At least the Braves have experience in win-or-blow-it games
Here's how it turned out last season. For reference purposes. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
Looking on the bright side — and even finding a bright side takes concentrated effort — there’s this: If any team in the history of baseball knows how to win the 162nd game of a season behind Tim Hudson after losing two to the Phillies and entering Game No. 162 tied for the wild card after blowing a massive lead … well, the Braves are that team. Because they did it last season.
And that’s it. That’s all I’ve got. Rating the collapses, this season’s is much worse than last’s. The 2010 Braves ran out of everyday players; the 2011 Braves have run low on starting pitchers. Last year’s team had a hard time scoring for a pretty good reason; this team has a hard time scoring for no good reason.
Last year’s Braves lost a seven-game division lead because the Phillies got hot and got healthy (and got Roy Oswalt) and blew past them. This team has lost an 8 1/2-game wild-card lead to St. Louis, which was hot but is only 3-3 over the past six days and needed 23 players, eight of them pitchers, to override a five-run deficit against the 100-loss Astros on Tuesday.
So: Here we go again. One more game on the schedule, one game to assure these Braves of playing at least one more game after this.
Loading ...About the Cardinals: You’d have to think Chris Carpenter will win at Minute Maid Park tonight, but you’d have thought Carpenter would have beaten the Cubs on Friday and he could not. Carpenter was pulled after 93 pitchers for a pinch-hitter in a 1-1 game; the Cardinals yielded Alfonso Soriano’s winning three-run homer the next inning.
That Redbird loss pushed the Braves’ lead back to three games with five to play. They haven’t held it. Now they could face elimination if they don’t win tonight, but the way this stumbling chase is going they might lose to Philly and still get to play in St. Louis on Thursday. Indeed, for an hour or so Tuesday night it appeared the Braves — who trailed 7-0 — might take the wild card without actually winning another game. But the Cardinals rallied from 5-0 and 6-5 deficits, and here we are. Again.
Tim Hudson in the 162nd game. A team could do worse. For example: Derek Lowe in the 161st game — that was worse.
By Mark Bradley
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355 comments Add your comment
Mark Bradley
September 28th, 2011
8:48 am
Another silver lining: The Red Sox are providing cover, nationally speaking, with their flop.
Sonny Clusters
September 28th, 2011
8:48 am
Stinky Wintes once said, “these flu-like symptoms could keep me out of the lineup today,” but Coach said, “Stinky Wintes, get out there at third base and play ball.” And he did. Stinky Wintes could go left, and he could go right, and he could jump and could throw . . . and he could talk to the press and not sound like he was a horse. We was thinking Chipper’s song when he comes to bat should be something like Mr. Ed’s theme song. “A horse is a horse, of course, of course . . .”
SimpleDawg
September 28th, 2011
8:49 am
What’s the use……
The recent past is prologue. We have seen the future, and it’s not pretty.
The Braves should have won 100 games this year, but…….
Phillies, Class of The NL
September 28th, 2011
8:49 am
With the collapse almost complete, I am still offering amnesty to any lowly braves fans that want to stay in my good graces. You can apologize today for your ignorance, and quite frankly, folly, in ever comparing a gutless team like the braves to the Juggernaut that is The Philadelphia Phillies. What an insult! After the collapse is complete tonight, amnesty will be off the table. You have today, and only today.
Tim Hudson against Philly in a must-win game 162? Been there, done that | HardballTalk
September 28th, 2011
8:51 am
[...] the quote of the day from Mark Bradley of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution: “Tim Hudson in the 162nd game. A team could do worse. For example: Derek Lowe in the 161st [...]
blazerdawg
September 28th, 2011
8:51 am
MB – as I recall the 96 meltdown, from which we have not recovered, immediately followed your article claiming the Braves were as good/better than the 1927 NY Yankees. Are you the reason for this bad Karma?
Abnerish
September 28th, 2011
8:51 am
So, they can’t hit a starting pitcher that goes 6 or 7 innings and now they have to face 3 starting pitchers that are going to go 2 innings, tops. They have absolutely zero chance of winning unless Hudson somehow throws a shutout, which ain’t happening against these Phillies. Even then, it will have to go at least 14 innings to score a run. If we get down early, they may want to see if they can get a refund on all that champagne they bought. I’ve never seen a team choke as bad as this one did. Truly pathetic.
