Braves 5-3 Nats 3-4

Game one was the Andruw show, as he drove in all five runs and made two signature catches. Looks like he's back in the groove once again -- if this game had come against the Mets, it might have catapaulted him into the lead of the MVP race. I still don't think he SHOULD be the favorite, but there's no doubt he's getting closer. Here's my ballot as of today:

1. Derrek Lee
2. Albert Pujols
3T. Andruw Jones and Miguel Cabrera
5. Roger Clemens

I don't fault a player for having lousy teammates or managers. Witness Lee, who is 14 RBI behind Andruw. Due mainly to Dusty's insistence on batting outmakers Corey Patterson and Neifi Perez at the top of the order, Lee has had a total of 237 plate appearances with runners on base. Andruw has 283 such plate appearances.

Game two featured a more game effort by John Thomson, whom we obviously need to step up in the final 5 weeks of the season. We battled back to tie in the eighth, and could have taken the lead if not for a fine throw by Guillen to nail LaRoche at the plate. But then on came Reitsma, who has become Kolbesque in virtually every appearance. A loss ensued...

Nats 3 Braves 2

Fortunately, during last night's game this particular department of Brave-O-Matic was dining at a new, hip Atlanta restaurant with the hideously unfortunate name of "Two. urban licks" -- yes, it's really punctuated that way. Anyhoo, the food was much better than the name...

How about that Andy Roddick match, though?

Braves 8-5 Brewers 4-2

"Smoltz and Hudson and pray for rain" isn't too catchy, but that's increasingly become the situation -- and it looks like Katrina is about to do her part tonight. Saturday's game turned out as you would expect, given that the Brewers employ Rick Helling, whose persistence is admirable. Lots and lots of baserunners, while Smoltz sweated out seven innings in 111 pitches. I'm starting to hear a ticking sound -- I know, perish the thought...

In Sunday's game, further evidence that Hudson has become our #1 pitcher, no disrespect intended to Smoltzie. Another complete game against a deceptively deep and powerful Brewer lineup, aided by two massive HRs by Andruw, who passed Jeff Burroughs on the ATL single-season list. Next up, at 43, Davey Johnson and Javy Lopez. Aaron's record of 47 is less safe from Andruw than his 755 are from Barry...

Game scheduled vs. Washington tonight, but almost no chance it will be played. The Weather Channel should help pass the time....

Cubs 10 Braves 1

Well, at least Brave-O-Matic wasn't glued to the TV set after the fourth inning...Thomson still ain't got it -- he appears to be healthy, but whatever finely tuned motor function that allows for success at this level seems to be eluding him. Not that it's panic time -- we've still got a 3.5 game lead, but we've got to figure out who our #3 starter is going to be. So far Thomson and Hampton have shown nothing, and HoRam.....well, it's just hard to have any faith in him. Sosa is, I believe, needed in the bullpen.

I'm sure Joey Devine didn't think this was going to be easy, despite the success of so many other Braves rookies, but two grand slams in two appearances? A few more appearances like that and the production crew will have to shut down Parent Cam...

Braves 4 Cubs 2

The good guys continued their mastery over the Northside 9, in a cracking good game featuring great pitching performances from Tim Hudson and Carlos Zambrano. Chipper, after having cooled down from his singles-driven .600 average over a week or so of games, broke out the whomping stick with two HRs, one off Zambrano to give the Braves their first lead, then another off "relief ace" Kerry Wood to salt the game away.

We saw what we're paying for with Hudson, who featured his recently rediscovered splitter to cause the Cubs to repeatedly hit weak grounders. He matched up well with Zambrano -- who is a freak of nature, throwing in the upper 90s with great control. Any struggles by Braves hitters (other than Chipper) can be chalked up to Zambrano's nastiness -- no other conclusions are necessary tonight. We were fortunate to win, and you have to wonder about Wood's banishment to the bullpen.

Dodgers 7 Braves 4

Craptastic game. Not much to discuss -- Thomson was ineffective, but unlike last time his control deserted him. After a brief rally against Jeff Weaver (who has always looked like a star in the making, but can't get over the mediocrity hump), the Braves bats went down quietly against the Dodger pen.

Braves 10 Dodgers 2

Well, that's quite the Murderer's Row the Dodgers have assembled, isn't it? Here's a fun game -- match up the LA position players from last night's game with their ATL counterparts, then make a list of which Dodger players you'd rather have. OK, never mind -- I know you're quite busy, so I've done it for you. Here's the list:

Jeff Kent (by the slimmest of margins, and not for long)

Why does Jason Phillips play first base? Tell me one thing he does better than Hee Seop Choi. You can't -- there's nothing. I can't get over their refusal to play Choi against all right-handed pitchers. On the other hand, it's fun to watch the Dodgers shoot themselves in the foot, since it appears that's where they are aiming.

