The Braves jumped out to an early lead when Yunel Escobar took the first pitch he saw from Pedro Martinez over the fence in left field.  Atlanta, down 3-1 scored three in the sixth to make it 4-3, in the sixth Yunel Escobar hit a one out double, then with two out Martinez walked Chipper Jones.  Both Escobar and Jones scored on a Brian McCann double.  McCann would score on a base hit by Omar Infante.   

The Braves again did not get good defense or relief pitching.  The game changing error happened in the eighth inning which tied the score at four.  Jeff Bennett entered the game and retired the first batter he faced before giving up a one out double to Nick Evans; he then issued a two out walk to Carlos Beltran.  Bobby Cox elected to make a pitching change bring in Will Ohman to pitch to Carlos Delgado, Delgado delivered again-hitting a single between first and second that Martin Prado made a great play on only Will Ohman got caught watching the excitement and did not get to first in time to get the throw for the out which allowed Nick Evans to score from second.  The error was charged to Prado, but it really should have been on Ohman.   

In the ninth inning with Vladimir Nunez allowed a one out double to David Wright he then intentionally walked Carlos Beltran.  Carlos Delgado came up to bat again with runners in scoring position, he hit a line drive to left that Omar Infante misplayed which allowed Wright to score from second, ending the game with a 5-4 victory for the Mets.   

The Braves continue their road trip to St. Louis.  Game time is scheduled for 8:15 p.m.   

Braves Blog

On Monday, it was the Braves who were able to take advantage of a brilliant pitching performance from pleasant surprise Jorge Campillo.  They also took advantage of runners in scoring position, something at which they have failed miserably this season.  So complete a team win was Monday night’s victory, Chipper Jones proclaimed it their best victory of the season.

Back to reality.  What has become indicative of Bobby Cox’s team during the last three seasons, the Braves’ inconsistency and lack of fundamental play manifested itself just one day after such an impressive win.  Whatever they did right Monday night, they did wrong Tuesday, starting with the deciding fourth frame.  The Braves began the fourth with three consecutive walks to the heart of the lineup.  Thing are looking pretty good, right?  Recently recalled Marlins starter Rick VandenHurk is reeling, and the Braves are poised to put a few runs on the board to provide their young starter a cushion.  Up steps Jeff Francoeur (cue the music when a game show contestant fails.  You know, “wah, wah, wah.”)   True to his terrible ’08 form, Jeff swings at the only 4 pitches he sees and strikes out.  I’m nearly certain struggling pitchers view Francoeur walking to the plate as something akin to a sigh of relief. They’d rather see him step to the dish than the opposing pitcher, undoubtedly.  At least the pitcher would make a guy who had walked three straight hitters throw him a strike.

So, not so unpredictably, the Braves squander as promising a scoring opportunity as a team can get, as neither Kelly Johnson or Mark Kotsay could bail Francoeur out.  Move now to the bottom of the inning.  Morton allows free passes to two Marlins batters.  With two outs, he can get out of the inning unscathed and keep the game tied at zero.  Oh, but no.  Mike Jacobs hits a three-run bomb.  Game, set, match.

To this point, the Braves had not even managed a hit.  They finished the game with one, a measley single from Chipper, and the season in a snapshot is complete. The Braves squander great scoring opportunities, while their opponent takes advantage of lesser ones.  The Braves get good pitching, but their over-eager offense makes the opposing pitcher look like 2001 Randy Johnson.  Finally, the one single redeeming moment (no pun intended) is a basehit by their only stud — Chipper.

What else?

- Jeff Francoeur has 2 extra-base hits in his last 25 games.  You wonder.  If the Braves are sellers at the end of the month, what will happen to Jeff?  Will they try to move him?  Will they send him down for the rest of the season, since they are conceding the season anyway?  Or will they allow him to further devolve at the major league level?

- Rafael Soriano pitched a scoreless inning Tuesday night.  It was his first action since June 5th.  He struck out two after giving up a leadoff single to Hanley Ramirez (Ramirez was later thrown out attemting to steal second).  Soriano’s velocity was down a little bit, but the end result was obviously good.

- Kelly Johnson is batting .163 in 15 July contests.  He has one extra-base hit over that span.

Maybe there’s a reason why fans don’t show up until the 4th inning in LA. Absolutely nothing happened in this one for the first 4 and a half frames. Derek Lowe and Tim Hudson were literally perfect, recording the first 27 total outs of the game in order. Both guys had their nastiest sinkers working. Between the two, 29 ground ball outs were recorded. Lowe was just a little bit better though, his only mistake coming in the 8th when he surrendered a solo home run to Jeff Francoeur.

