SB Nation - Omar Infante

The Atlanta Braves Weekly Wrap

gondeee — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:45:03 -0000

Here's a look at the major stories in the world of the Atlanta Braves for the week ending on October 25th:

In the Press...

There were some suggestions by beat writers David O'Brien and Mark Bowman about the off-season direction the Braves will take.
Talking Chop first reported that Jason Heyward was sidelined with a leg injury, which was later reported by the Braves.com site.
The Braves "got the ball rolling" on contract extension talks with Tim Hudson.
The Braves hired another former member of the Orioles front office.
The AJC reported that Martin Prado is likely going to be the Braves 2010 opening day second baseman.

At Talking Chop...

The Atlanta Braves Fan Confidence Poll showed that Braves fans are already feeling better about the off-season.
We reviewed the 2009 season of third baseman Chipper Jones.
The 2009 seasons of Omar Infante, Kelly Johnson, and Garret Anderson were also reviewed.
Matt reviewed the top-5 Braves third base prospects and the top-5 left field prospects.
Matt Diaz chatted with fans on ESPN, we wrapped up the most interesting Qs & As.
The bloggers of Talking Chop conducted a round table on the third basemen in the Braves organization.
We continue to recap the Braves prospects' performances in the games of the baseball fall and winter leagues, here and here.

Notable FanPosts and FanShots...

GoBravesNY told us about prospect Jeff Lyman's Arizona Fall League blog, and cbwilk told us about L.V. Ware's blog.
justincredubil02 informed everyone how to get free Braves merchandise.
Dale Murphy for HOF gave us his top-5 best and top-5 worst Braves trades.
GoBravesNY asked everyone what their screen names meant, mine (gondeee) is a play on my last name, Gandy.
PWHjort expanded upon a link from the USS Mariner about roster construction theory.

Upcoming Events...

The first ever Brian McCann Celebrity Softball Game is set for November 13th... details here. We're making this a bit of a Talking Chop outing, so everyone get your tickets!
The Gwinnett Braves have a whole slate of off-season events planned at their ballpark, the list is here.

Braves 2009 Season in Review: Omar Infante

gondeee — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:41:26 -0000

The only thing we need to know about the Braves super-utility guy Omar Infante, is how to clone him. Infante started at least three games at second base, shortstop, third base, left field, center field, and right field. The importance of Infante can also be seen by knowing who replaced him when he was injured -- Diory Hernandez. Here is a comparison of their 2009 stats:

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Omar Infante	70	203	24	62	9	1	2	27	19	28	2	0	.305	.361	.389

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Diory Hernandez	33	85	6	12	3	0	1	6	6	22	0	1	.141	.198	.212

It's not even close. Of course, Diory was a rookie, so perhaps it's unfair to him to hold him to the same standards as a veteran like Infante, but the difference in their value to the team is nothing to shy away from -- Hernandez was a huge drop-off from Infante.

Amazingly some of Omar's comps at Baseball-Reference show that his stats are similar to several everyday players -- guys like Shawon Dunston, Jack Wilson, and Orlando Cabrera. Regardless of what you think of those players, they are or were everyday players, so to have our utility man compared statistically to those guys further underscores his value.

Infante is not a power threat, but he did improve a weak part of his game this year which may make him even more valuable going forward -- his on-base percentage. He posted the highest OBP of his career in 2009, while posting the highest walk percentage and lowest strikeout percentage of his 8-year career. When you look at his strikeouts and walks they are moving in the right direction the last four years:

Year	2006	2007	2008	2009
Strikeout %	18.4	16.3	12.6	12.2
Walk %	5.7	5.1	6.3	8.3

This is a sign of an improving hitter, and one who is improving while not being an everyday player. We've got Infante under contract for one more year at $2.225 million, and we've got a team option on him for 2011 at only $2.5 million. He does have some performance bonuses which would allow him to earn up to $3 million in 2010 and $3.5 in 2011, but even if he meets all of those, that's a bargain for as good of a utility player as he can be. If we indeed are getting him on the upswing in his career number -- and keep in mind that he'll only be 28-year old next year -- then he may prove to be even more valuable in the future.

His absence from the lineup during the middle months of the season was a big blow to the team, but the injury was not his fault -- he was hit by a pitch which broke a bone in his hand. If the season-threatening injuries can stay away from Omar he should be a strong and valuable part of our team for years to come. His ability to spell any player in the outfield or infield, and maintain a high level of offensive production while doing so is part of what will help make Atlanta playoff contenders in 2010 and beyond.

Braves Top-5 Shortstop Prospects

cbwilk — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 13:00:29 -0000

Brandon Hicks is the Atlanta Braves top shortstop prospect.

View full size photo »

2009 saw Yunel Escobar continue to assert himself as one of the top shortstops in the National League and with the dearth of shortstop prospects in Atlanta's farm system, that's a huge blessing. The top two players on this list were unanimous selections by the bloggers, though after that the pickings became so slim that it left ties for both third and fourth place, with none of those players looking at particularly bright futures. And, even with the talent at the top, there are questions about whether or not those players will be able to stick at shortstop. Clearly, Atlanta is fortunate to have Escobar.

1. Brandon Hicks B/T: R/R Born: 9/14/1985 Ht:6'2" Wt: 200
After an impressive 2008 playing mostly for Myrtle Beach, where he hit .235 with a .802 OPS to go with 20 home runs and 14 stolen bases, Hicks put up a strikingly similar season in 2009 with Mississippi, with one major exception, his home run power left him. While he hit for a similar average, .237, his OPS dropped .110 points to just .692 as he felt the effects of Mississippi's home park. He hit 10 home runs and while his number of doubles was nearly identical, 25 in 09 compared to 26 in 08, he had 70 more plate appearances this season.

The jump to AA clearly affected Hicks as he hit just .215 with a .651 OPS in April. He was also affected by his home ballpark, as he hit just .214 with a .624 OPS at home for the season, compared to .258 with a .754 OPS on the road. Despite these struggles, he seemed to turn things around toward the end of the season, hitting .248 with a .773 OPS in 123 August plate appearances, followed by a torrid finish where he hit .400 with a 1.300 OPS in 24 September plate appearances. This turnaround, combined with the fact that he actually decreased his strikeout rate from the previous season, hint toward Hicks' ability and speak highly of his future.

Hicks has been routinely praised as a top tier defensive shortstop and while his range is nothing spectacular, he takes good routes on balls, has a strong, accurate arm, and rarely makes mental mistakes. While his error total did increase in 2009, some of that could be attributed to taking his poor hitting out to the field with him. Hicks is extremely competitive and has a tendency to be too intense at times. But, while this can occasionally be adverse to his play, it's mostly a huge positive, and part of what allowed him to succeed toward the end of the season.

Hicks is playing out in the Arizona Fall League and regardless of how well he does out there, he'll likely begin 2010 at Mississippi again. He'll need to refine his swing and create more line drives to allow his power to come naturally. He's a big, strong kid and may grow out of shortstop, necessitating a move to third base. But, while he's a bit older than most top prospects, Hicks' talent is obvious, and it's not out of the question that he could see time in Atlanta by the tail end of 2010, though he's more likely to begin making an impact in late 2011.

2. Myke Jones B/T: R/R Born: 5/30/1987 Ht: 5'10" Wt: 165
Selected in the fourth round, Jones was Atlanta's third highest draft pick this season. While he was an integral part of Danville's championship team as their leadoff hitter and shortstop, his season wasn't as dominant as you'd hope for a player who was several years too old for the league. His overall numbers were decent for a middle infielder, as he hit .258 with a .767 OPS along with 19 stolen bases, but after hitting his stride in July with a .280 average and .899 OPS, along with all four of his home runs, the length and grind of the professional season seemed to catch up to him, as he hit .250 with a .657 OPS in roughly the same number of at bats in August. He also struggled mightily against left handed pitchers, hitting just .160 against them with a .501 OPS in 50 at bats.

