May 28 2008
Late lead slips away as Braves open road trip with (surprise!) one-run loss
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
Brewers 3, Braves 2
Top of the Order: Back on the road, back in the loss column as Milwaukee scored single runs in the final three innings, the Braves dropping the opening game of a six-game road trip to fall to 6-17 away from Turner Field.
The Good: Tim Hudson deserved a better fate, pitching eight innings and allowing just two runs. He did give up 11 hits, but walked just one and struck out six, pitching well enough to win. Hudson also had a hit in three at-bats. Kelly Johnson extended his hitting streak to 13 games, giving the Braves an early lead with a first-inning solo homer. Gregor Blanco hit his first major-league homer in the second. Chipper Jones went 2-for-4, his big-league leading average now at .418. Rafael Soriano threw a good bullpen session Tuesday; provided his elbow feels good today, look for him to be activated from the disabled list. Mike Gonzalez had a good checkup with team doctors Tuesday and heads out today for Double-A Mississippi to begin his minor-league rehab stint.
The Bad: Horrible offensive showing against Dave Bush, who was pitching to save his spot in Milwaukee’s rotation. Consider it saved; maybe Bush should send the Braves some flowers or something to say thanks. After all, the Brave made Bush look anything but bush, mustering just seven hits. Brian McCann didn’t have a hit, ending his hitting streak at 13 games. Mark Kotsay didn’t start for the second day in a row as his back remains sore. Jeff Bennett couldn’t keep the game tied in the ninth, falling asleep as Bill Hall stole third base, setting up Mike Cameron’s game-winning sacrifice fly. Matt Diaz’ nightmarish season continued, as he injured his left knee in the sixth inning and will go to the disabled list. Diaz could miss several weeks with a strained posterior cruciate ligament. The Phillies moved past the Braves and into second place in the NL East, Atlanta remaining 2 1/2 games behind Florida.
View from the Sports Garage: Heard the saying “the road calls,” right? I’ve got a new one: “the road sucks!” Yep, another road game, another road loss. The Braves had chances early on and – surprise! – couldn’t cash in. Then, Atlanta swung the sticks like they had an 11 p.m. dinner engagement in Green Bay. In the final seven innings, the Braves saw just 72 pitches. Yunel Escobar, hitting leadoff, was especially impatient, looking at just eight pitches in his four at-bats. It’s one thing to be aggressive, another matter altogether to hack senselessly, particularly against a pitcher like Bush who has struggled this season. Huddy deserved far better, but you got the sense of the way this thing was going when the Brewers tied the game on a ball off Hudson’s foot with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth. Bennett, for all his good work this season, totally lost track of the situation in the ninth, allowing the speedy Hall to get a five-step jump on that steal of third base. Somebody please tell me what in the world it is when this team leaves Turner Field? This team looked nothing like the team that won eight of 11 on the recently completed homestand. No excuse for a performance like this, especially against a team that had lost 15 of its past 23. Same story, different day. Like I said, the road sucks.
On deck
Braves at Brewers
8:05 p.m., Miller Park
The Skinny: Jo-Jo Reyes took a step backward in his last start. The Braves need him to reverse that movement tonight. Reyes (2-2, 5.84 ERA) had pitched well in his previous two outings leading into Friday’s game against Arizona, outings marked by good pitch location. But Reyes consistently missed his spots Friday and it resulted in a five-run deficit in the first inning. He has to be more consistent. For the Brewers, Jeff Suppan (2-4, 4.47 ERA) could have gotten the victory against Washington his last time out, only to be undone by his defense. Since beating the Cubs in his first start April 2, Suppan has won just once. It’s a matchup that really doesn’t favor either team too much. Hopefully, the Braves will be a lot more patient against Suppan than they were against Bush.
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