Known as one of the best dirtballers in the game with Brandon Webb and Chien-Ming Wang, Lowe was filthy tonight. 16 of the 23 outs he recorded were on the ground.

The Dodgers got on the board first in the bottom of the sixth on a Matt Kemp home run.

The Braves had a chance to pull even the next half inning. Gregor Blanco led off the top of the 7th with a solid line drive single to center field. Sensing that this might be their only opportunity to score, Bobby Cox decided to play hit and run with the next batter, Yunel Escobar, and it worked. On one of the most heady baserunning plays you’ll see, Blanco went 1st to third on Yunel’s groundball out to the SS. But the all of a sudden struggling Chipper Jones couldn’t get him in from third with less than two out. He grounded out weakly to the pitcher. Chipper was probably trying to put the ball on the ground to a middle infielder. Unfortunately, his aim was off, and the Blanco was stranded at third.

The Dodgers stretched their lead to two in the bottom of the inning when the much loathed Andruw Jones handled an 0-2 pitch from Hudson for an RBI single.

The Braves pulled within one on Francoeur’s home run in the 8th. But it was all they could manage. Dodger closer Takashi Saito slammed the door in the 9th, retiring the side in order. The Braves have now lost 24 consecutive 1 run games on the road.

What else?

-Mark Kotsay inexplicably tried to steal second in the top of the 8th with 2 outs and pinch hitter Ruben Gotay batting. Mark was thrown out by 10 feet, and the decision ensured that the Braves would need to get a guy on base for Chipper to have a chance in the 9th down by only a run. Whomever’s decision it was, Bobby’s or Mark’s, it was a terrible one. Sure enough, Saito retired the final Brave batter in the 9th, while Chipper watched from the on-deck circle. The Braves have lost 24 straight 1 run games on the road.

-Cueball had it working tonight, undoubtedly summoning strength from the tarantula on his right wrist. But Chip Caray’s man crush, Lowe, just wasn’t going to be denied. This was not a game for long-ball digging chicks or the casual fan. For those who can see the artistry in what Lowe and Hudson were doing, though, it was as good as it gets.

-Lowe started the season hot and then cooled off quickly with a 6.11 May ERA. I’d say he has settled back into good form. Tonight he recorded his 7th quality starts over his last 10.

John Smoltz made his first appearance since going on the disabled list. Unfortunately for Smoltz and the Braves, the Marlins were able to take advantage of some solid hitting in the top of the ninth. Matt Treanor doubled after an inconspicuous foul out by Chad Ross who led off the inning. It was then former Brave Wes Helms following with a single to put runners at the corners. Hanley Ramirez followed with a fly out to right-field. Pinch runner Alfredo Amezaga held at third, obviously concerned with the power and accuracy of Jeff Francoeur’s throw. That was fortunate as Jeff Francoeur let sail with a high and wild throw which allowed Wes Helms to move up 90 feet to second base. It would take a two out hit by Jeremy Hermida to get the runs home. That’s exactly what the Marlins got as Hermida slapped the pitch into left field. Two runs scored after Omar Infante’s short game of futbol. Infante has been playing good for the Braves in my opinion so I see this as just a bump in the road for our trusty utility player. Smoltz was able to get out of the inning after the next batter, getting Jorge Cantu to popup to first baseman Mark Teixeira.

The Braves would not go quietly however. Mark Teixeira led off the bottom of the 10th with a ground out to second. Jeff Francoeur then drew a walk as did Brian McCann the very next at bat. Josh Anderson then comes to the plate and smokes a ball to Jorge Cantu at third as it turned out Anderson had hit in what could have been a game ending 5-4-3 double play. Thanks to Anderson’s speed however, the game was able to continue with two outs and runners at first and third. Gregor Blanco then cames to the plate. Blanco doubled and scored in the eighth but also struck out twice on the night. I think Blanco may be a candidate for the lead off spot. He can score runs but driving them in is a different matter. Thankfully, he didn’t have to get an RBI tonight as Jeff Francouer scored on a heads up play after Kevin Gregg let loose a wild pitch. Gregor Blanco than grounded out to the pitcher to put the game into extra innings.

At this point I would like to point out that Jojo Reyes pitched a very good game. He needed only a minimal number of pitches to get through the first couple of innings. In total he only threw 74 in six innings of work. Reyes look to becoming one of our top pitching prospects. If this guy is able to get some run support behind him, I think that he can gain the confidence necessary to be good member of starting rotation.
Manny Acosta also had a good outing even considering the fact that he gave up the tying run in the 7th inning. Chad Ross got the RBI after hitting a ball which Omar Infante made a great play on. Instead of being a run scoring single it was a fielders choice with an out at second and might have been a double play had Infante been able to get the ball out of his glove. Acosta then walked Jacque Jones putting runners at first and second. Acosta looked to be in trouble with Hanley Ramirez walking to the plate, but the Braves hurler was able to get Ramirez to strike out swinging.

