Live from Braves-Nats, and the lineup it is a-changin’
Crotchety Kotchman: Among the few not in tonight's lineup. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
I got to the ballyard later than usual due to my dental procedure, which was over in a blurry-fast two hours and 45 minutes. But I made it in time for the Braves’ final — we presume it’s the final — lineup change of the day. Ready?
As esteemed colleague Carroll Rogers has noted, Chipper Jones wasn’t in the original lineup but essentially inserted himself. Then Nate McLouth told Bobby Cox his hamstring felt tender, so now Ryan Church is leading off and playing center field. The lineup sheet I have in front of me, rendered inoperative now, has Chipper in but McLouth not yet out. And there’s one other intriguing name on it.
Omar Infante.
I know many of you out there have waited breathlessly for this moment, and finally it has arrived. Infante has been actived — and Diory Hernandez sent down — and now he’s starting at second base. (He was set to play the hot corner until Mr. Jones bumped him over.) And Martin Prado is playing first base. And Adam LaRoche has the day off because a lefthander (John Lannan) is starting. And Tommy Hanson toes the slab for the hometown club. And Casey Kotchman is batting seventh. (Just seeing if you’re paying attention.)
Loading ...I also know many among you have expressed angst over the sight of the Nationals, who’ve won eight in a row. Here’s all I have to say: The Braves are supposedly in a playoff drive. If they can’t handle a 40-72 opponent, they shouldn’t be in a pennant drive. (And if they can’t, they probably won’t be for long.)
I’m thinking nothing less than a 4-2 homestand will suffice. (Don’t forget the Monday makeup game against the D’backs.) The Braves need to consolidate the gains made in California. Going 5-2 against San Diego and L.A. put them back in the discussion, but so did the sweep of Philadelphia six weeks ago. And then the Braves went to Washington and lost two of three.
And if you’re wondering: How am I, dentally speaking? Still a bit numb. I feel like I’m drooling. (Then again, I might be guilty of that without benefit of Novocain.) But I figure I’ll be able to go nine with y’all tonight. So hang with me and we’ll talk endodontia and the infield-fly rule. Deal?
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Guides
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2011 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
346 comments Add your comment
Sting 'em Buzz
August 11th, 2009
6:24 pm
Sweep the homestand!!!!!
Paul H
August 11th, 2009
6:25 pm
Absolutely. Can’t handle another let down against the League’s worst team after we just took the series against the League’s best. Getting beat by the Nats at home screams “pretenders.”
Sting 'em Buzz
August 11th, 2009
6:25 pm
Chipper wasn’t happy about the scratch. I guess Bobby got the message.
Sting 'em Buzz
August 11th, 2009
6:27 pm
or rollercoasters
MightyQuinn
August 11th, 2009
6:28 pm
I am reminded of Lewis Grizzard’s translation of dentist talk: “This might sting a little bit.” equals/means “How high can you jump?”
Karl
August 11th, 2009
6:30 pm
Gotta love Prado’s versatility! Guaranteed he scores a run.
Karl
August 11th, 2009
6:33 pm
Free Jason Heyward! He’s wasting his time in the minors. Any news on his call up?
Karl Moats
FantasySportsAtLunch.com
Check my post: The Say (Jason) Heyward Kid
http://fantasysportsatlunch.com/8/2009/the-say-heyward-kid
Mark Bradley
August 11th, 2009
6:37 pm
No, Karl. But I did post something about Mr. Heyward earlier today.
VABraves4Life
August 11th, 2009
6:39 pm
Welcome back Omar Infante and goodbye sub .150 BA (Diory Hernandez)! Not only addition by subtracting but actually adding a great utility player… Teams starting to come together.
NORRIS
August 11th, 2009
6:40 pm
why is that we cant seem to put together a normal lineup? It seems that either Mcann is going to sit out, or mclouth is out, or chipper is out or now laroach out. Why cant we have one game where we have all of our per sey starters in the game?
Mark Bradley
August 11th, 2009
6:40 pm
Meanwhile, Norton clings to a roster spot.
Johnny Hazeltine
August 11th, 2009
6:40 pm
I don’t wanna get too excited, but that’s what happens.
Mark Bradley
August 11th, 2009
6:41 pm
Norris, that’s a good question. I wish I had a a good answer. But I do not.
The_Superhoo
August 11th, 2009
6:45 pm
Nice Skip reference! (Infield fly rule)
Classic.
VABraves4Life
August 11th, 2009
6:47 pm
So Mark are you going to post the batting order?
Mark Bradley
August 11th, 2009
6:49 pm
Sure. Forgive me.
Church, CF; Prado, 1B; Chipper, 3B; McCann, C; Escobar, SS; Garret, LF; Diaz, RF; Infante, 2B; Towering Tommy, P.
VABraves4Life
August 11th, 2009
6:52 pm
Church
Prado
Chipper
BMac
GA
Esco
Omar I
Diaz
?????
Am I close
VABraves4Life
August 11th, 2009
6:53 pm
Looks good thanks for the response… Im at work on the internet and cant catch the game. Looking forward to your updates though.
Mark Bradley
August 11th, 2009
6:54 pm
Close, yes. Rearrange the final four and you’re on it.
Be-little, BeBOLD
August 11th, 2009
6:54 pm
Laid-back Bobby likes to change line-ups . . . what else is there for him to do?
Johnny Hazeltine
August 11th, 2009
6:59 pm
With Escobar’s hot hitting with RISP, why not move him to the clean up spot, and follow him with McCann?
Mark Bradley
August 11th, 2009
7:01 pm
I don’t think Bobby Cox yet considers Yunel a cleanup hitter. But the guy is a hitter.
