies…at some point beating the Braves must be like kicking a blind, three legged dog…
later gator
September 27th, 2011
8:05 pm
They are already a weeks worth of runs behind.
monarch
September 27th, 2011
8:05 pm
Gonzales letting Lowe hit shows he has NO CLUE – get rid of Freddie
Jo
September 27th, 2011
8:06 pm
Nice throw Heyward!
monarch
September 27th, 2011
8:06 pm
This is batting practice – get Lowe out now
the truth...
September 27th, 2011
8:06 pm
4-0…..
The only person dumber than Fredi is Leo Mazonne…..
G
September 27th, 2011
8:06 pm
What type of throw was that. Has Heyward contributed at all this year?
LOB Braves
September 27th, 2011
8:06 pm
FU Fredi Gonzalez. You personally are responsible for this choke. Put Blowe in there tonight. You are crazy. Nice throw Heyward.
later gator
September 27th, 2011
8:06 pm
Pendleton for Manager Freddie needs to go back to Cuba or whatever.
DIT
September 27th, 2011
8:06 pm
Rowsdower – Really! Do you have any idea what you just typed.
OuttaGas
September 27th, 2011
8:06 pm
when is the last time we scored 4 runs…?
Hater
September 27th, 2011
8:06 pm
Not sure how anyone is managing to sit through this garbage in person…except Jeff, but he gets paid…probably not enough though.
Brave-less
September 27th, 2011
8:07 pm
Derek Lowe, people. The $15 million dollar man who Fredi picked and essentially said he’s the guy who gives them their best chance to win this game
Coach
September 27th, 2011
8:07 pm
Maybe it’s time to let Chipper out of his contract -
Jaime
September 27th, 2011
8:07 pm
Im out, this is just painful and pathetic, this losers will follow their new routine lose their own games and go and cheer for the Astros
GT 2011
September 27th, 2011
8:07 pm
The Steve Bartman story seems like better Television right now.
Chad
September 27th, 2011
8:07 pm
Lowe chewing on his gum thinking “at least I’m still rich, who cares”
Bud Light
September 27th, 2011
8:07 pm
Unbelievable. Lowe’s gonna give up a run an inning while Teheran sits.
monarch
September 27th, 2011
8:07 pm
If Lowe comes out in the 5th its over
Felix
September 27th, 2011
8:07 pm
Gag, gag, choke choke. Another great performance by $15,000,000 loser Lowe. And I see the .
’single A’ Braves “offense” is still going about their loser ways. Looks like a Phils blow out tonight.
NagoyaBrave
September 27th, 2011
8:07 pm
Jeff Shultz, one comment outta 3 is going through, and I’m no curser. Come on man!
nelson
September 27th, 2011
8:07 pm
well time to NFL games, I’m really disappointed to see how this team fallen so low, now they are losing again, and apparently this will continue until the last day of the season, so no team deserves to go to the postseason, and is truth, here are to fire the hitting coach and pitching and bring mazonee read. truly a team disappointment.
the truth...
September 27th, 2011
8:08 pm
This game is over there is no way we score 5 runs much less hold them at 4….
corey
September 27th, 2011
8:08 pm
Fredi G Manager of the year!!!
IlliniBrave
September 27th, 2011
8:08 pm
The Phillies are scoring runs the old-fashioned way – hitting to the opposite field, moving the runner over, sacrifice fly, etc. We seem so damn clueless up there at the plate.
boots
September 27th, 2011
8:08 pm
Just bad baseball… Down 4-0 in the fourth, and Lowe cannot even make it to the 5th inning. This is a playoff game, and there is no one on our team stepping up to perform. The Phillies are easily a level or two above the Braves, and they have nothing to play for.
Who is our owner again? Does anyone from Liberty Media even show up at the games or follow the team?
Roy Oswalt
September 27th, 2011
8:08 pm
I think it’s cute when the Braves’ fans get pumped up and cheer. Both of them.
Omaha is Braves Country
September 27th, 2011
8:08 pm
I will never forgive this Braves team….this is unacceptable…..Nobody plays for each other…
Sonny Clusters
September 27th, 2011
8:08 pm
Fredi let him give up 4. It’s almost time to pull him. Is there a Linebrink in our future?
Jeff Schultz
September 27th, 2011
8:09 pm
Braves fan — Inside sources TV?
Coach
September 27th, 2011
8:09 pm
@illiniBrave you have a big game on Saturday against The Cats
later gator
September 27th, 2011
8:09 pm
Put the goat horns on McCann, Heyward, Prado, and Lowe as they have been terrible in the clutch.
Tallahassee Dawg
September 27th, 2011
8:09 pm
Well, there is always next year.
Jo
September 27th, 2011
8:09 pm
I am only watching still because I am curious if there are any braves worth keeping next year…waiting to see if anyone has some fight left and is embarrassed by this months performance.
NagoyaBrave
September 27th, 2011
8:10 pm
If the average IQ is 100, the Braves IQ is 30. Just under their recent batting average.
monarch
September 27th, 2011
8:10 pm
I wanted Pendleton – Florida got rid of Freddi for a reason – we’re stuck