Jun 13 2008
Hit batsman in 11th sends Braves to sixth-straight loss, 7 1/2 games back in East
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
Cubs 3, Braves 2 (11 innings)
Top of the Order: Just when you thought the Braves have tortured their fans in every way imaginable, came this shot straight from the seventh level of Hades: Jeff Ridgway plunking Reed Johnson with the bases loaded in the 11th, forcing in the winning run as Atlanta lost its sixth-straight game, tied the major-league record for most consecutive one-run road losses and fell a season-worst 7 ½ games out of first in the NL East.
The Good: Once again, Tim Hudson was outstanding, pitching the way an ace is supposed to pitch. Huddy scattered seven hits over 6 2/3 innings, allowing just one run (on a sacrifice fly) while walking one and striking out five. Hudson induced two ground balls for double plays and kept the ball in the yard on a breezy day at Wrigley Field. He was treated for dehydration after the game, but apparently is OK. Jorge Campillo, Sunday night’s starter who was pressed into spot bullpen duty, got Hudson out of a jam in the seventh. Jeff Francoeur’s bat is showing some signs of life: Frenchy hit his eighth homer of the year in the second and finished 2-for-4, raising his average to .257. Brian McCann went 2-for-5. Kelly Johnson had three hits in six trips. Mark Teixeira walked three times.
The Bad: Oh my, another one-run loss, another game which the Braves led until the ninth, when the overworked Blaine Boyer gave up a game-tying solo homer to Jim Edmonds. In fairness, it was a good pitch, and in fairness, Boyer shouldn’t have been out there for a second inning (he pitched an effective eighth). But Bobby Cox had little choice, as once again closer Rafael Soriano could not pitch. He will be examined in Los Angeles today. Manny Acosta, also overworked and also struggling, breezed through the 10th but allowed the first three runners in the 11th to reach, loading the bases. Ridgway finished it from there, hitting Johnson with his first pitch. Teixeira took a called third strike with two runners on in the 11th. Totally inexcusable. Swing the bat, Mr. Cleanup Hitter!! Chipper Jones went 1-for-5, his major-league leading average dropping to .414. The Braves had chances to build on their early lead but couldn’t cash in, striking out three times in a row in the eighth after loading the bases with nobody out, en route to leaving a staggering 14 runners on base. The one-run road loss is the 21st in a row, tying the 2000-01 Royals for the longest such streak in baseball history. Atlanta drops three games under .500 and sees its nearly unfathomable marks on the road (7-24), in extra innings (1-7) and in one-run games (3-18) get even worse. And things could go even further south later today when the Braves announce the results of Tom Glavine’s MRI.
View from the Sports Garage: Earlier this week, a buddy of mine in Chicago responded via e-mail to the Cubs’ great start with this nugget that symbolizes the cynical nature of Cubs’ fans: “The Cubs invented the June swoon.” If that indeed is the case, perhaps the denizens on the North Side of the Windy City have a case for copyright infringement, because the Braves are fashioning a June swoon of legendary proportions. Johnson dropped the final out of a would-be win over Philadelphia last Friday, and the Braves haven’t won since. Six losses in a row – including a pair of one-run, extra inning defeats – have shaken this franchise and its fan base to their very core. Two years ago, the Braves went 6-21 in June and never recovered. So far this June, Atlanta is 3-8 and faces seven more games on this monster road trip. Next up: three with the Angels in Los Angeles, owners of the best record in the American League, a team that has won eight of its past 10. Somehow, the Braves have to put Thursday behind them, a day in which Atlanta led most of the way, couldn’t cash in on numerous opportunities to break the game open, then saw the wobbly arms of Boyer and Acosta fail yet again. I can’t blame those two guys at all; it’s beyond time to put Soriano’s butt on the disabled list and leave him there until the mysterious pain in the elbow is diagnosed and fixed. If Soriano can’t pitch, shelve him and get somebody – anybody – in the bullpen and, are you listening Cox, use him!
I’m at a loss for the mess this season has become, so I’m putting this out there for the rest of you. What can the Braves do to turn this thing around? Is it too late already? If so, what do you do with the roster in the coming weeks? If you think there is a chance for this team to pull back from the brink and stay in the race, what has to happen? How frustrated are you? Is this the lowest point for this franchise since the Braves started winning 17 years ago? Post your thoughts below in the comments section … (consider it therapy, something we’re all going to need if this continues).
On deck
Braves at Angels
10:05 p.m. today, Angel Stadium
The Skinny: Jo-Jo Reyes (2-4, 4.80 ERA) ran out of gas in his last start, giving up two runs in the eighth inning Saturday against Philadelphia. Still, the young left-hander has done his part to stabilize the back end of the rotation, even if he hasn’t been rewarded for his efforts. In his past three starts, Reyes has allowed eight earned runs on 14 hits in 20 1/3 innings with 21 strikeouts and just six walks. Not jaw-dropping numbers, but good enough to put the Braves in position to win (which they haven’t). For the Angels, right-hander Jon Garland (6-3, 3.87 ERA) has won three straight decisions, hasn’t lost in more than a month and carried a shutout into the eighth inning in his last start, against Oakland.
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