Jones is wiry and athletic, and despite his 18 errors in just 64 games for Danville, he brings an advanced approach and solid instincts to the field. While his arm is adequate enough for shortstop, it's not a plus tool, and that combined with the fact that his body is unlikely to hold up to the punishment that a shortstop takes day in and day out may force a future move to second base.

Because he'll turn 23 early next season, Jones is already a little bit old, so it's likely that he'll begin next season at High A Myrtle Beach. While he didn't dominate at Danville, he'll be able to take his professional experience and the knowledge of what it takes physically to play the professional game and attack the higher level. He is an outstanding athlete and while his line drive stroke does create occasional power, he doesn't get caught up in trying to play outside of his line drive/speed game. He's an intriguing prospect, and while he may never be a top flight player, it's very likely he'll reach his celing as an adequate Major League middle infielder.

T3. Randy Gress B/T: RR Born: 12/6/1984 Ht: 6'3" Wt: 180
Gress became something of a joke here on Talking Chop, as some posters chose to poke fun as his light hitting, ironically saying he was a better prospect than Jason Heyward. While it's certainly unfair to make light of a young man who has shown himself capable of playing professional baseball, something very few can say for themselves, it's true, Gress isn't much of a prospect. He spent this season bouncing between Danville, Rome, and Myrtle Beach, hitting just .222 with a .588 OPS as a part-time player. Gress has never been a full-time player in his career, ammassing just 546 plate appearances in his three seasons, and it shows in his numbers as he has just a .196 career average and .535 career OPS.

Gress does possess a strong body and decent speed and he's a capable fielder at any of the four infield positions, playing each for all three teams he was with this season. He's an excellent teammate and while he's never been happy with his lack of playing time, he's always been dilligent about putting in the work it takes to remain a professional and has been a helpful and accomadating teammate. He'll be 25 entering next season and there's little reason to suspect he'll be any more than a backup next year as well.

T3. Fernando de los Santos B/T: R/R Born: 1/18/1990 Ht: 6'1" Wt: 180
Fernando de los Santos was signed by Atlanta out of the Domincan Republic in 2008 for $100,000 and he showed them enough in Extended Spring Training that he made his professional debut in the Gulf Coast League for the Orlando Braves in 2009. Unfortunately, he didn't show much during the season, batting just .229 with a .612 OPS in 120 plate appearances. He didn't show much pop or speed, and made 6 errors in just 29 games, but he'll be just 20 years old entering the 2010 season, and he has good size for a shortstop, so there's reason to believe he'll be able to make sizeable advances in his second professional season, which will also be just his second year in the US.

Where de los Santos starts 2010 is up for debate. There's a possibility he returns to the GCL, or he may again impress the coaches in Spring Training and earn a promotion to Danville. There's also a possiblity that he could follow in the footsteps of countryman Yoel Campusano and return to the Domincan and play in their summer league. After a poor debut in the US, Campusano took this route and revitalized his career. Wherever de los Santos plays in 2010, he'll need to perform better if he wants to assert himself as a legitimate prospect.

T5. Diory Hernandez B/T: R/R Born: 4/8/1984 Ht: 6'0" Wt: 185
Many soured on Hernandez after he spent the entire months of June and July with Atlanta, filling in for the injured Omar Infante and the banged up Yunel Escobar, and hit just .141 with a woeful .410 OPS in 93 plate appearances. But, surrounding this poor showing in his first chance at the Major League, he put up another solid Minor League campaign, hitting .319 with a .821 OPS for AAA Gwinnett in 234 plate appearances.

After scuffling to a .241 average and .644 OPS playing mostly for Myrtle Beach in 2006, Hernandez turned things around with solid seasons in 07, .308 average and .795 OPS for Myrtle Beach and Mississippi, and 08, .287 average and .710 OPS for Mississippi and Richmond. He doesn't hit for much power, hitting seven homers each of the last three season before hitting only one this year, and his stolen bases have evaporated as he's moved up the ladder, but Hernandez utilizes a solid line drive hitting approach that makes him perfect as a number 2 or 8 hitter.

While he's played the vast majority of his games at shortstop, he's also played nearly a season's worth of games over his career at second base and about a half season's worth at third. He's a solid defender at each, posessed with a good, accurate arm. If he were asked to perform in the Major League for an extended period, his best fit would probably be at second base, but he's solid enough at all three positions to place himself as an ideal candidate for utility infield duty. Hernandez will return to Gwinnett to start the 2010 season as a 26 year old, looking to refine his skills until and oppportunity for a full-time job on Atlanta's bench opens for him.

T5. Chris Lovett B/T: R/R Born: 12/21/1988 Ht: 6'0" Wt: 180
Lovett was drafted out of Columbia State Community College in Tennessee in the 12th round this year and his debut for the Orlando Braves in the GCL was less than spectacular, as he hit for a .231 average with a .674 OPS. While he did rank seventh on the team with 12 RBI, tieing fellow shortstop prospect Fernando de los Santos, he was also third on the team with 9 errors, making them in just 35 games. He'll be 21 entering next season, so it's going to take a good Spring Training and strong start to the season for Lovett to really establish himself as a prospect.

(All photos by CB Wilkins)

Talking Chop Round Table: Braves Second Basemen

gondeee — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:44:34 -0000

As part of season reviews for major league players and top prospect ranking for minor league players, we here at Talking Chop thought it would be a fun idea to get all of our bloggers together with the help of Google Docs and debate the various aspects of each position in the Braves organization.

The participants are, yours truly (gondeee, indicated by MG), yondaime4 (indicated by MF), royhobbs (indicated by DH), and cbwilk (indicated by CBW).

Here is the round table for second basemen in the Braves organization:

MG: I think the Braves are going to release Kelly Johnson this off-season. I think they'll try and trade him, but it will be just like Marcus Giles several years ago, where no one wants his salary, so they'll end up non-tendering him.
CBW: It's funny you mention this, because I was thinking about writing up a post comparing the two. Johnson's 2009 was actually a lot worse than Giles' 2006. Giles hit .262 with a .729 OPS that year while Johnson managed just .223 with a .692 OPS this year. Johnson is only making 2.825 million compared to the 3.85 million Giles made that year, but the problem is still the same, nobody gets a pay cut when the hit arbitration, in fact, they all get pay raises. Johnson's situation is worse, because his replacement is obvious in Martin Prado. The Braves got rid of Giles under the hope that Johnson could play second base and recover from missing a year to Tommy John surgery. I really dont' see any way that Johnson comes back, unless he's willing to sign a Minor League deal after getting non-tendered and come to ST to earn a job. Speaking of, Atlanta should be a desirable destination for Minor League free agents who play second base; they'll probably doubt Martin Prado too.
MF: This is sad to me because I have always liked Kelly, ever since he was a 19 year old power hitting shortstop prospect for Macon in the Sally league. I think cutting ties with him now could bite us hard in a couple of seasons but I don't know what else we can do with him that keeps him on the team but not making a but load of outs. That was the problem with this team this year and ultimately the reason we didn't make the playoffs: in the first half of the season we gave away more outs than I care to think about. We can't keep him around if he is going to make those outs, he will just have to rebound elsewhere.
CBW: Definitely agree with the sentiment about liking Kelly for a long time. He was so impressive with Macon and Myrtle Beach. At the time, the guy he really reminded you of was Chipper. His stance was a little less crouched than it is now, and was fairly identical to Chipper's. He had all the tools as well, the surprising speed and general knack. But around AA those things kind of tapered off and he just kind of became another guy. I hope he rebounds for his sake, cause I generall like the guy, but I still think it's going to take some AAA time before a team gives him a shot at being a starter in the Majors again.
MF: I would put serious money on him getting a job with KC or Washington if we non tender him. And that isn't even a joke. One of those guys will go after him.
DH: I was saying the exact same thing with my friend who is a Nats fan. And to no surprise, he says he'd be thrilled to see Kelly Johnson on his team, and I can practically already see him wearing their uniform already. In response to everything else, I'm afraid that I must agree that Johnson's probably done in Atlanta. I remember the old 90's ideology of drafting the best athletes, and in some respect, I thought Kelly was a product of that line of thinking. He has good pop with the bat, a good eye when he wants to be patient, and has decent speed. I kept my mouth shut on the board during the heated Johnson vs. Prado wars, but in the long term, I think Johnson is the better option. Prado may be younger, and might certainly have turned a corner in his career, but I'm still a little bit weary with him.
CBW: Johnson would look right in that lineup. If he played like he did this year, he'd certainly help them go for three number one picks in a row. Sometimes you have to wonder what they're doing in DC; Ian Desmond is one of the worst defensive infielders I've ever seen, but everything I read says their fairly intent on trading Guzman and going with Desmond as their SS. It just baffles me how bad one organization can be.

