Sep 22 2008
Braves deal Mets another damaging loss
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
Braves 7, Mets 6
Top of the Order: Down two runs entering the bottom of the seventh, the Braves rallied to grab the lead and held on at the finish, dealing the Mets another damaging loss in front of a huge crowd in the final home game this season at Turner Field.
The Good: Jeff Francoeur and Martin Prado each had three hits, and they were clutch hits, too. Francoeur drove in the go-ahead run in a four-run eighth with a triple. He also doubled twice and scored two runs, raising his average to .239. Prado doubled twice, including a two-run double in the eighth after the Mets walked pinch-hitter Chipper Jones to get to him. Prado finished with three RBIs and scored a run. Greg Norton continues to make a case for being here next year, finishing with a hit and two walks. Brent Lillibridge pinch-ran and stole a base, scoring the go-ahead run on Frenchy’s triple. The Braves’ bullpen did its job over 7 1/3 innings. Buddy Carlyle, Vladimir Nunez, Charlie Morton, Manny Acosta, Jorge Julio and Mike Gonzalez combined to allow just four hits and two runs, with nine strikeouts.
The Bad: James Parr had another sub-par performance – four hits, four runs and four walks in 1 2/3 innings pitched. Gonzalez allowed a two-run homer in the ninth as the Mets pulled within one.
View from the Sports Garage: A nice way to end the home schedule, wouldn’t you say, with a come-from-behind victory against the team everybody in Braves Nation loves to hate. The Mets now are 1 1/2 games out of first and fading fast. Love it! Francoeur is coming around, his average now at its highest level since July 1. Frenchy is hitting .306 in September and you just hope he can have a good final week to take something positive going into the offseason. Actually, you’ve got to hope that the Braves can play well in this final week – with three at Philly and three at Houston – to serve as a springboard for the offseason. We all know there will be changes to this team before we see them at Turner Field again. But it was indeed encouraging to see the Braves knock off the Mets the past two days. Hopefully, they will play well on the road this week and finish this disappointing season on a good note. Atlanta is 10-9 in September and, with a .500 or better road trip, will have its first winning month since May. Yes, it’s been a summer to forget and the fall will be idle for the Braves for the third consecutive season. But, you’ve got to start building for next season somewhere, and so far, the final month of the season hasn’t been too bad at all.
On deck
Braves at Phillies
7:05 p.m. today, Citizens Bank Park
The Skinny: Jair Jurrjens (13-10, 3.72 ERA) needed 43 pitches to get through the first inning Wednesday against the Phils. By the time the frame was over, JJJ had allowed four runs. The rookie right-hander hopes for better results tonight as the Braves begin their season-ending six-game road trip. For the Phillies, lefty J.A. Happ (1-0, 4.24 ERA) returns to the bump. He shut out the Braves over six strong innings in Wednesday’s contest.
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It is nice to play the role of spoiler, but I would rather be in the race.