The Braves: Watching the scoreboard, then winning a big one
The man of the evening. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
A strange race got downright bizarre this week. The Braves lost three times in Colorado and wasted a nine-run lead in the finale. The Phillies, with all their big names back from the disabled list, got swept at home by sub-.500 Houston, and the presumably bolstered Phils managed a total of seven runs in the four games.
As of Friday morning, the Braves were in the odd position of having not won since Sunday … and still padding their division lead by a half-game. Things changed Friday night.
The Braves trailed the Marlins 2-0 after two batters and lost 7-1. Tommy Hanson yielded four solo homers on the night before his 24th birthday. The Phillies managed their new allotment of two-runs-in-regulation and were one strike from victory in San Diego, whereupon Brad Lidge balked home the tying run. (”A bizarre thing,” Lidge told reporters afterward, fully in the schizo swing of this chase.)
To their credit, the Phillies won in 12 innings, Jimmy Rollins sliding around Yorvit Torrealba to score the finally decisive run. And thus did the Braves, for the first time in two weeks, watch their lead shrink.
It stood at two games when they reported for work Saturday. The Phillies were again playing in San Diego, their game starting at 4 p.m. EDT. The Braves would face the Fish three hours later. This seemed a propitious moment to ask the staple question of every pennant race: Do you guys watch the scoreboard?
Jason Heyward said he doesn’t, and indeed, the ambiance in the Braves’ clubhouse suggested that the local nine wasn’t overly concerned with the Phillies. Of the four big-screen TVs mounted in the center of the team’s dressing quarters, three were tuned to an ESPN show involved the New Orleans Saints. The fourth carried a Babe Ruth game — meaning the league for teenagers, not the Bambino himself — being aired on MLB.TV.
“You know what’s going on,” said Brian McCann, speaking of the Phillies. “At the same time, you’ve still got to take care of your business.”
Asked how it felt to lose three straight and gain a half-game, McCann smiled. “It’s been weird for a while. We’d win and they’d win. We’d lose and they’d lose.”
But Saturday was another day at the races, and it had begun in peculiar fashion. The Phillies didn’t manage a hit against the Padres’ Jon Garland over four innings. Then they mustered a hit batsman, a ground out and an actual single to take a 1-0 lead in the fifth.
This correspondent, speaking as he was to McCann about doings involving the Phils, felt duty-bound to pass along this update. “They’re up 1-0 today,” I said.
McCann brightened. “It’s 1-1 now. Garland got a hit.”
Which tells us that, somewhere beyond the areas of a clubhouse where we media types can go, there was a TV tuned to the Fox broadcast of the Phillies-Padres game. Which tells us also that some Braves were lingering around it.
By the time the Braves got started, the Phillies were done. They won 3-1, reducing their deficit by another half-game. And with Josh Johnson set to face Derek Lowe here Sunday, Saturday night’s game seemed of some significance. Luckily enough, the Braves dispatched Tim Hudson. Being Tim Hudson, he hooked the Marlins.
Thirteen strikeouts in seven innings for Hudson, of whom Bobby Cox said: “He’s the guy who reminded us of [Tom] Glavine and [Greg] Maddux and Smoltzie [John Smoltz].”
The Braves won laughing. Martin Prado drove in five runs. McCann cleared the bases with a double. Matt Diaz hit an actual home run off an actual righthander. After a week in which not much worked, everything worked. Baseball is a funny game.
“This was a big win for us,” Hudson said. “We’d hit a little skid there.”
And then, answering the question of the night, Hudson offered this: “We knew Philly had won today.”
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553 comments Add your comment
JL
August 28th, 2010
8:48 pm
Hey Derek, be glad you are in MLB, and not the NFL, or you would have just been fined!
"Chef" Tim Dix
August 28th, 2010
8:49 pm
Someone please duct tape Farnsey to his bullpen seat right about now.
willie martinez
August 28th, 2010
8:49 pm
i am so glad i am no longer the subject of this blog.