VABraves4Life
August 11th, 2009
7:01 pm
Im loving the flexability of this team with Prado and Infante playing just about everywhere except catcher. KJ can be 2B and OF. Ross is much better than a more than capable back up. I heard Norton can even shag balls in the outfield he just cant hit them there.
Johnny Hazeltine
August 11th, 2009
7:02 pm
True, but the Braves don’t have a clean up hitter. I certainly don’t consider McCann a clean up hitter, in fact, I think his numbers are hurting this year because that’s where he’s hitting. Am I on to something?
Steve
August 11th, 2009
7:03 pm
What do you think the biggest key has been to the Braves resurgence as of late? Starting pitching, Add Ryan Church, Minus Francouer, Add Nate Maclouth, Play of Yunel Escobar, Add LaRoche, Norton’s pinch hitting (just kidding), or a combination of these or something else?
BravesFAN885
August 11th, 2009
7:03 pm
so bobby mentioned their centerfielder, but why else have the nats been so good lately?
Kenny Powers
August 11th, 2009
7:06 pm
Braves get within 5 and all of a sudden we are honored with a personal MB blog.
Be still my beating heart
Steve
August 11th, 2009
7:06 pm
I forgot to include the Play of Prado and the Play of Garrett as other potential keys to the resurgence… sorry.
Mark Bradley
August 11th, 2009
7:06 pm
Biggest key is that they have fewer holes in the lineup, Steve. This still isn’t a collection of homer hitters, but it’s way better than what they ran out in May.
Poor Man's Craig McMurtry
August 11th, 2009
7:06 pm
I sure wish all of the Bobby Cox haters would f*** off…. We’ve all heard your song one too many times.
Mark Bradley
August 11th, 2009
7:07 pm
Nationals have some young pitching. That’s always Step 1. And Ryan Zimmerman and Christian Guzman have been hitting. The whole club has been hitting.
Johnny Hazeltine
August 11th, 2009
7:08 pm
Good point, Mark. I still remember what Chipper said after the Francouer trade “there’s not an easy out in this lineup.”
The_Superhoo
August 11th, 2009
7:09 pm
Keep Yunel around the 6 spot.
he’s getting the rbis there. Don’t mess with it.
Mark Bradley
August 11th, 2009
7:09 pm
Speaking of the Washington CF: Nyjer Morgan is leading off against Towering Tommy. Morgan came over in a trade with Pittsburgh, which is how everyone in the big leagues arrives someplace.
Mark Bradley
August 11th, 2009
7:12 pm
Hanson to Morgan: Fastball for a strike, fastball outside, slider high, fastball fouled off, fastball just wide, fastball hit up the middle for a base knock. And that, as we say on radio, is the way this starts.
Steve
August 11th, 2009
7:14 pm
Yeah, remember how you felt every time Francouer, Kelly Johnson, Diaz or Schafer came to the plate earlier in the season? This lineup feels much more solid… I guess we have to give Wren and Cox kudos for getting us to this point.
Jasper Wilkins
August 11th, 2009
7:14 pm
confusing, crummy as well as ugly!?
Dalton
August 11th, 2009
7:15 pm
Maybe I haven’t watched enough games the past few years but is this one of Ron Gant’s first games in the booth?
Kenny Powers
August 11th, 2009
7:16 pm
Where are those pitches missing?
Bob Horner's Fat Butt
August 11th, 2009
7:18 pm
Will your opinion change about Norton if he has a “Francisco Cabrera Moment”? Not the one against the Pirates in the NLCS, but the one on August 21, 1991 against the Reds?
Mark Bradley
August 11th, 2009
7:19 pm
Wide right, Kenny. Or wide left. But I have to confess: I’ve got a terrible view of the strike zone. (And so does Bobby Cox from the dugout, but he’ll never admit it.)
And Dalton, I’ve heard Mr. Gant do some games this year. I believe Mr. Simpson has the night off. He’s doubtless home watching game film of Barry Switzer’s wishbone teams.
NORRIS
August 11th, 2009
7:20 pm
why is it we cant even play a good tee ball game against the nats?
Mark Bradley
August 11th, 2009
7:20 pm
And it’s 1-nil. Zimmerman singles past Chipper. (Morgan had stolen a base.)
Here’s Adam Dunn, whom I once wanted to see as a Brave. Maybe I still do.
The_Superhoo
August 11th, 2009
7:20 pm
And it begins. Is the sky falling yet? :-/
Hillbilly Deluxe
August 11th, 2009
7:21 pm
Morgan came over in a trade with Pittsburgh, which is how everyone in the big leagues arrives someplace.
Ain’t it a shame what has happened to that once proud franchise?
Mark Bradley
August 11th, 2009
7:21 pm
Twenty-two pitches for Towering Tommy already. And it’s hot here.
Mark Bradley
August 11th, 2009
7:22 pm
Sky’s not falling yet. Dunn strikes out. Which is odd, because Dunn never strikes out. Only a couple hundred times a year.
NORRIS
August 11th, 2009
7:23 pm
we are down by 1 and once again have 2 starters out of the lineup. You know we dont have a game thursday either. So, that means that Laroche will have only played 1 game by friday. That is if he plays tomorrow. It isnt easy to find a rhythm when you play once in 5 days.
Mark Bradley
August 11th, 2009
7:26 pm
Odd inning. Hanson strikes out three but yields a run on two singles (and two stolen bases). Took him 28 pitches.
Kenny Powers
August 11th, 2009
7:28 pm
weve never been able to hit this guy