MG: Martin Prado will improve next year, I stand by that. He now has an entire off-season to prepare himself to be a full time player, where he may not have expected that last off-season.
CBW: I don't understand why some people still doubt this guy. He was a solid .300 hitter with a .747 OPS in the Minors and has been better as a Major Leaguer, hitting .307 with an .810 OPS. Everyone wants to knock him for the amount of time he's spent as a part-time player, but I think the fact that he's maintained and improved upon his success as a part-time player only makes what he's done more impressive. It's not easy to come off the bench and not play every day when you're young and used to being full time in the minors. For some reason he's gotten this reputation as a poor defender, which I just don't see. What he is is a solid, all-around classic second baseman. He's relatively young, and very cheap, and not having him as the starting second baseman in 2010 would be silly. I don't know if he's going to get better, but if he just repeats what he did this year for the next few that'd be fantastic.
MF: Prado hit for more power than I thought he would, but CB is right, his ML performance is right in line with his minor league stuff plus that little bit of power. I'm not sure he will improve next season, but I wouldn't be afraid to expect more of the same. And we are going to need him because as Martin points out, there is no immediate help for 2B.
CBW: I definitely think one of the big offseason needs is to bring in another Infante-like backup, a veteran who's dependable and can play around the infield, cause, as you pointed out, there's no safety net. A guy I've always liked is Mark Loretta. His offense took a huge dip this season, but you're not looking for him to be the main guy off the bench. He'll be 38, but he's still dependable around the infield and is a great presence in a clubhouse. I'm sure there are plenty of guys who fit this bill, but he's the first one that comes to my mind.
DH: As I mentioned above, I'm not 100% sold on Prado. Part of the reason is also his health - joking aside from Kelly line drives, he played most of 2009 with balky knees and ankles. I certainly enjoyed the improvements demonstrated by him throughout the year, and I also agree that I was surprised at the power he flashed from time to time, but I think it's just some part in the back of my mind that is worried that he won't be as effective if he's the starter out of the gate. One question I have is, who's going to inevitably spell Martin Prado? Given the fact that he himself will spell 1B or Chipper a lot of the time, Prado will occasionally need a day off.
CBW: You have to wonder if somebody else won't be brought in to be that backup guy. If they do indeed get rid of Johnson like we all seem to think they will, they'll be asking Prado to become the everyday second baseman, and most teams aren't going to ask one of their starters to be a backup or slide around positions. It seems like you could find a more valuable corner guy with some pop, since you need to replace Norton as well, and just let Omar Infante back up Prado.

MG: Our minor league second base depth is beyond pitiful.
CBW: It's not great, no. When you're mentioning guys like JC Holt and Michael Fisher you know things aren't going well. Holt is 26 and hasn't even played every day the last few years, while Fisher was 24 playing for Myrtle Beach and didn't play that well. Neither are really prospects. The middle infield is a dry spot for the Braves at the moment. I'm actually of the opinion that our best second base prospect is shortstop Myke Jones. His body and his arm look more suited to second, but since he hasn't played there yet, I can't really put him there.
MF: Coming into this season I wouldn't have worried too much about our middle INF depth in the minors simply because we had good players locked up for a while going forward in KJ, Prado and Escobar, but now we just have Prado and Escobar and I am a little worried about what we have coming up. I mean there isn't even any potential in there. Everyone was excited about Robert Brooks last year and he actually might be our best second base prospect right now but I didn't rank anyone this year who missed the season for injuries. We will just have to wait and see with him. Otherwise there is nothing here. Maybe the best option long term is moving Mycal Jones there? But I'm not really sold on him.
CBW: I had completely forgotten about Brooks. I might have had him on my list instead of Holt, because at least if he didn't have a career ending injury, there's the potential that he becomes good, while we pretty much know what Holt is. Still, I wasn't very sold on him last year; yeah, he was great for the Orlando Braves, but he was old for the league. I'm guessing that the plan was actually for him to be at Rome, but he still would have been old there. So, if he's healhty, he's probably starting 2010 at Rome, and he'll turn 22 in May, so, for me, he really needs to come out of the gate and dominate or else I'm going to look at him in the same light as Campusano.
MF: Completely off topic here, but you know who I thought would be great, and then we traded and I thought would bite us in the butt but never amounted to anything? Richard Lewis. I think he was the last college guy we took with or first round pick (supplemental) and he struggled for a couple seasons and then exploded in the AFL right before he went to AA. Then we traded him to the Cubs for Juan Cruz and he knocked 60 XBH in his first season there between AA and AAA and I thought we had been hosed. And then he never made it to the majors. Not even for one AB. How does that happen?
CBW: It's funny, you look at his career, and was always old for whatever league he was playing in, but aside from those 99 games in AA for the Cubs in 04 he never dominated, or even really played that well. We had a lot of busts early in the draft around the late 90s early 2000s, but really I think a lot of teams did. I had forgotten that Richard played Indy ball last year; I think I missed him by a week or so when I saw Camden. It was funny, but I actually talked to Lewis the day he got traded from the Braves. It was during ST and I had talked to him a little in the morning, then he left early, then came out and was saying goodby to everyone. I asked him what was up and he told me about the trade. Kind of interesting to hear about a trade directly from one of the guys involved.

MG: Campusano intrigues me, but I'm not quite sold on him yet, though he gets the top spot almost by default. I want to give it to Travis Jones, but I can't, though I still think there is a good bit of hope for him.
CBW: I was really surprised you guys both had Campusano ahead of Jones. Campusano is only a year young, but he's playing two levels below Jones. He's old for his league and not exactly dominating the way he should be. And, when you see him in person, his body just isn't impressive. He strikes me as a guy who needs to move out to left field; of course, his production out there would just be poor. Jones is a little old for his league, but nowhere near as much as Campusano. Despite low averages and too many strikeouts, Jones has shown some ability to dominate at both Rome and Myrtle Beach, so that's already more than Campusano has going for him. He's going to have to repeat AA as a 24 year old, so he'll definitely be old for his level, but we already know neither he nor Campusano are big time prospects anyway. But still, I can't see putting Jones after Campusano, so I'm curious to hear the reasons you guys had for doing so.
MF: I might reconsider on Jones now that I am looking over things more. In my head I had his season as being worse than what it was and I always take hitting stats in the Southern League with a grain of salt. Especially when you play half your games in Pearl. So, I don't have much justification for ranking Campusano ahead of Jones. Especially with the playmaking ability that Jones flashes with his speed. On top of all that Jones was great in the second half of the season with an .819 OPS and 10/12 on SB attempts. Maybe he is a little better than I was giving him credit for. I stand corrected CB.
CBW: Well, if we can get gondee to change his mind too, can we get the ranking changed to flip flop these guys? I don't know what the plan is, but if the discussion bears out something different, I don't see why not.
MF: It is in stone man, there is no going back now. Not now, not ever.
CBW: ...that's...depressing.

