Live from the ballyard: The Lowe-down on a big-game pitcher
Derek Lowe started Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS in the old Yankee Stadium. No pressure there. Only 85 years of Red Sox angst bottled into one night in the Bronx.
He won the game. Went on two days’ rest. Pitched six innings, yielded one hit and one earned run.
One week later, Derek Lowe started Game 4 of the World Series in the old Busch Stadium. No pressure there. Only the Curse of the Bambino and all that other sad New England history to put to rest.
He won the game. Pitched seven innings, yielded three hits and no runs.
Yeah, 2004 was a while ago — but not so long as 1918 was to Red Sox Nation — and we in Atlanta haven’t seen much of that D-Lowe in his two seasons here. But the Braves signed him for $15 million per annum for two reasons: First, Lowe never misses a start, and second, he’s a big-game pitcher.
Lowe missed one start this season. It came early this month after he received a cortisone shot for the bone chip in his elbow. He’s 4-0 since. He has yielded three earned runs in 25 September innings. He’s the reason the Braves lead the wild card chase by 1 1/2 games with four to play. He has done what even Tim Hudson couldn’t do — won big games by the bunch.
A lot of people wanted rid of Lowe after last season, Frank Wren chief among them. But the GM couldn’t find anybody willing to take that salary, and you know what? Sometimes the best trades (all together now) …
Are the ones you don’t make. The Braves would have been long gone without D-Lowe, and today they dispatch him to the hill again. He’s pitching on three days’ rest. Doesn’t matter. He’s Derek Lowe. He’s a gamer.
And with that, the floor is open for questions, comments and postseason projections. (I think the Braves will play the Giants in Round 1.) I’ll be here until the end of this strangely timed — game time is 4:35 p.m. — tilt, and I’d be obliged if you’d ride along. And I offer my thanks in advance.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
673 comments Add your comment
MWC
September 29th, 2010
4:13 pm
Seen Glaus play 3rd at Gwinnett…awful.
lefty fielder
September 29th, 2010
4:16 pm
NC Braves Fan . . . Seriously?
Nate
September 29th, 2010
4:16 pm
Mark, how early can the Braves clinch a playoff berth… For instance, if the Padres lost again today and we win, do the magic number gets cut in half or do the Braves still have to win out to make it in as a wildcard opponent
Josh
September 29th, 2010
4:17 pm
Mark, if Atlanta does make the playoffs, who is your preferred Game 1 pitcher? A month ago, that would have been a silly question. Now I’m thinking Hanson, though. What about you?
Mechabradzilla
September 29th, 2010
4:17 pm
Nate the magic number will be 2
If we win and the Pads win its 3
Sonny Clusters
September 29th, 2010
4:17 pm
They should let McCann run in the tool race. Bobby, too. We was thinking Bobby might be faster than McCann. Is McCann available to pinch-run if a dead man gets a hit?
Superstitious
September 29th, 2010
4:18 pm
Mark did Saito wear his Japanese outfit to the stadium again today? Braves are now 2-0 when he does…
Mechabradzilla
September 29th, 2010
4:18 pm
Mark Bradley have you seen Wall Street 2 yet? Its pretty good flick!
Nate
September 29th, 2010
4:19 pm
Thanks,Mechabradzilla… I wasn’t sure how the magic number works for wildcard.
Dick Doss
September 29th, 2010
4:21 pm
any stream ????
Mechabradzilla
September 29th, 2010
4:21 pm
Its okay Nate, Mark Bradley is Godzilla and im Mecha Mark Bradley.
Josh
September 29th, 2010
4:21 pm
If Atlanta wins the next 4, they are in. If Atlanta wins next 3, they are in because San Diego would need to win their remaining 5. If they do win their remaining 5, that give the Giants 3 losses and push them behind Atlanta. If Atlanta wins 2, we’re guaranteed at least a tie.
Nate
September 29th, 2010
4:23 pm
lol
oldmike
September 29th, 2010
4:23 pm
Updates on Jurrgens knee and availability for the rest of whatever season we have?
Mechabradzilla
September 29th, 2010
4:23 pm
Dave O Brien is Minya
Milt Famey
September 29th, 2010
4:23 pm
I like Diaz in the 3-hole against a LH but Melky looked like a confused cornerback last night in LF. That was almost as bad as his sideways throw form CF earlier this year. Has he been drug-tested lately?
Jobu
September 29th, 2010
4:27 pm
Bats? They are afraid. I will come. Take fear from bats.
jmart1951
September 29th, 2010
4:29 pm
It should be noted that both the Padres and the Giants have one more game to play than the Braves do. The Braves are off tomorrow but both of them play. Then on Friday they begin a 3 game set against each other to finish the season.
If the Braves can win this afternoon then the Padres have to win tonight and tomorrow against the Cubs just to remain 1 game behind the Braves going into the final 3 games.