Young Master Francoeur had himself another day to remember, with a triple, HR, and his ninth Baserunner Kill^* in 30 games. Murph used to have months like this, but not often. Still no walks for "Frenchy" (or "Freedomy" or "Americany" if you must) in 113 plate appearances. In what plate appearance do you think he'll draw his first unintentional base on balls? I'll go with 147.

Chipper, Furcal, KJ, and McCann all reached base four times, and Andruw hit his 38th HR, which came with nobody on base, so evidently he was able to properly concentrate. It must be said that Andruw should probably have over 100 RBI by now....



^* Term invented by Bill James to replace outfield assist. Much more evocative, don't you think?

Update: Just took a look at Andruw's stats with and without Chipper in the lineup. Here they are:

With Chipper (68 games): .258/.328/.512 41 runs, 16 HR, 43 RBI
Without Chipper (51 games): .301/.394/.722 32 runs, 22 HR, 49 RBI

So far, with Chipper in the lineup, Andruw is having a Bad Andruw season, but he turns into Larry-Walker-At-Coors-Field without Chipper...

Fun With Site Meter

One of the coolest things about Site Meter is you can see where people link to your website from. For instance, thanks to this line from my mid-season report...

"Roman Colon -- Spent the early part of the season pining for his Richmond girlfriend or something..."

...we've gotten hits resulting from the following Google searches:

"Blaine Boyer" + girlfriend
"Kelly Johnson" + girlfriend
"Brian McCann" + girlfriend
"Jeff Francoeur" + girlfriend
"Jeff Francour" + girlfriend (A. Brett should share in the credit for this one)

That's right, Brave-O-Matic has become the official Braves Rookie Pimp Service. Holla if you a playa!

Dodgers 6 Braves 4

You won't find a bigger Reitsma booster than this particular department of Brave-O-Matic. That said, he's become a genuine problem, made more glaring by the fact that the team is playing so well in virtually every other facet of the game. It's not just that he blows the occasional (lately more than occasional) save, but the manner in which he does it. Tonight was yet another pathetic display of ineptitude. He just plain falls apart if he doesn't get the first out. With Farnsworth (and yes, Kolb) waiting in the wings, Reitsma is one more blowup from being replaced as closer.

Problem is, neither of these other options necessarily puts the issue to bed. We've got three head cases on our hands -- they just happen to be the three best arms in the pen. Another division title looks like a safe bet, but postseason disappointment looms once again.

The Rumors

OK, time for an unpleasant topic. To this point, the Braves have remained relatively untouched by the steroid scandal (except for James Jurries, about whom we do not yet care much). The Palmeiro bust was pretty huge, but around here we could safely sit and shrug. But now, we have whispers in various corners about two more pending positive tests. Sources have included Peter Gammons and several others. "JoeyT", a poster over at Braves Journal, has condensed the rumors down to this:

"One is from the AL, one from the NL.

One is a pitcher, one a position player.

One is surprising, one is obvious.

One is shocking, one is crushing.

One guy will "take Major League Baseball out at the knees" (or "by the knees", reports vary).

There are whispers that it's Clemens and Giambi, but those are sketchy."

Now, if it is indeed Clemens and Giambi, then we Braves fans escape once again. But there's just something about this that gives me a sinking feeling. Make no mistake, there's no moral high ground in watching players from other teams get busted -- the best you can say is that nobody from the hometown nine has gotten caught. Just yet.

Giants 5 Braves 3

I can't decide whether to be disappointed at Cox's insistence on leaving his starting pitchers in the game too long, or face the likely realization that a tired Hudson or Smoltz is better than most of our fresh bullpen arms. At any rate, another late-inning lead lost when Hudson visibly tired. Brave-O-Matic does not wallow in nostalgia, but it sure would be nice to have a guy like Goose Gossage or Sparky Lyle, who could occasionally come in in the seventh inning and just close the game out from there.

Can't blame all this on the pitching staff, though. Again the Braves got a good many runners on base, only to fail repeatedly at driving them in. Andruw in particular seemed very anxious to hit pitches straight up in the air -- an enviable talent, one supposes, but useless in this context. Can't be too hard on him, obviously, or Francoeur, who suffered a rare 0-fer.

For what it's worth, the team has been flashing some serious leather lately, which is good news for Thomson and Hampton, both of whom will be starting against the D'Backs this weekend after lengthy rehab stints in the low minors, where the glovework is usually less than stellar. Sounds like Horacio is the odd man out, at least until the next DL stint.