MG: CB, you have got to tell us why you think so highly of Jim Linger.
CBW: Well, I knew I was definitely reaching to put him first on my list, but I was completely shocked that neither of you even had him on yours. When the position is as thin as second base is for the Braves, I figured it couldn't hurt to go out on a limb and take a completely unproven guy. When he signed in 2007, he was considered the best amatuer talent in Australia at the time. The team ultimately decided he didn't have the range, arm, or instincts for shortstop, but at 5'11", 195 pounds he's got a solid, strong body for second base and seems to be making strides there. His 2009 season, was nothing amazing, hitting .273 with a .688 OPS for the Orlando Braves, but he's only 18, he walked a fair amount, and he didn't strike out much. Australians always take a while to develop, and I see a kid with a good body and a ton of upside who was highly though of when he signed. Frankly, nobody else at second base in the system strikes me as a true prospect, so, if only by default, I had put Linger at the top of my list.
MF: I kind of take the Sickels approach to ranking players in that I generally don't give a guy much credit until they have made it into full season ball or have universally praised tools. This year the only real exceptions to that I have are Teheran and Bethancourt. So Linger is a guy I didn't know much about and you have the heads up on having seen him.
CBW: And I really barely saw him. It was like, oh, there's that Australian kid. I watched him take some infield, at shortstop, and a little bit in the batting cage. I definitely don't have any great insight on the guy, I just thought he was worth taking a leap with at a thin position.

Washington Nationals Win Season Finale In 15 Innings, Sweep Atlanta Braves To Finish 2009 59-103.

Ed Chigliak — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 23:23:55 -0000

More photos » by John Amis - AP

2 months ago: Washington Nationals' Elijah Dukes takes his base with a smile after being walked by Atlanta Braves' Boone Logan during the 15th inning of their baseball game Sunday Oct. 4, 2009, in Atlanta. Dukes later scored on a hit by Alberto Gonzalez to win 2-1. (AP Photo/John Amis)

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SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPP!!!!!!!

Game 162 of 2009 took 4 hours, 18 minutes and 15 innings to finish and when it was over the Washington Nationals had completed a four-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves for their seventh-straight win (and second-straight sweep) to end a 2009 season they started 0-7 before recording their first win...And, yes, that is the first time that's ever happened...DC starter J.D. Martin allows just one-run on 6 hits in 6.0 IP, giving up Nate McLouth's solo HR to leadoff the sixth and put Atlanta ahead 1-0. Braves' righty Tim Hudson gives up just 4 hits through 6.0 IP, but three-straight singles from Alberto Gonzalez, Jorge Padilla and pinch hitter Adam Dunn bring in the tying run in the seventh and it remains tied through fourteen before Elijah Dukes takes a one-out walk and Wil Nieves and Alberto Gonzalez hit back to back two-out singles to score Dukes for the winning run...

Nationals win, 2-1 final.

Miss The Game?

• The DC Faithful Were Watching!!! (634 comments) vs The Talking Chop Open Thread (718 comments)

• "Game 162: Finally, some history we can call our own!" - Doghouse.

• BACKPAGE: Dunn Doesn't Reach 40 - J.D. Martin Finishes Strong - Strasburg To Pitch Tomorrow.

• For The Completist, Full (and I mean FULL) Game Report After The JUMP...

Nationals finish 2009 59-103.

BACKPAGE:

• Dunn Doesn't Reach 40...Adam Dunn hit his 38th HR of 2009 on September 22nd against Los Angeles, leaving the Nationals' big left-handed hitting slugger with 10 games to hit the 39th and 40th HR's of 2009. Had he reached 40 HR's for the sixth-straight season, Dunn would've been one of only four players in MLB history (along with Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa and Babe Ruth) to hit 40+ HR's in six-straight seasons, leaving him just one behind Ruth's industry standard of seven-straight 40 HR seasons. Dunn, however, managed just 3 hits in his next 36 at bats (2 of them doubles, but no HR's) heading into today's game, and when he wasn't in the starting lineup, the DC Faithful knew it was over. Having failed to reach 40 HR's for the first time in six seasons didn't seem to upset Dunn too much. The Big Walky, Big Opposite Field, The Big First Baseman, singled in one of Washington's two runs in a pinch hit appearance this afternoon to finish the season with a .267 AVG, 29 doubles, 38 HR's and 105 RBI's.

• J.D. Martin Finishes Strong...With no-decisions in his last 4 starts, J.D. Martin finishes the 2009 campaign (5-4) with a 4.44 ERA, one of only two Nationals' pitchers to finish the season with a record above .500. (Shairon Martis finished (5-3), though he was sent down in mid-June and didn't return). In his final start of 2009, Martin throws 73 pitches, 50 for strikes in 6.0 IP, allowing just 6 hits and 1 ER. The Nationals' 26-year-old right-hander, who was (8-3) with a 2.66 ERA in 15 starts, 1 relief appearance and 88.0 IP with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs before making his MLB debut on July 20th, 2009, might just have pitched his way onto the 20-10 roster.

• Strasburg To Pitch Tomorrow...I know it's a cliche to say that the 2010 season starts the second the final out of 2009 is recorded, but with MLB.com's Bill Ladson writing this afternoon that '09 #1 overall pick, Stephen Strasburg would be making his first appearance as a National tomorrow afternoon in an instructional league game against Detroit, it is actually accurate. Instructional League, The Arizona Fall League, the Dominican Winter League, baseball never really stops, and neither do we...see you...tomorrow.

GAME REPORT:

Washington Nationals At Atlanta Braves. Game 162 Of 162.

Justin Maxwell vs Tim Hudson to start the last game of the season, and a brutal two-strike bender gets J-Max swinging for the first out of the day. Ian Desmond takes a 2-2 fastball on the low outside corner for a called strike three. Pete Orr smokes a single through second for a two-out hit in front of Elijah Dukes. Dukes rolls the third out to first to end the opening frame...Jorge Padilla bounces off the wall as he closes the glove on a fly ball out from Nate McLouth. Pete Orr dives toward the third base line but can’t get to Omar Infante’s line drive double. Martin Prado pops out to second. Garrett Anderson grounds out to first, inning over.

Mike Morse grounds weakly to third to start the second. Josh Bard likes the first pitch he sees and he grounds out to second. Alberto Gonzalez flies to right to end the Nationals’ half...Adam LaRoche flies out to right field. Yunel Escobar gives Dukes more work. Kelly Johnson grounds to Morse at first to end the second.

Jorge Padilla swings wildly over a full-count sinker. J.D. Martin stares strike three all the way in. Justin Maxwell walks with two down. Ian Desmond hits a high chopper that dies in the grass halfway to third, refusing to go foul. Pete Orr grounds to LaRoche at first and it’s 0-0 in the third...Clint Sammons skies one to right for Elijah Dukes to get under. Tim Hudson lines a one-out single to center and the oh-oh-oh-ing starts in Atlanta. Nate McLouth takes a 2-2 slider on the outside edge. Omar Infante flies out to left.

Elijah Dukes takes a low full-count slider but Tim Hudson gets the call. Mike Morse flies out to right. Josh Bard slips a hard-hit grounder by first and hustles his way to second. Alberto Gonzalez grounds out to end the Nationals’ fourth...Martin Prado flies out to Elijah Dukes in right. Garrett Anderson pops out over short, and J.D. Martin gets a fly ball from Adam LaRoche to end the fourth scoreless.

Jorge Padilla hits a fly ball out to Nate McLouth in center field for Atlanta. J.D. Martin can’t handle what Hudson’s throwing, but Justin Maxwell just takes and takes and walks, then tries to take more but gets caught trying to steal second, no score after four and a half...Yunel Escobar takes strike three and has few choice bi-lingual words for the Ump. Kelly Johnson singles through second with one down. Clint Sammons flies out to Justin Maxwell in center.

Ian Desmond grounds out to third. Pete Orr pops out to third. Elijah Dukes hits a two-out single to left field, but Mike Morse’s infield pop ends the top of the sixth...J.D. Martin gives up a long fly ball to right on an 0-1 change to Nate McLouth, who puts it over the wall for a 1-0 lead. Jorge Padilla sprints to the corner to catch the first out off of Omar Infante’s bat. Martin Prado drives a single by a lunging Ian Desmond at second. Garrett Anderson lines out to Jorge Padilla in left for out No. 2. Adam LaRoche lines to left field, Jorge Padilla comes up throwing and nails Prado trying for third.

