Apr 09 2009
Epic bullpen meltdown spoils Braves’ sweep plans in Philly
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
Phillies 12, Braves 11
Top of the Order: The Braves were nine outs away from completing a resounding sweep of the World Series champs, only to see their bullpen melt down in epic, unfathomable fashion during an eight-run seventh that sent Atlanta to its first loss of the season.
Top of the Order: The Braves completed their resounding opening-series statement in command fashion, downing the defending World Series champions with a five-run third despite not having Chipper Jones or Garret Anderson, moving to 3-0 on the season.
The Good: Don’t blame the offense. Wow … where to begin with the sticks? How about Brian McCann, who staked the Braves to a 2-0 first-inning lead for the third consecutive game with a two-run homer to right in the first. Mac finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored. How about Jordan Schafer, who belted a two-run homer in the fifth. How about Jeff Francoeur, who lined a two-run bases-loaded (yes, I said bases loaded, a situation in which Frenchy sucked royally last season) single in the third. How about Matt Diaz, who played for Anderson and doubled down the left-field line after Frenchy’s big hit, Diaz finishing 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs. How about Omar Infante, who played for Jones and responded with two hits and a walk. Javier Vazquez, making his Braves’ debut, consistently worked in and out of trouble but didn’t fold in a couple of places where the Phillies could have swung the momentum, including leaving two runners stranded to end the second with the game tied at 2-2. He should’ve gotten the victory, but …
The Bad: Holy cow. Eric O’Flaherty, Peter Moylan, Blaine Boyer and Jorge Campillo, please present checks for 1/162nd of your yearly salary to the charity of your choice, because you gave away this game that would’ve brought the Braves home undefeated. Let’s review the horror – O’Flaherty: one hit, two runs one hit batsman (but hey! Eric-O got an out, at least); Moylan, making his return from Tommy John surgery 11 months ago, had nothing: two hits, two walks, four runs, nine of his 16 pitches missing the strike zone; Boyer was horrible: two batters faced, two walks, two inherited runners allowed to score, two runs charged, nine pitches, ONE strike (he got the loss); Campillo, who at least got two outs (or else the Phillies still might be drawing walks): two hits, three inherited runners allowed to score, one run charged, two walks (he got the blown save), 21 pitches, nine strikes. Jones sat out with a sore thumb that isn’t thought to be serious. Anderson re-tweaked the calf he sprained in spring training, so that situation bears watching. Vazquez struggled with his control, walking four as the Braves issued 10 (yes, 10!) walks.
View from the Sports Garage: So much for a relaxing first day of vacation. So much for having the entire blog written by the sixth inning. So much for coming home 3-0. There is a sprinkling of games every season that every team lets slide away, games that a team has no business losing. Over the course of 162 games, these pop up from time to time. But the timing could not have been worse for an Atlanta team that needed just nine more outs to complete a sweep of the defending world champs, a team that the Braves beat only four times in 18 tries a year ago. A brutal, horrific, putrid, totally disgusting display of relief pitching – or lack thereof – in the seventh inning. Eight runs allowed on a grand total of five hits, six walks, no strikeouts … inexcusable. There is nothing else left to say, really. O’Flaherty, Moylan and Boyer faced nine hitters, retiring one. Again, what else to say except this definitely goes into the column of games that should not have ended with a L. This one stings, folks. The Braves were THIS FREAKING CLOSE to coming home undefeated. Instead, it’s a series win. Yes, winning the series was great, but losing a chance to sweep in this manner makes it very, very difficult to even try to give this a holistic positive spin. Instead, it was horrific in every sense of the word. Time to take today off and get ready for Friday’s home opener. I’m sure folks still will be excited, but I wish the Braves played today. This one was pretty bitter to swallow, and some aftertaste will remain until the first pitch is thrown Friday night.
View from the Sports Garage: So somebody came to you Sunday morning and said the Braves would allow the Phillies just four runs in 27 innings, hit seven home runs, get a masterpiece from their new ace in the season opener, score twice in the first inning all three games … you’d say, “what the heck ever.” But that’s exactly what the Braves did in a three-game stretch that sends as definitive of a message as you can send in the opening hours of a season. This Braves team is nothing like the team that Philly flattened 14 out of 18 times last season. This Braves team looks like the type of team we thought it could be. Now granted, three games do not make a season, and I’m anxious to see the type of response we see from Atlanta when it takes the field Friday night for the home opener against Washington, another team that gave the Braves fits last season. To me, the biggest thing that happened for this team during the entire series wasn’t the homers or the great starting pitching. It was the top of the third Wednesday. Atlanta had just watched Raul Ibanez go yard to tie the game. And how did this team respond? It strung hits together, quality at-bats and great swings. Nobody tried to hit the ball out of that little bandbox. Instead, the Braves got runners on base and followed up with hit. Bam! Five-run inning. Ballgame. Sweep. It was a thing of beauty. Atop the NL East with a 3-0 record and an off day to enjoy the view before we all gather at Turner Field Friday night for the first home game of a season that already is making us dream (just a little bit) of what might be to come for a franchise that suffered so dearly last season.
On deck
Braves vs. Nationals
7:30 p.m. Friday, Turner Field
The Skinny: Derek Lowe set the bar pretty high with his masterful opening-night performance Sunday. Now, the Braves’ new ace looks to make a great first impression on the home folks as the right-hander climbs the bump for Atlanta in its home opener. Lowe dazzled the Phillies with eight innings of two-hit, shutout ball Sunday, inducing 13 ground ball outs while walking none and striking out four. Lowe went 1-1 with a 1.12 ERA against Washington last season, allowing seven hits and two runs in 16 innings. For the Nationals, who were swept in Florida to start the season 0-3, it’ll be right-hander Shairon Martis toeing the slab. Martis will make just his fifth career start. The 22-year-old Curacao native went 1-3 in five games last season as a rookie. He made his major-league debut Sept. 4 at Turner Field, giving up two runs on four hits with five walks in five innings, taking the loss as the Braves won 2-0.
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