Update: The Braves lose another game but hold their ground
Chipper Jones got the Braves started with a homer. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
A lead once bulbous had been reduced to a pimple in the time it takes to say the words, “A lead once bulbous.” But, being a professional athlete, Chipper Jones broke out the usual brave bromide Monday afternoon. “We still control our own destiny,” he said, blithely ignoring the cold truth that these Braves have controlled nothing this past month.
They’d led the wild-card chase by 8 1/2 games on Sept. 1, the day they posted their 81st victory. It’s nearly October, and there’s no guarantee these Braves will ever win a 90th game. They’ve lost six of the past eight series, and one of the two exceptions wasn’t really a series but a rescheduled doubleheader in New York.
They’ve watched the Cardinals draw ever closer, and now the regular season had been reduced to three games. Win two and the Braves would assure themselves of no worse than a tie for the wild card and a Thursday play-in game; win three and the Braves would qualify for the playoffs, no strings attached. But their collapse has forced us to reassess possibilities, and a more realistic question seemed: Can they even win one?
Monday’s game offered hope — for three innings. Jones hoisted a first-inning homer that took us back to 1999, to a time when this player was capable of turning a playoff race by himself. But then, as happens in life as well as baseball, reality descended. The Phillies scored four runs and washed away a 2-0 deficit, and by game’s end Chipper was limping after appearing to hurt himself legging out a double, and in his final at-bat he hit into a double play.
On paper, this seemed the biggest mismatch of the series: Cliff Lee, who’ll probably finish second in the Cy Young voting, against Randall Delgado, who had started six big-league games. Which only goes to show that, in baseball as in Hollywood, nobody knows anything. Four of the first eight Braves to face Lee managed extra-base hits, and Delgado made it through three innings having yielded only an against-the-shift single to Ryan Howard, who surely didn’t intend to put the ball where he did.
Then the Braves stopped hitting, which they can do against pretty much any pitcher any time, and the Phillies started. Placido Polanco’s two-out single off Delgado — are two-out RBI’s even allowed? — and halved the Braves’ lead in the fourth, and Jimmy Rollins’ homer tied it in the fifth. Delgado was gone after that inning, replaced by Cristhian Martinez, who lasted two batters.
Shane Victorino’s triple into the corner forced Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez to summon Eric O’Flaherty for a lefty-against-lefty parlay at a moment when a strikeout was warranted. But Raul Ibanez, who’d failed with the bases loaded and one out two innings earlier, drove O’Flaherty’s first pitch, a slider, through the infield.
About here, the only consolation came via the scoreboard above left field. The Cardinals, who’d led 1-0, had fallen behind the Astros. The only comic amusement stemmed from the Braves’ announcement of the game’s attendance. (Autumn attendance is a sore subject with this franchise, as you know.) Monday’s gathering was assessed as 42,597, which seemed the biggest baseball inflation since Mark McGwire’s biceps.
There were moments when this crowd of uncertain number sounded loud and proud, but as the night unfolded the pride gave way to resignation. These Braves are perilously close to a failure of epic dimensions. At least some infamous September flops — the ‘69 Cubs, the ‘78 Red Sox, the ‘64 Phillies — had to win either their division or league; these Braves have only to finish first among runners-up. And with two games left, nothing is assured.
“We’ve had more than enough opportunities,” Jones had said, “to walk off the field with wins that would have put this away long ago.” But instead the Braves have been forced to race against time, and time keeps running both ways. The regular season’s end hasn’t arrived soon enough, and this time can’t retrace its steps to June or August and remember how easy winning seemed then.
And at the end Monday, the proud man who’d opened the scoring with a massive drive off the estimable Lee was reduced to looking every bit of his 39 years. The Braves are dancing on the lip of the volcano, and Chipper no longer seems capable of riding to the rescue.
Then again, the Braves mightn’t need rescuing. The Cardinals rallied to tie the Astros but flubbed a go-ahead chance in the 10th and lost in the bottom of the inning on a bloop double and two bunts. As catchable as these Braves appear, the chasing Cards still haven’t caught them. After another long day at the races, the shaky lead held. Still one game up, and now only two to play.