Josh Bard leads off the seventh against Tim Hudson. Bard grounds out to second. Alberto Gonzalez singles to center and Jorge Padilla follows with a second-straight single and Adam Dunn gets a PH chance. Dunn lines a hanging bender to right to score Gonzalez from second for a 1-1 tie!!! Justin Maxwell K’s/fails swinging through an 0-2 fastball upstairs and inside. Ian Desmond grounds out to first to strand two. 1-1 in the seventh...Yunel Escobar sends the first pitch from Tyler Clippard soaring into center field for Justin Maxwell. Kelly Johnson K’s swinging through a two-strike change. Clint Sammons K’s looking at a fastball inside.

Pete Orr grounds out to second to start the Nationals’ eighth. Braves’ reliever Peter Moylan walks Elijah Dukes with one down. Mike Morse grounds to Yunel Escobar to Kelly Johnson to Adam LaRoche at first, double play...Chipper Jones guides a high outside heater through short for a single. Nate McLouth gets a sac bunt down and gets tagged out by Clippard as Chipper moves up. Pete Orr looks Chipper back to second and throws out Omar Infante on a weak grounder. Martin Prado flies to deep center, but Justin Maxwell gets there, no problem.

Josh Bard pops up a 2-1 pitch from Rafael Soriano. Alberto Gonzalez takes a one-out walk in front of pinch hitter Josh Willingham. The Hammer K’s swinging through a high heater. Cristian Guzman grounds out to end the Nationals’ ninth...Ron Villone gets a groundout to third from Garrett Anderson. Adam LaRoche K’s swinging through a 2-2 bender upstairs. Yunel Escobar keeps hope alive for Atlanta with a two-out single through second. Kelly Johnson hits a broken bat blooper to second and the last game will take more than nine innings to decide.

Kris Medlen gets Justin Maxwell swinging to start the tenth. Ian Desmond rrrrips a grounder by third base and into the corner for a one-out double to left. Pete Orr pops out to short center. Elijah Dukes grounds out to second to end the top of the tenth...Ron Villone’s back in the tenth against Clint Sammons, who flies out to left. Pinch hitter Greg Norton takes a one-out walk. Nate McLouth K’s swinging through a looping bender over the middle. Jason Bergmann on for Villone against Omar Infante. Infante battles, but K’s swinging through a full-count slider!!

Kenshin Kawakami vs Mike Morse in the eleventh. Morse sends a dribbler by Adam LaRoche at first and Omar Infante misplays it to give Morse second. Wil Nieves tries the sac bunt and hits it too hard, Morse cut down at third. Alberto Gonzalez grounds to Yunel Escobar to Kelly Johnson to Adam LaRoche, double play...Saul "Sa-ool" Rivera pops up Martin Prado. Reid Garecki K’s swinging through a high fastball. Adam LaRoche grounds to first to end the eleventh.

Josh Willingham singles to left and takes second on a sac bunt from Saul Rivera. Justin Maxwell vs Kenshin Kawakami. Maxwell can’t hold up and he K’s swinging at a low fastball for the second out. Ian Desmond up when a wild pitch from Kawakami gets by Clint Sammons. Hammer to third. Ian Desmond lines to left and it’s...caught, Omar Infante makes a shoestring catch to rob Desmond...Saul Rivera gets a weak grounder from Yunel Escobar for the first out. Kelly Johnson rips one to first, Mike Morse knocks it down and tosses to Rivera covering. Clint Sammons shatters his bat but singles with two down. Pinch hitter Brian McCann grounds back to the mound and it’s on to the thirteenth.

Eric O’Flaherty takes over on the mound for Atlanta in the thirteenth. Pete Orr grounds out to second. Elijah Dukes flies out to center. Mike Morse K’s swinging...Nate McLouth flies out to the track in center field for Justin Maxwell. Omar Infante lines a double on one hop and over the wall in center with one down. Saul Rivera walks Martin Prado in front of Brooks Conrad, who flies out harmlessly to center. Adam LaRoche grounds out to first, and it’s on to the fourteenth...

Manny Acosta takes over against Wil Nieves, who walks to start the frame. Alberto Gonzalez flies out unproductively to center field. Josh Willingham can’t hold up on a low two-strike heater. Pinch hitter Ryan Zimmerman drives a double to center, McLouth cuts it off and Nieves stops at second. Justin Maxwell walks to load the bases for Ian Desmond...Logan Kensing’s on for DC. Yunel Escobar starts the Braves’ half with a line drive single to left. Kelly Johnson grounds to second, Alberto Gonzalez to Ian Desmond to Mike Morse, double play. Clint Sammons grounds back to the mound.

Pete Orr K’s looking to start the fifteenth. Boone Logan, the Braves’ right-hander, walks Elijah Dukes with one down. Mike Morse flies out unproductively to left. Wil Nieves singles to short right to move Dukes up. Alberto Gonzalez lines an RBI single to the left-center gap!! Dukes scores, 2-1 Nationals!!! Josh Willingham K’s looking to end the top of the frame...Logan Kensing vs Javier Vazquez. Vazquez grounds one off Logan Kensing’s pitching hand, Ian Desmond picks it up and throws out the pinch hitting pitcher. Nate McLouth K’s swinging over a sinker. Omar Infante singles up the middle with two down. Martin Prado drills an 0-2 pitch to left center, second and third with two down. Brooks Conrad K’s trying to check his swing and it’s over. Nationals win, 2-1 final.

Nationals finish season 59-103.

Washington Nationals Win Sixth-Straight, 6-4 Over Atlanta Braves.

Ed Chigliak — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 01:08:46 -0000

More photos » by John Amis - AP

2 months ago: Washington Nationals' Justin Maxwell is congratulated in the dugout after his winning two run homer against the Atlanta Braves during the eleventh inning of their baseball game Saturday Oct. 3, 2009, in Atlanta. Washington won 6-4. (AP Photo/John Amis)

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Ryan Zimmerman hits an RBI single in the first to score Willie Harris from second for the first run of the game and Ian Desmond leads off the fourth with a HR to left off Braves’ right-hander Jair Jurrjens as the left side of the 20-10 Nationals’ infield gives Washington a 2-0 lead that Ross Detwiler preserves through five innings on the mound. Saul Rivera takes over for DC in the sixth and gets two outs, but leaves two on for left-hander Ron Villone, who’ll have to face Brian McCann, representing the tying run at the plate. McCann singles through short and it’s tied at 2-2 after six...

The exciting conclusion...AFTER THE JUMP....

• Miss The Game?:

• The DC Faithful In The GameThread (452 comments) vs The Talking Chop OpenThread (216 comments).

(cont.)...

• (ed. note - "I’d love to go into more detail about what happened, but FOX decided to finally broadcast a game involving the Nationals when they thought (early this week) that the Braves might still be in contention, and therefore I’m FOX’d out of the next-to-last game of 2009 since they’re showing the Royals and Twins on the northeastern market's broadcast...Just want to thank, FOX! Thanks...thanks for that...")

• DC lefty Ross Detwiler goes just 5.0 innings in his last ‘09 outing, allowing 1 hit and 4 walks, but no runs. Detwiler's replaced on the mound by Saul "Sa-ool" Rivera. Rivera gets two outs, but gives up a walk and a single and is lifted for Ron Villone, who comes on to face left-hander Brian McCann, and surrenders a two-run single that ties the game at 2-2. Villone gets out of the sixth, throws a scoreless seventh and comes back out for the eight, striking out Brooks Conrad and then hanging a slider to Nate McLouth that's lifted to center for a double. Jason Bergmann's called upon with a runner on second and one down and he strikes out Martin Prado and Chipper Jones to end the eighth!! Don't Make Bergmann Angry!!!!