The other issue currently is that the Giants are one game ahead of the Reds for the next best record of a divisional winner. If that stays the same then the Phils would open with the Reds and the Braves, if they can hold on, would open with the Giants.
Of course with 4 and 5 games remaining anything can happen. The Padres could sweep the Giants and win the division, as longs as the Pads and Giants have the same results in the next two games.
The Braves are currently one game back in the loss column to the Giants. No telling how many ups and downs there will be between now and Sunday night.
Mark Bradley
September 29th, 2010
4:29 pm
National Anthem sung by one of the real housewives of Atlanta.
Mark Bradley
September 29th, 2010
4:31 pm
Have not seen “Wall Street 2.” Liked the original very much.
Mark Bradley
September 29th, 2010
4:31 pm
Good question, Josh. What about D-Lowe?
DC Brave
September 29th, 2010
4:32 pm
Mark, Would the braves hang a banner for the wild card?
Mark Bradley
September 29th, 2010
4:32 pm
Nate, this works just like the division race. They can clinch as early as Friday.
Mark Bradley
September 29th, 2010
4:33 pm
Absolutely, DC Brave. Bobby Cox said in Philadelphia he wouldn’t mind seeing a “WC” in the stadium. I assume he wasn’t talking about a water closet.
Herschel Talker
September 29th, 2010
4:34 pm
MB:
What about Kenshin Kawakami? He’d make a good Game 1 starter.
HT
clay
September 29th, 2010
4:34 pm
hey mark how does the crowd look? atleast 30,000?
Mark Bradley
September 29th, 2010
4:34 pm
I think Kawakami is being saved for Game 1 in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Steve
September 29th, 2010
4:35 pm
Mark, do you think the Braves have a better chance against the Giants or Reds? Do you think the Giants or Reds have a better chance of getting past Philly?
Andy
September 29th, 2010
4:36 pm
Mark, I am afraid that you are jinxing Lowe with all your compliments. I hope not but if he goes 2 innings and gives up 6 runs we will know why.
Murphmyfavorite
September 29th, 2010
4:36 pm
Wake them bats up!!
Herschel Talker
September 29th, 2010
4:37 pm
MB:
Why even bring him to Lake Buena Vista? What’s the point? To see if Fredi takes a liking to his bad pitching more than Bobby did?
HT
Josh
September 29th, 2010
4:38 pm
I’ll never understand the way Kawakami was handled. No, he wasn’t great, and Medlen deserved to take his spot. But once Medlen went down, why was KK just thrown out to dry? Not sure why you let him just get out of pitching-shape. He’s not even an option now.
raph71
September 29th, 2010
4:39 pm
anyone know how we can listen/watch online?
Andy
September 29th, 2010
4:39 pm
I think there is very little chance that KK makes it to spring training as a Brave. I think they will dump him during the offseason and eat part of his salary just to get rid of him.
Ghost of Jeff Treadway
September 29th, 2010
4:39 pm
Prediction: David Ross will have a key hit in this game.
Mark Bradley
September 29th, 2010
4:40 pm
Scott Cousins breaks his bat but singles past Brooks Conrad. That’s how we begin.
sid's bream
September 29th, 2010
4:40 pm
i have to admit that I was pretty angry that we kept Lowe and traded Vasquez… goes to show that you never know from year to year with baseball.
ER Steve
September 29th, 2010
4:40 pm
missing our two lost 3b already
Chanticleer
September 29th, 2010
4:41 pm
Forgot to stache some beer in my desk, gonna be a rough first couple of innings…unless of course the AJC recommends a few cold one on the drive home from work?
Mark Bradley
September 29th, 2010
4:41 pm
I think every team is 0-0 when the postseason begins. How’s that for a bromide?
Lowe Rider
September 29th, 2010
4:42 pm
Resident Evil 4 was pretty good. The ending sucked.
Andy
September 29th, 2010
4:42 pm
Sure is nice not seeing Hanley (Braves Destroyer) Ramirez in this series.
clay
September 29th, 2010
4:43 pm
ok mark time to get off here
Mark Bradley
September 29th, 2010
4:43 pm
Lowe stinks! He walks Emilio Bonaficio.
Ghost of Jeff Treadway
September 29th, 2010
4:44 pm
No, no, Derek. Don’t put us in an early hole.
clay
September 29th, 2010
4:44 pm
all those compliments has jinxed him
Number Cruncher
September 29th, 2010
4:44 pm
Actually, Mark, the Braves could clinch while resting Thursday, if they win today and the Padres and Giants both lose today and Thursday. At that point the Braves would have 90 wins, the Padres would be 87-72 with a best possible record of 90-72 (to tie the Braves). However if the Pads reached 90 wins that would mean the Giants lost all 5 of their remaining games to finish 89-73.
clay
September 29th, 2010
4:45 pm
Enter your comments here
Mark Bradley
September 29th, 2010
4:45 pm
Unbelievably weird double play.
clay
September 29th, 2010
4:45 pm
wow explain that one mark im listening on the radio at work