Phillies, Class of The NL
September 28th, 2011
8:52 am
how about everyone’s favorite catcher, McCann, yelling 3-3-3 last night – pathetic huh? There wasn’t a force at third, just a horrible call. Chooch would have never done that.
Braves 2011
September 28th, 2011
8:53 am
Tim Hudson is in the present and is playing well.
Most of the rest of his team is in the past and are playing poorly.
Most MLB free-falls are because a team cannot let go of what they did the day or week before.
Get in the present like last year and we get in.
brad
September 28th, 2011
8:53 am
My bad, Mark. It’s hard to break through all the repressed memories.
motor
September 28th, 2011
8:53 am
Maybe its a Godsend that the Cards are so dominate now. Maybe they are the team to beat the phils and keep from the World Series.
No World Series for Feelys.
Sioux Brave
September 28th, 2011
8:53 am
Why want Larry Parrish at least defend himself, come out and say somthing.
Ryan's dad
September 28th, 2011
8:53 am
This is a serious question: Why aren’t the Cardinals or Tampa tired from a 162 game season? How come our rookies are seemingly the only ones who are fatigued because they have never played this long? Last year we were forced to use Brooks Conrad and Eric Hinske in uncomfortable situations because we couldn’t last the season. This year we have to use our pitching staff like it is an all-star game where every pitcher gets an inning. Why are we so physically depleted compared to our competition?!
Phillies, Class of The NL
September 28th, 2011
8:54 am
McCann = above-average hitter (usually), below-average catcher
Chooch = best all around catcher in The NL, and hits about .400 in the playoffs, which is why we call him Senor Octobre….
Phillies, Class of The NL
September 28th, 2011
8:55 am
how about that 3-3-3 call by McCann when there wasn’t a force at 3rd?? You need to take the sure out there….another example of his inability to play the position
Phillies, Class of The NL
September 28th, 2011
8:56 am
oh yeah, the crowd was lame again last night at Turner Field
HateBaseballButHateBravesEvenMore
September 28th, 2011
8:56 am
I live for this kind of Braves collapse. Lets hope they complete it
motor
September 28th, 2011
8:57 am
Hey fillys,Love the choke job you did last year against a bunch of cast offs called the San Francisco Giants.
Quagmire
September 28th, 2011
8:58 am
The Braves will be worse next year with the large salaries that they’ll pay to Chipper and Lowe. Both of those guys should do the honorable thing and retire after this season, but neither will do that.
I think that Kimbrel and Venters won’t be nearly as good next year, either, because of being used to much this year. I hope that their careers aren’t shortened because of how much they were used this year…way too much.
Sonny Clusters
September 28th, 2011
8:58 am
Some people say we are too mean to Chipper but we was always fed a steady diet of Chipper quotes that never seem to match up to what he’s doing. We remember him calling out other players and we remember Smoltz calling him out one time for missing games when he was supposed to be balls to the wall. Anyway, somebody is always the leader and it’s not really his fault he’s the one the organization chose and he’s not up to the job. McCann was supposed to inherit the leadership role but that poor boy looks whipped.
Bobby Cox 2.0
September 28th, 2011
8:59 am
Glad to see the Braves are in prime post season form (losing). I don’t get the attitude of I’d rather lose in the playoffs than not make it at all. Find one pro team fan base that has the same attitude. Mediocrity is celebrated in this town.
Phillies, Class of The NL
September 28th, 2011
9:00 am
how can a below-average catcher like McCann be the leader?? lowly braves fans have fooled themselves into thinking he is good because he makes All-Start teams – woo-hoo you simpletons. If the lowly braves offered the Phillies a straight up trade of McCann for Chooch, the Phillies would flat-out turn it down.
Sonny Clusters
September 28th, 2011
9:02 am
All this pent up anger will be taken out on the deer population in just a few days.
doc
September 28th, 2011
9:03 am
somehow and somewhere it will be the fan’s fault. then someone in the media will abuse the fan’s we will be ridiculed if the braves back in for not buying out the stadium to watch reruns of what was seen with better and better funded teams in the past. bright side is, it is sunny outside where i live …. and they wonder why sports are a tough sell in this town?
if i were the phillies i would go for the throat tonight as it could even impact next season and how the braves meet the new year. sport’s psyches are a mysterious thing and this collapse could have a long lasting effect going forward.
bill
September 28th, 2011
9:05 am
brad you are correct and the clone of the dumba$$ who could have been a real manager and stopped that trainwreck selected the new driver for this years accident in process. At some point you have to be a take charge manager and we do not have that guy. At least Guillen is funny crazy . OUr guy is just stupid.
j.t.keene
September 28th, 2011
9:05 am
Remember, it was only a few weeks ago that “all” of the sports media in the Atlanta area were tellling us about the playoffs and declaring the the Braves had the “wild card” clinched.