By Mark Bradley
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351 comments Add your comment
Sonny Clusters
September 27th, 2011
9:40 am
Bottle of Beer, Pack of Mints, What this team needs, is Stinky Wintes!
Runnin With The Dawgs
September 27th, 2011
9:40 am
The blog monster got me twice for picking on Lowe, but I can’t help it. We don’t need him picthing in this series.
Runnin With The Dawgs
September 27th, 2011
9:43 am
The situation being as it is I can’t believe we’re starting Lowe tonight.
P Rose
September 27th, 2011
9:47 am
The random filter takes the fun out of writing here. You spend valuable time thinking about a point you want to express, you carefully write it, edit it and proofread it, and then you hit “submit comment,” and – poof. Nothing. Even if nothing offensive was said, 50% vanish. There’s no rhyme or reason to it. It frustrates readers and makes makes Bradley and the AJC look thin-skinned and paranoid.
JeanE
September 27th, 2011
9:48 am
Hey MJ what do you mean Diaz isn’t getting it done? Who scored one of the runs last night? Not Heyward or Hinkse or Constanza. Those trios bats are colder than the North Pole. Hinske is not hitting and Matty might’ve done better than Heyward in that last at bat. At least he hit the ball hard all night. Polanco robbed him with a great catch. Quit dumping on Matty, he hustles hard every single play moron.
P Rose
September 27th, 2011
9:49 am
Sorry for the duplicate posts, folks. They seem to vanish for 15 minutes. Some appear later, some don’t. Stupid blog.
Phillies, Class of The NL
September 27th, 2011
9:59 am
So…another awful crowd at Turner Field last night…maybe if the fans treated it like a playoff game the team would too? It must be very depressing to play in atlanta….
Phillies, Class of The NL
September 27th, 2011
10:00 am
great crowd at the game last night…oh, never mind…
jasont13
September 27th, 2011
10:02 am
I want to know why Martin Prado didn’t slide to try and break up the double play in the ninth?
afan
September 27th, 2011
10:03 am
U got that right Rose ..filter sucks…if this gets printed.
skeptomania
September 27th, 2011
10:10 am
Was Fredi seriously considering putting in Linebrink in the 4th or 5th inning? I guess he thought about it and figured Martinez with no rest is a better option. Anyone else get tired of Joe Simpson making excuses for Venters. He seems to get two days off between appearances and he is still tired? No excuses. This is the time of year when the winners step up and none of the Braves appear to be doing it.
the truth...
September 27th, 2011
10:16 am
Fredi Quote:
When asked post game last night if Lowe would be on a “short leash” tonight Fredi responded in true moron fashion:
” no we’ll just play it by ear, baseball is a game you can’t have a game plan for.”
That’s Fredi….not a clue…
LawDawg
September 27th, 2011
10:16 am
“Georgia sports teams are pathetic. They really make it hard to remain a fan.”
Don’t worry. You aren’t a real fan.
Billy D
September 27th, 2011
10:22 am
I almost choked when I heard Chippers comments after the loss. ” I am proud of the teams performance and the blame is on the rookie pitchers ” The truth is any Brave pitcher is constantly under pressure from this bunch of choke hitters. I have watched baseball for many years and this is the worst hitting bunch I have ever seen. I have seen every game this year on the MLB package but you can bet I will not subscribe next year. The worst thing is they give the impression that they dont give a damn whether the win or not so why should we care either.To hell with them..
Joey
September 27th, 2011
10:31 am
So, Mark you should have a poll for us to vote on the “Biggest Choker” on this current Braves squad.
I’ll put my X in the box by McCann. “Mr May” has gotten worse and worse since his stint on the DL. It’s either choking or he’s still injured.
Either way, I firmly believe if Ross and Constanza had stayed in the lineup, we would have wrapped up the WC a couple of weeks ago.
Billy D
September 27th, 2011
10:41 am
If you wont print my comments why ask for them . Uou are as gutless as this pathetic team.