Jt
August 28th, 2010
8:50 pm
When I first heard of the D-Lee rumors, I was not impressed to say the least. After listening to various “people who know” I thought it would be a good thing in the long haul. Now, I am not so sure. I know he came to the Braves under the toughest of circumstances (starting in Chicago), but just has not looked good and now an injury. Complicates things
"Chef" Tim Dix
August 28th, 2010
8:51 pm
Huddy shaved but he missed a spot.
Peter
August 28th, 2010
8:51 pm
How many at bats Mark to qualify by season’s end does it take to qualify for a batting title ?
Cause it looks like Infante is a regular the rest of the way….. with 30 + games that would give him well over 400 at bats I believe.
Mark Bradley
August 28th, 2010
8:51 pm
Takes 502 plate appearances, Peter. Infante should make it.
heywood...
August 28th, 2010
8:52 pm
amos mccoy has a little herschel in him too. or maybe some
coach todd.
Bad Dawg
August 28th, 2010
8:53 pm
lOVE THE BRAVES WHY DID THEY DO THE COLORADO SLIDE!!!!!!!!!!
"Chef" Tim Dix
August 28th, 2010
8:53 pm
Don’t ask me why, but if the Braves make the post season, I’ve got this strange belief that an amazing story will be written by a young man named Freeman.
heywood...
August 28th, 2010
8:54 pm
if infante doesn’t make it to 502 he could take an 0-fer
for the remaining number of plate appearances to reach
502 and still win the title if his lead is large enough over
the 2nd place hitter.
Jt
August 28th, 2010
8:54 pm
Peter- the right reverend DOB said the other day that he has to average 3.1 ab for all 162 games. But if his average is high enough, he can take an “O-fer” for the abs he falls short. And at the present time he would win the batting title if he bats at the current rate for the remainder of games played. Hope that makes since. He needs a total of 502 abs or rate his hits based on that number of abs
Mark Bradley
August 28th, 2010
8:55 pm
That’s true, heywood … Good observation.
"Chef" Tim Dix
August 28th, 2010
8:55 pm
I found my knee brace! It’s on Hanley’s arm.
Mark Bradley
August 28th, 2010
8:56 pm
Tool Race! I’m going with Paintbrush.
Wulfsgirl
August 28th, 2010
8:56 pm
Hope we can get some hits to get away from the 10 – 1 score!!
Darryl Blackberry
August 28th, 2010
8:56 pm
Cameron Maybin’s name sounds like a Jerry Lewis outburst. Try saying it out loud: “Oyy, Cam Mayyybin!”
Steve
August 28th, 2010
8:57 pm
Freeman has to be brought up by Fumbling Frank soon to be eligible for the post-season.
Mark Bradley
August 28th, 2010
8:57 pm
Hammer and Paintbrush out fast. But they stop to put a block on Drill and Saw slips by for the victory.
In sum, I was wrong again.
Wulfsgirl
August 28th, 2010
8:57 pm
That would make for an amazing year for Infante. I hope it happens!
Katherine
August 28th, 2010
8:59 pm
I would have gone with the saw lol
houstonbraves
August 28th, 2010
9:00 pm
no way infante makes it to 502. gonna be around 460ish, i would guess.
heywood...
August 28th, 2010
9:00 pm
kudos to me and thanks to you, mark.
i’m really on my A-game tonite if i do say
so myself.
Wulfsgirl
August 28th, 2010
9:00 pm
I went with the hammer last night and he won!
Mark Bradley
August 28th, 2010
9:00 pm
David Ross pinch-hits for McCann. Guess Cox thinks 10-1 with Hudson pitching is enough.
Josh
August 28th, 2010
9:00 pm
What happened to Derek Lee? I had to leave the TV for a bit, and I came back to see Hinske at first base. Why is Lee out?
heywood...
August 28th, 2010
9:00 pm
quick. someone do the math. what does his points lead
have to be?
houstonbraves
August 28th, 2010
9:01 pm
Mark, is there any chance that the braves could waive chipper or do anything to avoid paying him whats remaining on his contract? atleast for next year, if he decides to play.
