Jul 27 2008
Epic meltdown: Braves blow six-run lead in Hampton’s return, fall by one run at Philly
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
Phillies 10, Braves 9
Top of the Order: In a season littered with enough gut-wrenching losses to make even the most optimistic fan spend the offseason wondering “what if,” the Braves let a six-run lead slide away and lost at Philadelphia in Mike Hampton’s return to the major leagues.
The Good: The end result wasn’t great, but at least Hampton didn’t get hurt (insert punchline here) in his first major-league appearance since Aug. 19, 2005. For one inning, the Braves were unstoppable at the plate, scoring a season-best nine runs in the fourth to build a 9-3 lead and – momentarily – put Hampton in position to win. Mark Teixeira capped the frame with a three-run homer, finishing 2-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Mark Kotsay had a pair of hits, drove in a run, scored once and walked once. Omar Infante drove in two runs. Jeff Francoeur drove in a run, just his fourth RBI since June 20. Yunel Escobar walked three times. Will Ohman struck out one in a perfect inning of relief. Rafael Soriano looked strong again, fanning two in a perfect inning. Julian Tavarez also pitched a scoreless frame of relief. In activating Hampton, the Braves shipped promising right-hander Charlie Morton to Triple-A Richmond. The Mets lost, keeping the Braves 6 1/2 games out in the NL East.
The Bad: A six-run lead constructed off Cole Hamels – one of the best in the game – and yet the Braves lost, dropping their major-league record 25th consecutive one-run road game. Hampton’s numbers weren’t great in his long-awaited return: four innings, eight hits, six runs, two walks, one strikeout. Three consecutive hits to start the fifth ended his day, and the day fell apart for the Braves soon after Hampton’s exit. Royce Ring gave up a hit, allowing two of the inherited runners to score. Blaine Boyer’s run of shutout appearances since July 4 ended with a thud, Boyer giving up three hits and three runs, the crippling blow a Greg Dobbs’ three-run homer capping a seven-run fifth and giving Philly a 10-9 lead. The Braves had their chances after falling behind, but left seven runners on base in the final four innings. In case you’re keeping score at home, Atlanta drops to an abysmal 6-23 in one-run games this season, a season that could be drawing to a close very, very soon.
View from the Sports Garage: So here we are, on the final Sunday in July, and the Braves perhaps staring straight at a game today they must win, or else face the near-certain systematic elimination of their squad from playoff contention. Granted, at the very worst they will end this trip 7 1/2 games out of first, and could be within 5 1/2 of first if they win today and the Mets lose. But you get the feeling if Atlanta falls today, general manager Frank Wren will begin talking seriously about trading Teixeira and Ohman and perhaps Kotsay, too. A trip that started with three wins in four games took a nightmarish turn in the bottom of the fifth. You simply cannot blow a six-run lead in a game that you have to win. Add in the Hampton subplot, the fact the Braves hung nine on Hamels (a guy who had allowed just one run to the Braves in 20 2/3 innings this season entering the fourth), and you have the worst loss in a season full of indigestion-inducing defeats. This one hurts, good people, let there be no doubt. Seeing Hampton on the mound was encouraging, but he ran out of gas in the fifth and the bullpen totally came apart at the seams. Hampton deserved a better fate, honestly. The Braves then failed to cash in with runners on base the rest of the way, and what would have been a watershed moment in this team’s crawl back into contention became memorable indeed, but for all the wrong reasons. The Braves simply have no choice now: They must win today. A victory ends the road trip at 4-2, helps to somewhat ease the pain of Saturday’s epic meltdown, gives the Braves consecutive series victories against two of the teams they are chasing in the East, and at least gives Wren and management cause to pause in regards of what to do at Thursday’s trade deadline. But make no mistake about it. Lose today, and this maddening, sputtering push to try and get back into the race probably is finished. How the Braves ended up in this position is far from easy to figure out, but today’s agenda is simple enough: Win, or say hello to winter.
On deck
Braves at Phillies
1:35 p.m. today, Citizens Bank Park
The Skinny: He started this critical road trip with a great performance. Now, Jorge Campillo (5-4, 2.83 ERA) toes the slab with the Braves in the rubber game of the series. But, as discussed above, there is so much more that probably hangs in the balance. Campillo dominated the Marlins Monday in Miami, allowing just two hits in seven stellar innings. On the road, Campillo has been sensational – 3-2 with a 1.53 ERA. For the Phillies, Joe Blanton (5-12, 5.08 ERA) makes his second start since Oakland dealt him to Philly. In his NL debut Tuesday, Blanton gave up eight hits and five runs to the Mets in six innings.
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