Herschel Talker
September 27th, 2011
10:45 am
MJ at 8:54:
“I know it sounds crazy, but if we come alive and win the Wild Card, I think we’ll win it all.”
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Frigging hilarious.
HT
julie07
September 27th, 2011
10:47 am
You guys with all of your negative comments is just what our team needs right now. I’m a Braves fan no matter win or lose, of course I want to see the Braves start playing better ball, but by the city giving up on them is surely not going to help the team. I say Go Braves, they’re a lot of teams that have no chance at all making the post season, that would love to be in the Braves position right now , we still have a chance and that says a lot for our entire season. Quit downing them, especially Chipper he has carried this team for some time now. If you don’t care anymore, and your not going to watch tonight’s game then why are you on this site giving your opinion and wasting your time? Go Braves!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brave Hokie
September 27th, 2011
10:54 am
Your Yellow, Gutless, limp-hearted Atlanta Braves!
“Please lose Cardinals and let us in…”
The “weakest” generation version of a baseball team.
SSIgator
September 27th, 2011
10:54 am
Are the Braves related to UGA football in some way? Both have a tendency to choke at the wrong time. Must be something in the water.
Condom-less Chipper J
September 27th, 2011
10:55 am
Baseball is HARD guys, you don’t know…
McOUT
September 27th, 2011
11:20 am
Im done as a Brave, who are you whiners gonna complain about next year? We win & Cards win tonite, magic # down to 1, still think Im better than Schafer!
@McOUT
September 27th, 2011
11:22 am
How’s French Kiss’in Kawakami down in MISS going???
Jeff
September 27th, 2011
11:24 am
If we blow this lead and become the first team in the history of baseball to lose an 8 game lead in September then Freddi Gonzalez should be one and done as manager. Also Brian Van Gorder should share a moving truck with him.
Bernard
September 27th, 2011
11:26 am
As Fredi says all the time, “..You know what….”…..basically only the shadow knows…hee hee hee
extremus
September 27th, 2011
11:26 am
I think if on the final day of the season the Braves lose and the Cardinals take the wildcard, fans leaving the stadium should be treated by the organist to a little ditty that speaks to all of our feelings about the matter: “Loser” by Beck. Hey, that might actually light a fire under the (let’s all hope NEW) ownership to REALLY makes some needed offseason changes, starting with the coaching/management and working their way down. This team’s culture has indeed changed since Freddi Gonzalez took over, and I have to say it’s due for another one.
Tdalmore
September 27th, 2011
11:27 am
Braves are lifeless. They look as though they are resigned to losing. McCann is a great guy, but we’d be better off if he were benched. We’re basically down to one effective starter, Hudson.
KEVIN
September 27th, 2011
11:29 am
D-Lowe tonight??!! REALLY FREDI? We’ll be tied by the end of the night tonight. Down to the last game and MAYBE a “Play-In?” Braves just don’t have it.
Born2Buzz
September 27th, 2011
11:30 am
When I saw Martinez warming up in the bullpen I literally yelled NO!!! at the TV. Is there nobody else Freddie can go to? I knew we were done at that point.
But, the dream is still alive. I don’t care if they back in, just get in.
iTiSi
September 27th, 2011
11:34 am
Since FG is letting “Loser-Lowe” start tonight, the only chance the Braves have will come down to tomorrow night. The Cards will win tonight. Mark it down! I called what’s going on right now a month ago, so do have credibility. Besides my name is Clair Voyant, I do have ESP(n) and did stay at a Days Inn Express last night(close enough).
Bill Davis
September 27th, 2011
11:34 am
A one game lead in the wildcard race with three games left and playing the team you know you have to beat to advance in the playoffs and the park is 15% empty! If you remove the Phillies’ fans, it’s even more empty! What in the world is with that? Maybe, just maybe, the Braves play with less pasion than the Phillies play with because their fans aren’t passionate for them. I know fans outside the Northeast (Philly, NY and Boston) are less supportive of their teams but you have to sell out a game of this magnatude.