• Braves’ backstop Brian McCann singles to start the bottom of the ninth, and Yunel Escobar’s sac bunt puts McCann in scoring position. Still tied at 2-2. Jason Bergmann walks Garrett Anderson to set up the DP and Omar Infante plays along, grounding to second, Pete Orr to Ian Desmond to Adam Dunn, double play!!! Extras. Nationals' 10th, Ryan Zimmerman doubles with two down, Adam Dunn gets the intentionals and Cristian Guzman shocks THE WORLD! with a two-run double to right that sets DC up to win its sixth-straight in the next-to-last game of '09...

• DC Manager Jim Riggleman...calls upon Zack Segovia to get the save. Leadoff single by Adam LaRoche and a pinch hit double by Kelly Johnson, NO NO NO!!! LaRoche scores on Johnson's hit. 4-3 DC. Nate McLouth flies out, Martin Prado pops out, Chipper Jones gets the intentionals to bring up pinch hitter Greg Norton, (ed. note - "Heck, worked for the Nationals last inning, right?")...Norton rips a line drive single to center, Kelly Johnson crosses, 4-4 after ten.

• Mike Morse grounds out, Pete Orr singles, Justin Maxwell steps to the plate, and it'll have to be another Braves' comeback, Justin Maxwell goes yard to make up for two questionable plays in the outfield, and the Washington Nationals are once again ahead by two, 6-4 courtesy of Maxwell's 4th HR in 85 AB's with DC...Logan Kensing will pitch the Braves' 11th...NO NO N...I mean GO Logan!!! Garrett Anderson grounds out, Omar Infante pops out, and Adam LaRoche K's swinging!! Kensing gets his first save since June 6th 2006...and the Washington Nationals win their 58th game of 2009...

Nationals now 58-103.

(ed. note - "LAST GAME OF THE SEASON TOMORROW!! STOP BY, SAY HI, OR GOODBYE TIL NEXT YEAR!!! LURKERS? You're part of the DC Faithful too, stop in and say hi in tomorrow's GameThread, and see how much we like new folks in the GameThread!!! ONE MORE GAME LEFT...Make it a good one...")

Atlanta Braves Eliminated By Colorado Rockies, Beaten By Washington Nationals, 2-1.

Ed Chigliak — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:37:51 -0000

More photos » by John Amis - AP

2 months ago: Washington Nationals' Pete Orr, right, celebrates with teammate Ian Desmond (6) after a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009, in Atlanta. Washington won 2-1. (AP Photo/John Amis)

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• One Pitch Each Wants Back - Garrett Mock throws a 1-0 fastball to Nate McLouth in the third that goes out over the left field wall as quickly as it came in. McLouth's 19th HR gives Atlanta’s rookie right-hander Tommy "(11-4)" Hanson a 1-0 lead to work with, but Hanson gives up a leadoff single to Willie Harris and one-out walk to Adam Dunn in the fourth, and then gets behind Ryan Zimmerman, who lines a 2-0 fastball off the 390ft sign on the wall in right center for an RBI double and a 1-1 game.

• Duel - Tommy Hanson gives up a one-out single in the fifth, but strikes out the next two batters, Mock walks the pitcher in the bottom of the frame, but a DP grounder and a swinging K keep things knotted at 1-1. Garrett Anderson's two-out single is the only hit in the sixth and Anderson's stranded when Mock gets a groundout to short and an inning-ending force. Cristian Guzman hits for Mock, or more accurately K's, with two on and two out in the top of the seventh, and Tyler Clippard replaces Mock on the mound, allowing a leadoff walk and then retiring the next three batters in order. The eighth begins with Atlanta lefty Mike Gonzalez throwing a quick 1-2-3 inning, and Clippard returns to strike out the side.

• Top Of The Ninth - Braves' closer Rafael Soriano gives up a leadoff double to Ryan Zimmerman, who waits on a slider and drives it to left for his 35th double of 2009. Mike Morse K's unproductively in the next AB, but Pete Orr always scores them, and he does it again, taking a slider upstairs from Soriano out to left for an RBI single that brings Zimmerman in to finally break the tie. 2-1 DC after eight and a half. DC Manager Jim Riggleman sticks with Tyler Clippard. Clippard gets two outs but lets two on when Ryan Church's single moves Yunel Escobar to third after Escobard had taken a one-out walk. Riggleman finally brings on the closer, Mike MacDougal, who throws four-straight fastballs to Omar Infante and finally jams him to get the groundout the Nationals needed for their 56th win in 159.

Nationals win, 2-1 final.

• Miss The Game, The DC Faithful Are Still Watching...

• Check Out The SB Nation's Atlanta Braves Blog: Talking Chop.

• "Game 159: Nats continue to dominate junk-time" - Doghouse.

For The Completists, Full Game Report After The JUMP...

Nationals now 56-103.

• (ed. note - "Numbers"): Garrett Anderson collected his 2,500th hit tonight, congrats. Adam Dunn once again failed to hit a HR, and now only has 3 games to hit two dingers for 40 in 6-straight seasons...Dunn's now 0 for 26 in the last 7 games and he hasn't hit a HR since September 22nd against Los Angeles. Dunn's hitless streak has dropped his AVG from .280 on 9/23 when last hit in a game to .266 after he's held hitless tonight in 3 AB's...

GAME REPORT:

Washington Nationals At Atlanta Braves. Game 159 Of 162.

Willie Harris goes back up the middle with a leadoff single to start the game against Atlanta right-hander Tommy Hanson. Ian Desmond grounds to Martin Prado, Yunel Escobar, Adam LaRoche, double play. Adam Dunn K’s swinging through a full-count fastball and it’s time for the Braves’ first...Nate McLouth grounds out to Dunn at first. Martin Prado makes Garrett Mock throw nine pitches before taking a full-count fastball for ball four. Chipper Jones ends the inning with a ground ball to Pete Orr to Ian Desmond to Adam Dunn, double play.

Ryan Zimmerman leads off the second against Tommy Hanson. Zim K’s tryng to check his swing on a bender in the dirt. Mike Morse swings through a two-strike curve high in the zone. Pete Orr gets six straight fastballs from Hanson, who gets a groundout to first to end the top of the frame...Mike Morse glides back to catch the first out off Brian McCann’s bat. Garrett Anderson slaps a single up the middle with one down. Yunel Escobar singles on a 3-1 fastball. Two on for Adam LaRoche. LaRoche grounds out to Adam Dunn. Garrett Mock walks Ryan Church to bring Tommy Hanson up with the bases loaded. Hanson grounds back to the mound, still 2-0.

Chipper Jones dives, jumps up and fires to first to get Justin Maxwell to start the third. Wil Nieves K’s swinging a foot away from where Hanson’s curve ends up. Garrett Mock pops up over the mound to end the Nationals’ third...Nate McLouth destroys a 1-0 fastball from Mock, and it’s out to left in a hurry, HR. 1-0 Braves. Martin Prado doubles off the left field wall and now it’s Mock vs Chipper with a RISP. Mock walks C. Jones to get to Brian McCann, who plays along with DP grounder to second.Garrett Anderson grounds out to Pete Orr to end the third.

Willle Harris singles through second to start the fourth. Ian Desmond flies deep enough to center for Willie Harris to take second. Adam Dunn takes a one-out walk to bring Ryan Zimmerman up with two on. Zimmerman drives a fastball to right and off the 390ft mark on the wall, Harris scores, Dunn pulls up and returns to third on what ends up a bad throw in. 1-1 ballgame. Mike Morse flails at a two-strike curve outside. Pete Orr flies out to center to end the fourth...Ryan Zimmerman cuts off a high chopper from Yunel Escobar, spins and throws on one-hop to Adam Dunn who collects it. Adam LaRoche K’s swinging at a full-count fastball. Ryan Church grounds out to Dunn...

Justin Maxwell grounds out to Adam LaRoche at first. Wil Nieves beats LaRoche to the line with a single to right. Garrett Mock K’s trying to bunt. Willie Harris K’s swinging. 1-1 after four and a half...Garrett Mock walks Hanson to start the Braves’ fifth, but he gets a DP grounder from Martin Prado to erase the leadoff baserunner. Mock gets Prado swinging and it's 1-1 after five.

