Wow. That was painful. Tim Hudson battled his ass off and what does he get? Not a damn thing! This team should have been better than this. The ragtag, ragamuffin group that Frank Wren patched together last year was nothing compared to this year’s team.
Dan Uggla’s arrival in Atlanta was supposed to solidify an offense that had sorely lacked a right-handed bat. The starting pitching was supposed to be the strength, and it was. But, the injuries to Jair Jurrjens and Tommy Hanson seriously effected this team. They had Mike Minor, Randall Delgado, Julio Teheran pitch valiantly for them. However, their inability to pitch deep into games taxed the already previously over-used bullpen. Then there was Derek Lowe. He never pitched deep into games. But, the biggest issue was the offense and it’s inability to hit in clutch situations as well as get on base.
All of these are excuses. The Braves played well for almost 5 months. The last month of the season destroyed the good that they experienced.
What makes me sick, is that the Braves lost the game on a broken bat ball in the only place in the infield that it could have been hit to score a run. The issue was that Scott Linebrink was pitching. That is where the problem began. He would have been the absolute LAST person I would have used. Fredi Gonzalez, however, had other thoughts.
The Braves had their chances. But, as has been the case for the past month, they missed their opportunities time after time.
I just want this blog to sit with everyone and help us feel miserable. There are many positives, but for now I want to feel the pain of collapse and defeat in solidarity with my beloved Braves. It hurts. I hate the Phillies…just because they are what I want the Braves to be again.
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I blame last nights loss on two things. The blown call at third on Michael Bourns steal and the backup shortstop’s ugly ass boot on the double play ball. Tim Hudson pitched a gem and didnt get much help from his men in the field. And idk who thinks that Dan Uggla hasnt solidified the braves offense because that dude caan rake. 30+ homers? Ye. Thank you Dan. The braves did a great job of blowing their playoff berth with untimely errors and a lack of ability to get runners in from scoring position.
I wasn’t saying that Dan Uggla didn’t help our offense. What I was saying, was that Uggla did not solve our offensive problems. He did his best to carry us into the playoffs. Unfortunately, there were too many holes in the lineup…especially in September.
The blown call at third and the error by Wilson helped the Braves lose for sure. Pitching to Hunter Pence, who had destroyed the Braves in the series, wasn’t smart. Pitching Scott Linebrink was dumb.
The difference between the Braves and the Phillies is that the Phillies take advantage of other team’s mistakes. The Braves rarely took advantages of other teams’ mistakes. Look at the runs the Phillies scored last night. How many were because of walks or errors? Almost all of them.
The whole thing makes me sick!! However, I’m not surprised. It just hurts to see them do so well in the standings for so long, especially after a midseason comeback. They did, after all, have a better record than most major league teams all season long. Last night’s game, like so many of their other losses, could have turned out in their favor had even just one little difference here or there occurred countless times during the game, some of which the two previous commenters already mentioned. The steal at third isn’t one, however. He was safe, but stepped off the bag ever so briefly and was tagged out. I feel sorry for the pitchers who, for the most part, pitched fairly well, but you can have the best pitchers in the world and still lose without hitting. Something needs to change for next year, or it will just be more of the same! I will still, after all is said and done, be a loyal fan, but that doesn’t mean I like watching them blow games like they have done recently!
100% agree. Thanks for sharing Ginger!
FOUR MEN FAILED THIS TEAM 1 JASON HAYWARD, MARTIN PRADO, POST INJURY
BRYAN MCCANN AND DEREK LOWE. IF ANY ONE OF THESE HAD PRODUCED AT ALL
WE WOULD BE IN THE PLAYOFFS. BOURNE WAS SAFE BUT IT WAS ULTRA STUPID
TO TRY AND STEAL THIRD WITH NO OUTS. HE FAILED TO TAKE THIRD ON THE
PREVIOUS PLAY AND WAS GOING TO MAKE UP FOR IT. NO WORSE THAN UGGLA NOT HUSTLING FROM 2ND TO THIRD AND GETTING THROWN OUT. I DON’T THINK
LINEBRINK EVER CAME INTO A GAME THAT HE DID ANYTHING POSITIVE. HIS
REAL ERA COUNTING THE OTHER GUYS RUNS HE GAVE UP SHOULD BE ABOUT 7.00
HE WAS A WASTE. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE CHIPPER HEALTHY BECAUSE HE IS
NO LONGER HAS ANY RANGE AT THIRD I WISH HE COULD PLAY FIRST BUT WE
CAN’T SIT FREDDIE. WE STILL NEED A MAJOR IMPACT BAT IN THE OUTFIELD
EVERY BODY ELSE IS GETTING VERY GOOD FAST, FLORIDA, WASHINGTON, EVEN THE METS ARE IMPROVING. WE TOOK A STEP BACKWORDS.
If I were to rank the disappointments that you shared in order, it would be this way:
1. Derek Lowe
2. Martin Prado – his season was by far worse than Heyward’s.
3. Jason Heyward – What is interesting to me is that he didn’t have a “hole in his swing” last season. No one said anything about that. Was it Parrish’s fault? I don’t know. The Braves do need him to get better.
4. Brian McCann – McCann was our best player for almost the whole season. I don’t think he was 100% healthy when he came back. He is still our best player for the majority of the year. Maybe the blame shouldn’t be solely on him, but maybe Gonzalez or Wren for allowing him to come back too quickly.