Jason Heyward's Gynecologist
September 28th, 2011
9:05 am
Chipper Jones was right.
doc
September 28th, 2011
9:07 am
mark, would you check your trap file and bring uo what i posted. thanks so much.
predsjack
September 28th, 2011
9:07 am
Fire Freddie, steal Ozzie from the Marlins!
Doug
September 28th, 2011
9:07 am
I am still puzzled as to why the Braves Manager started Derrick Lowe a 9 – 17 pitcher??? He has to be the leader and tell the veteran that he just has not performed up to the level to get the start.
The other thing, down 3 to nothing in the 3rd or 4th inning, Atlanta had Bourne on 2nd, and Prado on 1st with one out. Chipper coming up. You have to be aggressive. Why weren’t they running on the first pitch for a double steal to try and create something and to stay out of the double play? Chipper has a bum knee and is high risk for a double play. I just don’t understand why the Manager isn’t trying things like that to try and make something happen.
Signed: Frustrated in Alabama
Put a fork in 'em
September 28th, 2011
9:08 am
Counting the days until spring training…….
bill
September 28th, 2011
9:08 am
When Lowe balked because he forgot what bases the runners were on shows he is either under the influence or does not care . Either way we lose.
Jason Heyward's Gynecologist
September 28th, 2011
9:09 am
The Braves need a new hitting coach.
The Braves need a new pitching coach.
The Braves need a 3rd Base Coach who would NOT have held up Sid Bream at 3rd.
The Braves starting right fielder needs to cut back on the estrogen supplements, listen to Terry Pendleton and actually hustle after a ball in the outfield, or we should permanently have him be a pinch-RUNNER only.
Jason Heyward's Gynecologist
September 28th, 2011
9:10 am
Oh, I almost forgot.
Derek “Pour Me Another” Lowe needs to catch a ride home with Designated Drive Dany Heatley.
Jason Heyward's Gynecologist
September 28th, 2011
9:10 am
I mean Terry Pendleton: Hitting Coach, not Terry Pendleton: First Base Coach.
DetroitBraves
September 28th, 2011
9:11 am
For those saying they don’t even want to see them in the playoffs anymore, the reason to want to make the playoffs, despite how bleak their prospects appear at this point if they are so fortunate, is that a) baseball is a weird game and you never know and b) if they make it and get swept out so be it. No one will really remember that. Finishing off this epic collapse will be remembered forever.
Personally, the epic collapse would be easier to take if it resulted in some major changes on the coaching staff but I really don’t think that it will.
Herschel Talker
September 28th, 2011
9:11 am
MB:
Regarding your comment about pitching Lowe last night, are you angry about it? I mean, don’t you think Fredi deserves to be canned for that decision? You can bet that if Teheran starts that game, it’s not 6-0 very quickly. How could he possibly justify such a brutal decision when we all knew how it would end/
HT
Jason Heyward's Gynecologist
September 28th, 2011
9:12 am
Derek “Pour Me Another” Lowe’s Designated Driver:
Dany Heatley
AtlNative
September 28th, 2011
9:13 am
Don’t expect a miracle from Houston tonight. Win tonight because St Louis WILL! Play the 1 game series in Stl Louis. Lose and take a vacation until next year. It was fun until we got to September. Oh well…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Darth Hater
September 28th, 2011
9:13 am
The Braves need to acquire Joe Maddon from Tampa the same way the Marlins “traded” for Ozzie Guillen.
DEPORT FREDI GONZALEZ!
P Rose
September 28th, 2011
9:14 am
Chipper Jones and Derek Lowe should retire at the end of this season. Seriously. Chipper has had a hall of fame career, no doubt. Lowe has had his day as well. But combined, the two are sucking $29 million from an $87 million dollar payroll – that’s fully ONE THIRD of the team’s salary for two players well past their primes. Lowe is hurting the Braves on the field more than Chipper is – every Lowe start has become practically a guaranteed loss. But to this observer, Chipper may be hurting the team more psychologically. He is the undisputed team leader; the Braves live or die by Chipper, and, come the Fall, all they ever do is die. The only championship they won with him on the team was in ‘95, when he was NOT the team leader – Justice was. Since then, they have literally wilted every single Autumn. Chipper is the only remaining link to all those September-October failures. We love you, Chipper, but it’s time to hang up those cleats, buddy. It’s time for new leadership of the Atlanta Braves.