Braves 7 Giants 1

Needed that one. You know, there's just no telling about Horacio. Just when I think he's been exposed for good, he goes and pitches a gem. Of course, he still doesn't strike anybody out -- two tonight, versus three walks. But other than some third inning trouble he was in command throughout.

Jeff Francoeur must be approaching some kind of record. Has anyone ever batted .432 in his first 82 plate appearances? Elias will probably have the answer tomorrow for those of you who are ponying up $6.95 a month for ESPN Insider. $6.95! The nerve of them! Brave-O-Matic swears it will cancel its membership just as soon as it can remember to do so...

Lots of hits to go around, with everyone but Betemit getting into the act. Aforementioned Francoeur had four singles, maybe two of which were well struck. Andruw got on base four times; Furcal, Johnson, and Giles thrice each. Giles now has a 13-game hitting streak.

By the way did you know that Omar Vizquel is now fourth in games played by a shortstop?

Luis Aparicio 2583
Ozzie Smith 2511
Cal Ripken 2302
Omar Vizquel 2227

He can pass Aparicio if he stays healthy and productive for two more seasons. Who knew?

Weekend in review

Two blowouts followed by a real stomach punch of a game on Sunday. Jorge Sosa pitched beautifully, even if it was against a depleted Cardinals lineup. He may have won himself a rotation spot for the rest of the season -- I wouldn't be surprised to hear that Hampton will be given the Schilling/Kerry Wood treatment, and encouraged to pitch out of the bullpen "to save his arm". Sosa's just too freaking good right now.

Also in the good column is Jeff Francoeur, who keeps on swingin' and grinnin', and Andruw, who steps it up every single time Chipper goes down. It's uncanny, really. And a nicely pitched game by Hudson, too. If he's actually rediscovered his splitter, watch out down the stretch. We may finally be getting what we paid for.

Kyle Farnsworth is intent on proving the physics axiom that an object travelling very fast can be made to go very fast in the opposite direction, and Reitsma had one of his patented blowups. Expect to see the Eckstein HR repeatedly if we meet the Cards in the NLCS.

Radical Subjectivism

What happened in the game last night? Why, whatever you think happened, that's what.

Reds 8 Braves 5

Bad Horacio isn't in the same league as bad Ramon Ortiz, but he's plenty bad enough to cost us a chance at victory. Maybe he was spooked by the park dimensions (which are ridiculous), but it was still disheartening to watch. Comparisons to Glavine are appropriate in this case -- when Horacio is the slightest bit off, it's happy hour for the other team.

Still, a blowout might have been easier to take than a game in which the offense started to mount a rally in the later innings, only to be undone by one of the best fielding plays you'll ever see. Five straight singles in the seventh cut the score to 8-5, then Betemit singled to start the eighth. Estrada hit one up the middle that looked like it might sneak through, but Mercker tipped the ball with his hand, slowing it enough for SS Lopez to glove it. He flipped it backwards to 2B Freel, who lunged and caught it barehanded, then threw to first to double up the ponderous Braves catcher. We went quietly after that.

One bright spot was Francoeur. Three hits got him back over .400, and he gunned down two runners on the bases. The play to get Dunn at second was truly spectacular. Francoeur now has five assists, which is already second among NL RFs (Jenkins - 9). This game should cement his reputation as nobody to trifle with. At the plate, he continues to swing away. Fox showed a graphic at one point which said Francoeur had faced 197 major league pitches, and had swung at 126 of them. Ladies and gentlemen, the anti-Wade Boggs!

Tomorrow's game at 7:10 -- Davies vs. Harang on TBS.

Braves 12 Reds 2

An injury to Chipper marred the Braves' easiest victory since their 16-0 shellacking of the Astros on May 8. Ramon Ortiz was the victim last night, continuing his awful first season with the Reds, who inexplicably are paying him over $3.5 million this season after he lost his rotation spot with the Angels last season. He gave up ten baserunners while recording just four outs, one of those a sacrifice bunt, and now sports a 6.30 ERA.

Pity we don't get to face his partner in crime, Eric Milton, in the series. Milton's making $5.33 million and has an ERA of 6.65, and actually has a higher road ERA than home ERA.

Chipper was having a fine time, with a single, double, and HR, until he crumpled to the ground after attempting to field a ground ball. It would be uncharitable, I suppose, for me to suggest that it's always been painful to watch Chipper try to go to his left, his range comprising whatever happens to hit him as he falls over sideways. This attempt resulted in a strained rotator cuff, and they're calling him day-to-day. Obviously, we need him back if we're to challenge the Cardinals for best record in the league, a notion unthinkable a month ago.

Game time is 7:10 tonight, Ramirez vs. Claussen, on Fox Sports South.