Tommy Hanson gets Ian Desmond, Adam Dunn and Zimmerman in order in the sixth, and Garrett Mock gets groundouts from Chipper Jones and Brian McCann before Garrett Anderson lines a single to center with two out in the Braves’ sixth. Yunel Escobar grounds to short, and it’s 1-1 heading into the seventh...Hanson gets a groundball to short from Mike Morse. Pete Orr K’s staring a 2-2 curve into the zone. Justin Maxwell battles and eventually gets a slider outside that he can punch into right for a two-out single. J-Max steals second with Wil Nieves at bat. Nieves walks with two down. Cristian Guzman gets a PH appearance. Hanson busts him inside with sliders to get a swinging K and preserve the tie...Tyler Clippard gives up a leadoff walk in the Braves’ seventh. Ryan Church grounds to second, Orr tosses to Desmond who throws high to first to pull Dunn off the bag. Church safe. Brooks Conrad gets a PH chance and he K’s staring at a two-strike fastball down the pipe. Nate McLouth grounds out to first to end the seventh.

Mike Gonzalez vs Willie Harris. Harris flies out to Ryan Church in right. Ian Desmond lines to third, Chipper Jones stabs it, but drops it and throws out Desmond at first. Adam Dunn grounds out to second, 1-1 in the eighth...Martin Prado K’s looking at an 0-2 fastball. Chipper Jones K’s swinging. Brian McCann swings through a fastball to end the eighth.

Rafael Soriano’s going to pitch the top of the ninth. Ryan Zimmerman explodes on a fastball that hangs up inside and he doubles off the left-center wall. Big Mike Morse tips strike three into McCann’s glove. Pinch Hittin’ Pete Orr rips a cut fastball to left, Zimmerman scores, 2-1 DC, Orr on second. Orr steals third as J-Max K’s. Wil Nieves K’s looking, 2-1 in the middle of the ninth...Tyler Clippard vs Garrett Anderson. Orr Belliard’s a grounder, dropping and throwing to first, in time!! Yunel Escobar walks in front of Adam LaRoche flies out to left center. Ryan Church singles by first, Escobar takes third. Omar Infante grounds toward third, Ryan Zimmerman jumps on it and throws to second from his knees, got him! Nationals win, 2-1 final.

Nationals now 56-103.

Game 158 Recap: Marlins 5, Braves 4

cbwilk — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 02:59:05 -0000

More photos » by Gregory Smith - AP

Javier Vazquez took the loss, allowing 5 runs in 6 innings.

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The Braves fell short in their most important game of the season. Starting pitcher Javier Vazquez unfortunately chose to emulate Tim Hudson's performance from last night, as he allowed 5 runs in 6 innings, taking the loss for the Braves. Florida's starter Ricky Nolasco, on the other hand, pitched his best performance of the season, striking out a career high 16, including striking out 9 consecutive batters at one point, becoming just the 4th player in Major League history to accomplish the feat.

But, as masterful as Nolasco was, he wore down a bit toward the end of the game, as the Braves were able to scratch two unearned runs across the board in the 7th inning on an Adam LaRoche double. A win seemed tantalizingly close as Florida closer Leo Nunez lost control of the strike zone in the 9th, allowing Yunel Escobar to drive in Brian McCann and Omar Infante to drive in Escobar.

Then, with two outs and the bases loaded, Florida manager Fredi Gonzalez opted to bring in super-vet Brendan Donnelly to face Martin Prado. Donnelly needed only one pitch to end the game, but not in a manner anyone could have guessed. Catcher Ronny Paulino lost the ball in the dirt and as it squirted away from him Matt Diaz began down the third base line toward home. But, Diaz showed indecisiveness, ultimately retreating to third base, but not before Paulino could retrieve the ball and throw him out to end the game.

This was a heartbreaking and somewhat baffling loss. The onus has been on the Braves to win at the end of the season and the last two nights they have failed. This loss puts their elimination number at 2, meaning any combination of Rockies wins or Braves losses equaling 2 will eliminate the Braves from winning the Wild Card. The Phillies clinched the Eastern Division tonight, so the Wild Card remains the Braves lone hope, but, as I write this, they lead Milwakee 8 to 4 in the top of the 7th inning in Colorado. If the Rockies hold on to win the game, the Braves elimination number drops to 1, meaning any Braves loss or Rockies win after tonight kills the Braves playoff hopes.

Final - 9.30.2009	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Florida Marlins	0	0	3	0	2	0	0	0	0	5	11	3
Atlanta Braves	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	4	6	1
WP: Ricky Nolasco (13 - 9) SV: Brendan Donnelly (2) LP: Javier Vazquez (15 - 10)

Complete Coverage >

Atlanta Braves Sweep Washington Nationals, DC Bullpen Gives It Away In Extras, 6-3.

Ed Chigliak — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:54:22 -0000

More photos » by Pablo Martinez Monsivais - AP

2 months ago: Washington Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman, left, circles the bases after hitting a solo home run against Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Derek Lowe, right, in the first inning of a baseball game in Washington, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

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• Ryan Zimmerman and Josh WIllingham go back to back off ATL right-hander Derek Lowe with two down in the first. Zimmerman’s 32nd of 2009, gives him 8 more than his previous season high of 24 which he hit in 162 games in 2007, and there are eight innings left today and seven more games on the 2009 schedule to be played this week. The Hammer hits his second HR and collects just the second RBI in his last 62 at bats. So far in September, Willingham's hit in just 12 of 71 at bats, for a .169 AVG, a .272 OBP and a .324 SLG. Derek Lowe gives up two HR's in the same game for the first time all season.

• A fan interferes with a leadoff line drive by Martin Prado, who gets second, and Chipper Jones reaches on an infield single off Livan Hernandez in the fourth. Livan gets a harmless fly out of Brian McCann, but Josh Willingham catches it while backpedaling and throws it in weakly off his back heel allowing Prado to take third, and then score easily on Garrett Anderson’s groundout. 2-1 DC. Yunel Escobar hits a two-out triple to score Chipper and it’s tied at 2-2 after four.

• Mike Morse hits the third HR of the game off Lowe to give DC a 3-2 lead in the fourth. Morse hits his second HR in two days, for the 4th and 5th HR’s of his 132-game MLB career. Before yesterday's HR, Morse hadn't gone deep in a major league game since August 15th 2005 when he hit a two-run HR as a Seattle Mariner for the 3rd HR of his rookie campaign.

TRIVIA: The last time Derek Lowe gave up 3 HR’s in a game? August 27, 2007, against the Washington Nationals...Q: Who hit the HR's off Lowe? There were three different players...? A: Dmitri Young, Wily Mo Pena and Ryan Zimmerman in a 5-4 loss to Los Angeles.

• After grounding out with two on and two out in the sixth, Livan Hernandez walks Yunel Escobar to start the seventh and then gives up an RBI double off the base of the out-of-town scoreboard to Adam LaRoche, which scores Escobar from first ahead of the cut throw home. 3-3 ballgame. Hernandez out after 6.1 IP, 6 hits, 3 ER, 1 BB and 2 K's. Tyler Clippard replaces Livan, and strands Adam LaRoche at third in a tie game. Then the Nationals do the same...

Continued after the JUMP...

• Miss The Game? The DC Faithful Were Watching...

• Check Out The SB Nation's Atlanta Braves Blog: Talking Chop.

• "Game 155: Our team is terrible." - Doghouse.

Full Game Report After The JUMP...

• The Worst Kind Of FAIL...How To Strand A Leadoff Triple: Willie Harris starts the Nationals’ seventh with leadoff triple off Braves’ reliever Peter Moylan. Ian Desmond grounds to first, Adam LaRoche fields and looks Harris back to third. The Braves walk Ryan Zimmerman. First and third, one out. Josh Willingham K's taking a 1-2 slider inside for a called strike three. Elijah Dukes takes an 0-2 slider low and outside and that's a strike too, Willie Harris is left standing on third...