Earl
August 28th, 2010
9:01 pm
I don’t see why so many folks are down on Frank. To me he has done an awesome job with the money he had to do it with.
I don’t agree with the Soriano blunder but other than that, I can argue with the results.
Jt
August 28th, 2010
9:01 pm
Just checked- Freddie Freeman is not on the 40 man roster. Brandon Hicks is and Diory Hernandez is but not Freeman. Chipper and Glaus are on the DL- not sure how that works. Maybe Freeman can replace Chipper. Is Carroll Rogers nearby, Mark, so you can ask?
Wulfsgirl
August 28th, 2010
9:01 pm
strain in his side … should be back tomorrow
JL
August 28th, 2010
9:01 pm
Speaking of knee braces, my son hurt his knee his senior year of high school, took him to the doc, they gave him a brace, cost me $600, insurance would not pay! he wore it to one practice, it kept sliding off, he took it off and never wore it again. Anyone want to buy a knee brace?
Earl
August 28th, 2010
9:01 pm
meant to say, can’t argue with.
Mark Bradley
August 28th, 2010
9:02 pm
Infante is at .342. Joey Votto is the league leader (as of now) at .327. (Because Infante doesn’t have enough plate appearances to qualify.)
Sonny Clusters
August 28th, 2010
9:02 pm
Clusters babies are taught baseball fundamentals before they come out of the crib. That’s why we was always winning baseball games – we was fundamentally sound – plus we was Clusters. Who teaches the Braves bunting? Is he fundamentally sound?
Braves73
August 28th, 2010
9:03 pm
It’s good to see the Braves breakout in this game and hopefully win. My only concern is tomorrow potential lineup. I’m feeling a Bobby Cox Triple-A special lineup which will include leaving McCann on the bench, Heyward will probably sit, and don’t forget D-Lee strained his side which will be a perfect excuse for B.C. to sit him…You heard it here first.
Josh
August 28th, 2010
9:04 pm
Infante doesn’t have to get to the +500 plate appearances mark though. If he comes up short, the league will subtract his total at-bats from that required mark and essentially give him an .000 AVG for those at-bats. As of a few days ago, he could afford to come up 20 short and still win the title.
billy
August 28th, 2010
9:04 pm
Leave it to Tim to shut down the losing streak, can’t wait to see Freeman in a Braves uniform!!
Katherine
August 28th, 2010
9:04 pm
Clusters….are you on crack? just wondering lol
Andy
August 28th, 2010
9:05 pm
It certainly helps that Infante is batting leadoff now. That should give him an extra plate appearance each game.
houstonbraves
August 28th, 2010
9:05 pm
infante has 332 AB and has 33 games after tonight? just say an avg of 4 ab’s per game. thats if he plays every game and walks to NOT count as AB’s. he will not make 502 or be close enough to factor in 0-whatever appearances.
TIGER WOODS
August 28th, 2010
9:06 pm
Where has my A-GAME gone? And why don’t I wear solid-red
on Sundays anymore?
Mark Bradley
August 28th, 2010
9:06 pm
Infante, by my calculations, would have to average 4.4 plate appearances over the final 33 games to get to 502. That’s close. But he’s a leadoff guy, so it’s possible.
Earl
August 28th, 2010
9:07 pm
Tiger you “A” game has left and all you have now is the address to mail the check.
Mark Bradley
August 28th, 2010
9:07 pm
It’s plate appearances that count, houstonbraves, not at-bats.
Mark Bradley
August 28th, 2010
9:08 pm
There’s no chance the Braves would waive Chipper Jones, houstonbraves.
Andy
August 28th, 2010
9:08 pm
houstonbraves
It’s plate appearances not AB’s. Walks count toward plate appearances.
Archangel
August 28th, 2010
9:08 pm
I’m sure this has been mentioned already, but thanks for shaving the beard Hudson!
BravesFaninMD
August 28th, 2010
9:09 pm
Huddy is doing what Jair should’ve the other day…. take control with a big lead…. great job.
JL
August 28th, 2010
9:09 pm
The bottom fell out of that pitch.