P Rose
September 27th, 2011
11:38 am
Tonight’s starters:
Phillies: Roy Oswalt, 8-10, 3.86 ERA
Braves: Derek Lowe, 9-16, 4.92 ERA
Cardinals: Jake Westbrook, 12-9, 4.48 ERA
Astros: Henry Sosa, 3-5, 4.68 ERA
I have a bad feeling about this.
P Rose
September 27th, 2011
11:39 am
Another one bites the dust. No, not the Braves, my last post in the stupid blog filter.
Appalachia Brave
September 27th, 2011
12:17 pm
Lets shake the team up tonite….Start Mclouth and Constanza!! They couldn’t do any worse…and they are rested! All this started with the trade to get Diaz….We were playing good with the speedy Constanze and Bourn at the top…I think it messed with our MOJO!
Appalachia Brave
September 27th, 2011
12:19 pm
OH….and START ROSS TONITE TOO!
WWSS?
September 27th, 2011
12:29 pm
WHAT WOULD SKIP SAY?
CThomas
September 27th, 2011
12:34 pm
Not looking good with Derek Lowe on the mound.
man and dog
September 27th, 2011
12:35 pm
Is Smotzie still under contract?
Booby Cox
September 27th, 2011
12:36 pm
Come on Ryno…
Lowe on Lowe
September 27th, 2011
12:38 pm
“Don’t worry fans, I’ll give it the best 1/3 inning of my life.”
1eyedJack
September 27th, 2011
12:56 pm
Anybody willing to bet a million dollars that Lowe wins tonight?
Larry David
September 27th, 2011
1:00 pm
Seems to me that this lifeless offense of the Braves was kickin’ not too very long ago. Then Heyward started grumbling about playing time and George Costanza gets relegated to the bench, basically never to seen again. I don’t follow THAT closely so I may have missed something along the way. Did Wren trade him to the Pirates for Diaz?
PhilsFanFromNJ
September 27th, 2011
1:00 pm
1 game lead with 2 games to play. You guys are still in a better situation then St. Louis. D. Lowe has always given the Phils fits with his sinker so I expect him to give you guys 6 good innings.
julie07
September 27th, 2011
1:04 pm
I’m sure the negative comments are really what the Braves need right now. I am a Die hard win or lose Braves fan! I would love to see the Braves start playing better ball, and win this thing, but with people like you so call backing them up, is really not going to fire them up to win for this city. If you hate them so much, and claim your done with them then why do you care to post a comment about them? I’m sure all the other teams that will not make post season play would love to be where the Braves are right now, and still have a chance. That should at least say something for the Braves, beings they are still in first for the wild card. I can not comprehend if your a true fan for any team, how you can be so fair weather when things aren’t going the way you would like, go jump on someone else’s band wagon and stop talking crap here! Go Braves !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Outside the Perimeter
September 27th, 2011
1:07 pm
Why wouldn’t we put constanza back in to shake things up – have him bunt if need be – anything to wake up the offense.
Outside the Perimeter
September 27th, 2011
1:09 pm
Why won’t we put Constanza back in for Heyward? Just do anything you can think of to shake things up… have him bunt if you have to…. anything…
Gone
September 27th, 2011
1:15 pm
the braves billionaire owners need to fire the gm and manager after this huge choke. Totally embarrassing—no wonder that atl is called loserville.
Skip Would Say
September 27th, 2011
1:22 pm
“It looks like the Braves are playing for their off-season lives.”
Dawg4Life
September 27th, 2011
1:27 pm
Attention Braves players:
PROVE HIM WRONG!!!
“It’s pretty simple: We have to win these games,” first baseman Albert Pujols said. “I’m thinking if we win these games the worst thing is we’re playing (a one-game playoff) on Thursday.”
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/article_3d7aead9-9fe8-5953-a1d1-1fbf021d9212.html#ixzz1ZAskB844
Dawg4Life
September 27th, 2011
1:30 pm
@julie07,
You go girl, tell these jerks how it is….
GO BRAVES!