• Extra Innings...For the second-straight day, Mike MacDougal comes on in a non-save situation. Yesterday, MacDougal allowed a single, a sac bunt and an RBI double before he was lifted for Ron Villone who gave up a two-run HR, with one run belonging to the DC closer. Today, MacDougal starts the tenth with the game still tied at 3-3, and gets the first out on a groundout by pinch hitter Brooks Conrad, then it all falls apart. One-out walk to Nate McLouth. MacDougal hits Martin Prado. Chipper Jones hits a dribbler toward first, McDougal can't make the play, everyone is safe. Brian McCann grounds out to score the go-ahead run. 4-3 Braves. Pinch hitter Omar Infante hits a bloop single to center, two more score. 6-3 Atlanta. Ballgame.

Nationals now 52-103.

Atlanta Braves At Washington Nationals. Game 155 Of 162.

Livan Hernandez gets a two-seam fastball to break back inside for a called strike three on Nate McLouth. Martin Prado grounds weakly to short, and Chipper Jones flies out to left center where Willie Harris’ catch ends a quick top of the first...Willie Harris flies out to Garrett Anderson in left field. Chipper Jones makes a quick toss to first on a groundout by Ian Desmond. Two down for Braves’ righty Derek Lowe. Ryan Zimmerman goes over the out-of-town scoreboard with a two-out solo HR to right. Josh Willingham gets a first-pitch fastball and he destroys it, line drive to left and GONE!! HR for the Hammer, 2-0 DC. Elijah Dukes K’s swinging over a sinker, 2-0 Nationals after one.

Brian McCann gets a 1-2 fastball up high that he drives to center for a single. Brian McCann takes second when Garrett Anderson grounds out to Mike Morse at first. Yunel Escobar skies a 2-0 pitch to right. Livan Hernandez likes working with the lead, and he strikes Adam LaRoche out to preserve it...Mike Morse grounds weakly to short after Lowe jams him with a fastball inside. Jamie Burke’s not expecting a curve, and he’s fooled so bad he throws his bat five feet in front of home. Alberto Gonzalez rolls one to Chipper Jones who barehands it and throws to first, in time.

Matt Diaz grounds back to the mound. Derek Lowe’s slow chopper’s handled by Ryan Zimmerman. Willie Harris covers his eyes and catches the third out of the Braves’ third off Nate McLouth's bat...Lowe gets an equally weak grounder out of Livan. Willie Harris’ single to center puts one on for Ian Desmond. Desmond walks, Zimm’s up for the second time with two runners on. Zimmerman flies out to center. Harris takes third. Willingham walks to load the bases, but Elijah Dukes’ pop-up ends the third.

Martin Prado doubles by third and a fan inteferes to hold Prado at second. (And get him/herself ejected.) Chipper Jones grounds to Desmond deep in the hole at short. Desmond backhands but holds it. Two on for McCann. Josh Willingham’s backing up when he catches Brian McCann’s fly ball, but he throws off his back heel and it comes in late at third. Garrett Anderson grounds to short to score Prado. 2-1 Nationals. Livan Hernandez gives up a two-out, RBI triple to Yunel Escobar, who splits the gap in left center to tie it at 2-2. Adam LaRoche flies out to the track to end the top of the fourth...Derek Lowe hangs a curve to Mike Morse that ends up in the first row in the left field stands, 3-2 DC. Jamie Burke rolls the first out to third. Matt Diaz slides in to catch a short fly off Alberto Gonzalez’s bat. Livan Hernandez grounds out to Yunel Escobar to end the fourth.

Ian Desmond charges and fires to first to get Matt Diaz to start the sixth. Derek Lowe’s dribbler’s so slow Zimmerman can’t throw out the pitcher. Alberto Gonzalez can’t stab a sharp grounder from Nate McLouth and there are two on again. Martin Prado singl--Alberto Gonzalez gets there makes a slick underarm toss to second, Desmond spins around the bag and throws to first, double play...Willie Harris singles to start the fifth. Ian Desmond grounds out to first to move Willie Harris into scoring position. Ryan Zimmerman flies out to deep center. Harris stays put. Josh Willingham grounds out to short to end the fifth.

Chipper Jones flies out to Josh Willingham in straight left. Brian McCann grounds out to Alberto Gonzalez at second. Willie Harris catches the third out off Garrett Anderson’s bat on the curly-W in the outfield grass...Elijah Dukes pops a first-pitch fastball up over first for LaRoche to catch. Mike Morse K’s swinging through a 1-2 fastball. Jamie Burke rips a single over second with two down. Alberto Gonzalez hits the second straight two-out single. Livan Hernandez grounds to short to end the threat.

Livan Hernandez vs Yunel Escobar. Livan misses with a high inside full-count fastball. Adam LaRoche doubles off the base of the out-of-town scoreboard, and Escobar beats the relayed throw home, 3-3 ballgame. Tyler Clippard takes over for Livan Hernandez. Mike Morse fields a grounder from pinch hitter from Greg Norton and steps on first, holding LaRoche at third. Tyler Clippard walks McLouth with two down. Martin Prado K’s swinging through a high-heater from Clippard...WIllie Harris triples to off the right field wall to start the eighth off the Braves’ sidewinder, Peter Moylan. Ian Desmond grounds unproductively to first. Ryan Zimmerman gets the intentionals to set up the DP. Willingham takes a two-strike fastball "inside" for a called strike three. Elijah Dukes takes a low slider outside for another backwards K.

Tyler Clippard vs Chipper Jones. Larrrr-eee grounds out to first. Ryan Zimmerman catches a foul pop off Brian McCann’s bat. Elijah Dukes sprints to catch up to a sharp liner to right by Garrett Anderson. Clippard with a scoreless frame...Mike Morse grounds weakly to short for the first out of DC’s eighth. Jamie Burke chases a slider outside for a swinging strike three. Alberto Gonzalez is completely fooled as he K’s.

Yunel Escobar singles through Ryan Zimmerman’s glove for a leadoff single. Adam LaRoche pops out to center unproductively. Matt Diaz grounds to short, Desmond to Gonzalez to Morse, double play!!!!...The Guzzz, Cristian Guzman sends a blooper to right for a leadoff single. Justin Maxwell runs for Guzman. Willie Harris lines a bunt back to Mike Gonzalez on the mound. Ian Desmond pops out to the infield. Ryan Zimmerman K’s swinging over a nasty two-strike slider.

Mike MacDougal gets a groundout to second from Brooks Conrad. MacDougal walks Nate McLouth with one down and then hits Martin Prado with Chipper Jones due up. C. Jones grounds weakly to first and MacDougal misses it. Bases loaded. Brian McCann’s weak grounder to the mound scores the walk, McLouth. 4-3 Braves. Pinch hitter Omar Infante places a single in the short center grass to score two, 6-3 Atlanta. Yunel Escobar grounds to first to end the inning...Rafael Soriano’s going to close this out. Willingham pops out on the first pitch. Elijah Dukes grounds out to first. Mike Morse K’s on a check swing to end it. Braves win, 6-3 final.

Nationals now 52-103.

Game 155 Recap: Braves 6, Nationals 3 in 10, SWEEP!

gondeee — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 20:54:32 -0000

This winning thing, this is fun, and I could get used to it. Derek Lowe was Derek Lowe and held the Nats close and allowed the Braves to get back into it after giving up 2 runs in the first inning, and then the lead again after the Braves had tied it in the fourth. Apparently the solo homerun was the problem for Lowe, as three homeruns accounted for all the Nats scoring on the day.

The Braves came back and tied it in the seventh and then won in the tenth off of the the Nats "closer." Brian McCann didn't ground into a double play while driving in the go-ahead run, and Omar Infante came through with a key 2-run, 2-out hit to put the Braves up by 3. Rafael Soriano came on in the ninth to toss some easy-queso by the Nats "hitters."

And currently Colorado is losing...

Final - 9.27.2009	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H	E
Atlanta Braves	0	0	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	3	6	9	0
Washington Nationals	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	9	1
WP: Mike Gonzalez (5 - 4) SV: Rafael Soriano (27) LP: Mike MacDougal (1 - 1)

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