After jumping ahead of the Marlins in the NL East last weekend, the Braves dropped two out of three to the Padres and then dropped two out of three to the Phillies. They are now 8 games back from the Phillies in the division race, and they are at least 3.5 back in the Wild Card race. The Braves blew a great start by Jair Jurrjens to start the series with the Padres. Jurrjens pitched 7 and two third innings, giving up only one run and striking out 7 batters. Adam LaRoche knocked in the tying run in the bottom of the 9th, but Kris Medlen gave up the winning run in the top of the 12th when San Diego second baseman David Eckstein hit a double to knock in catcher Nick Hundley.
Losing this close game set the tone for the rest of Atlanta's week. The two games the Braves won were both by a score of 9-1. The games they lost, excluding the 12-5 loss to the Padres in the second game of that series, were one and two run affairs, creating an air of just not good enough and impending doom that begs the question:
Which of the following scenarios, from the Modest Mouse song "Shit Luck," best describes the current climate in Atlanta?
A) This plane is definitely crashing.
B) This boat is obviously sinking.
C) This building's totally burning down.
D) My heart has slowly dried up.
9 comments:
E) All of the above
August 31, 2009 at 10:26 AMI'd actually say F) None of the above
August 31, 2009 at 10:57 AMThe lyrics assume present tense, when the Braves problem (their offense) has been present since last season. Their only offensive addition was Garrett Anderson, when guys like Abreu and Dunn were available and Willingham and Swisher were traded for nothing. This season should be blamed on Wren and the front office and not on Bobby Cox and the players on the field.
I don't know if Wren can be blamed. He's responsible for making the starting rotation what it is, and he's the one who moved Frenchie. A lot of people feel that Cox has always been too loyal to guys who aren't getting it done and that he was Frenchie's biggest supporter. The team didn't really chase offense because last year it was the pitching and injuries that cost them games. At one point, I put up a post comparing last season to the opening scene in Saving Private Ryan.
August 31, 2009 at 7:04 PMAnyway, I'm a huge fan of Bobby Cox, and from what I've seen, I like Wren. The team is in much better shape personnel wise now than it was at the beginning of the season.
Well whoever thought the idea of an Escobar, Johnson, Chipper, McCann, Anderson, Frenchie, Kotchman, Schafer lineup was playoff worthy should be blamed. That is a pretty sad lineup, that didn't replace any of the production that was lost with the trade of Tex.
August 31, 2009 at 8:40 PMI think they recognized that. I mean, they went after McLouth pretty early in the year. Kotchman's gone and so is Franceour.
August 31, 2009 at 9:08 PMIt basically comes down to the Braves being to loyal towards their own guys: Franceour, Kelly Johnson, etc. and hoping they would reach their potential.
At its opposite extreme, the Braves could throw money at the problem and be the Mets.
I'll go with A - I like the guy ejecting from the plane.
September 1, 2009 at 10:32 AMMy problem with it is that behind that starting pitching the Braves should be a playoff team and challenge for the WS but their hitting is awful. Yes its sort of similar to the Giants but the difference being the Braves were supposed to be good this year after the money they spent on Vasquez and Lowe. The Giants on the other hand were considered another year away from contending. Yes the Braves may have started getting bats at the beginning of June but that was still two months into the season. If they had better production from the start that be the difference in wins that would have them leading the WC race right now. Also I think they paid a hefty price for McLouth (not a total rip off) but compare that to what the Nats gave up for Willingham and its like 5X the price (remember Nats got Olsen as well in that deal). McLouth may be better defensively (though still a below average centerfielder), but Willingham is the superior player.
September 1, 2009 at 1:45 PMWe're just going to have to agree to disagree on this one, Steve. I can't blame Wren; in fact, I like a lot of the moves he's made and not made.
September 1, 2009 at 4:38 PMFole: I didn't notice the guy until you said something.
September 1, 2009 at 4:39 PMPost a Comment