Braves 5, Rockies 3 (boxscore)
Jhoulys Chacin: "And another walk. Make that six."
Not exactly word for word what Drew Goodman said, but close enough. Six walks is too many folks. Unless you're Ubaldo Jimenez and you're not allowing hits. Unfortunately, Chacin wasn't that good tonight. And he found out the hard way that when you walk six, it allows something fluky like Derek Lowe ripping a double into the left field corner to not only be embarrassing, but something that completely changes the game.
Afterwards Chacin said he felt too strong coming into the game, which caused him to overthrow and miss his spots. I hope that's all it is. When you see a guy that was cruising along so easily for three months just suddenly lose it, and then you hear about the forearm... I'll take his word for it, but I'm still crossing my fingers.
Chris Iannetta: The best of both worlds. One time he goes up there, works a count and delivers the big RBI single.
Next time: 2nd and 3rd, one out. He ****ing stands there and looks at three strikes. Inexcusable. I don't care if strike three looked or was outside. Boohoo. They were all strikes the entire game. He should have known that and he should have been looking to drive a run in. Terrible is the only word I can think of to describe it.
At-bats like that are why his critics will never go away. Nor should they. I understand why people defend him. I even have when warranted, because he is a plus for the catching position and his spot in the order, but he gives away way too many at-bats in big spots. It's frustrating, and those who make those frustrations with Iannetta known are justified.
Opposing closers: Alright. so I think I understand why Rockies fans expect Huston Street to be Mariano Rivera. It's because the Rockies make every closer they face look like Mariano Rivera. It makes sense. You see your team handled by every closer every single time, you think that's the norm. It's really not.
Although it looks like that'll be the norm for Craig Kimbrel for quite some time. Between him and Venters, the Braves have two of the top 5-10 relievers in all of baseball. Scary combo.
Three Positives
From now on I'm going to try to find three positives in every game. Wish me luck!
1. Freddie Freeman: Only hit one home run tonight!
2. Mark Ellis: Three more hits. Can you imagine how dreadful this offense would currently be if they didn't make that trade? Helton's holding up his end, because that's what Helton has done for almost 15 years. But Ellis has been terrific. Hope it continues.
3. Eric Stults: Alright. so the Uggla home run was a black mark. Aside from that, he ate a couple innings and didn't allow things to spiral out of control. Cap tip for that... because we're grasping at straws here.
Overall
More disappointment. But at this point, with the injuries and the mediocre play even before the injuries, you're numb to it. You expect it. Unlike 2008 and 2010, which were also disappointing seasons, I honestly don't expect this team to make a run. They just do too much wrong too consistently for me to believe they can sustain even a four-game streak. They're going to need more than that. A lot more.
2 comments:
Nice to see you back on my side of the Iannetta argument. He is maddening to me. He doesn't get it. He didn't need a base hit. He didn't need a home run in that situation...all he needed to do was hit a sacrifice fly...or even less, just hit the ball to the right side. Figure it out dude! You have so much talent and potential, but you choose not to realize it.
I'll be honest, I straddle the fence on Iannetta. I see both sides of the argument. I try to be understanding of him trying to balance becoming an offensive force with solidifying his defense and game-calling skills. But nothing excuses an at-bat like last night.
If you don't have the mindset to drive that run(s)in at all cost in that spot, when will you? His eyes should light up in that spot. It's too bad. This team needs guys to step up right now, not shy away from the spotlight.
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