yellow britches
September 28th, 2011
9:14 am
The Braves starting rotation never jelled and now it’s just a bono fide train wreck. JJ gone. Hanson gone. Derick Lowe, well what can you say about this Frank Wren mistake. I think our starters logged fewer innings per game than any other team in the NL. That said, we had some moments with the young guys. Minor, Beechy, Delgado that might have gotten us there is the offense hadn’t inextricably vanished. If I hear Chipper say one more time about facing an unknown, rookie throw in from the opposing team that we “just couldn’t figure this guy out” I think I am going to puke The offense sux and the team has been unwatchable for the past six weeks. Just boring, dull baseball. Thank heavens for the Yellow Jackets. Go reck!
BullDogMike
September 28th, 2011
9:17 am
Pitiful !!
Logan
September 28th, 2011
9:17 am
The wheels do alwys come off for the Braves, or have since ‘95. I do not think that the Braves will win tonight or that it would matter if they did, but Huddy could be the answer here. I mean he goes out throws 8 innings of shutout ball, Braves put up a few runs and figure out they can win a game, and we roll into the play in game and… well we all know what happens then but its cool to think what if?
ffjsisk
September 28th, 2011
9:17 am
Hey Mark, what happened to all that “the Braves are fine” crap you’ve been writing for the last month? “If the Braves go 7-6 or 9-8 down the stretch the Cards have to go 14-2″ whatever the numbers were, guess what? It happened. I told you not to assume this team could go .500, this team makes me channel my inner Jim Mora (Playoffs? Don’t talk to me about playoffs. I just hope we can win another game!). The Braves are done because Fredi tried to be Bobby and let this team go into cruise control, they read all your crap and listened to all espn’s crap about how they are in and they believed it. Once it got close Fredi didn’t know how to wake his boys up! This IMO, is squarely on Fredi’s shoulders and this is the reason I dodn’t want a BC disciple to manage this team because there is only one Bobby. It worked for him because he knew how to handle these situations and Fredi doesn’t. Fire this bum and bring me Ozzie Guillen because if we’re gonna lose, I would like to at least be interesting.
Smitty
September 28th, 2011
9:19 am
I’m really annoyed about how the last few weeks have played out. I can even agree that they would be swept in the playoffs if they manage to sneak in. However, the adult in me remembers that I’ve cheered for this team for 161 games this season. I’ve cheered for them for over 25 seasons before this one. I’m going to cheer like heck for them today too.
ffjsisk
September 28th, 2011
9:19 am
P Rose be careful what you wish for with CJ, he has been our most consistent player this year despite missing 40 games.
Rich Nykerk
September 28th, 2011
9:20 am
On August 11, 1951, Brooklyn had held a 13½-game lead on the NYGiants, but the Giants turned around and won their next 16 games. While Brooklyn finished the season on a 26–22 clip, the Giants put together a streak almost unequalled in baseball history, winning 37 of the last 44 games, including the last seven in a row. Only a 14-inning victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, the previous year’s league champions, on the last day of the regular season enabled the Dodgers to force the best-of-three-games showdown. Giants beat the Dodgers in the third playoff game when Bobby Thomson hit the homer “heard round the world”
Leonard
September 28th, 2011
9:21 am
You know, even if they win this thing I don;t think they have any dam- reason to celebrate! What a pitiful showing in the past month.
Dr. Phil
September 28th, 2011
9:21 am
I have followed the Braves since 1966. Back in the 70’s, I gave up on them when Ted Turner was playing a fool at the stadium, and the Braves really sucked. I thought then that Ted was manipulating losses as some sort of tax writeoff. For the past 20 years, I have visited spring training almost every year and attended games in Atlanta in spite of the awful $7 hot dogs. Like most fans on this site, I have slammed Chipper Jones for is arrogance and fragile big toe. Derek Lowe and McOut are off the chart and must go the way of Kawakami and Glaus. But, it really hurts to see good players, like Prado, McCann, Freeman, and Uggla behaving like zombies. There is something seriously wrong here, and it is bigger than the batting coach and Fredi Gonzales. Wren certainly is part of the problem, and I doubt if he is going away any time soon. This year has been a lot like Lucy and the football, as many fans have pointed out. Hopefully next year will be different, but there must be some changes.