Rafael Soriano pitched a scoreless eighth inning, but things got kind of scary. Soriano opened the inning by walking Jeremy Hermida. Jorge Cantu then followed with a fly out. Next Mike Jacobs came to the plate and was intentionally walked to get to Dan Uggla who then flied out to left. Next came Luis Gonzalez who Rafael was able to strike out swinging to end the inning.

To say that the game was an edge of the seater would be an understatement. This game went back and forth. There were lots of Marlins base runners late in the game and it was very disquieting. I know that Braves fans have got to be sick of playing in one run games, but it has to be done. I think that the Braves must play to win constantly as they did tonight. Bobby Cox made some adjustments to how he handled his pitchers and how he handled his hitters. He allowed the hurlers to throw the ball, even with the tough match ups. He gave the green light to his hitter in a key situation. These things won the game tonight. Not to mentions the awareness and hustle of Jeff Francoeur. A couple of mistakes were made in the field tonight, but all ended well as we ran the base paths well and we pitched well even if Smoltz had a tough night.

To continue with the recap of the game, the bottom of the 10th brought Kelly Johnson to the plate leading off. The score was still tied 5 to 5 thanks for a scoreless top of the 10th by Wil Ohman who faced the tough order of Jacobs, Uggla, and Gonzalez. Kelly Johnson was able to draw a walk, setting the stage for Yunel Escobar. Coming into the at-bat Escobar was trying to bunt the runner over to second. Two straight pitches for balls and then a wild pitch by Logan Kensing allowed Kelly Johnson to get to second base. Escobar then got the green light with the 3-0 count. He was ready. Kensing threw a fastball which Escobar was able to drive to left center field and out. The ball hit the top of the wall and right into the hand of a Braves fan for the victory. Braves win 6-4 on a Yunel Escobar 2-run walk off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning.

Notes: Tim Hudson’s strained hamstring from yesterday’s loss to the Reds does not seem to be serious enough to force him to miss a start. Blaine Boyer who injured his knee in yesterday’s game said that he was available in tonight’s game but was not used.
Jair Jurrjens then pitch

Number 32 for the Reds had a stellar performance Friday at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. Jay Bruce, a 21 year old native of Beaumont, Texas sparked the Cincinnati Reds with two hits and two runs helping in a three to two victory over the Braves. The center-fielder helped himself to a game tying RBI in the bottom of the sixth inning. After a sacrifice fly by Brandon Phillips the score was two to one in favor of the Reds. Tom Glavine who started the day was able to get through the sixth but the damage was done as the Braves were unable to finish the deal. Mark Teixeira opened the scoring a with a sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth, Kelly Johnson who had doubled to open the inning scored on the play. The Braves then answered the Reds in the seventh inning with a run scoring double play by Reuben Gotay. The Reds won it in eleven innings, scoring off two defensive miscues by Chipper Jones who also went 0 for 5 for the day, striking out once and grounding into two double plays.

Notes: Mark Kotsay was put on the DL list today. Josh Anderson was called up and has taken his place on the roster. John Smoltz is to pitch one more minor league assignment and may be available for action on Monday.

Second baseman Rickie Weeks hit a RBI tripe in the bottom of the 9th inning in yesterday’s game against the Braves. Jojo Reyes took the loss after putting the winning run on base by walking J.J. Hardy to start the 8th. The loss brings his record to 2-3 with a 4.83 ERA. Blaine Boyer came in after Reyes’ walk of Hardy; Jason Kendall then sacrificed the runner to second and while Boyer was able to strike out the next batter he faced he was unable to set down Rickie Weeks with two outs in the inning.

Bobby Cox indicated in a post-game interview that Reyes had pitched a good game, but it just wasn’t enough with Jeff Suppan’s eight inning gem. Suppan limited the Braves to four hits and struck out seven. The Braves had lots of opportunities early, leaving seven runners on base in the first five innings.

Tomorrow’s game starts at 1:05 EST and will feature the Braves right-hander Jorge Compillo (1-0, 0.86 ERA) against right-hander Seth McClung (2-1, 3.55 ERA).

Notes: Chipper Jones extended his hitting streak to 10 games after a single in the 3rd inning. Rafael Soriano was activated from the disabled list after Matt Diaz was placed on the 15-day DL with a posterior cruciate ligament strain and a laceration on his left leg which needed four stitches following a play in Tuesday’s game.

The Braves are now 2-14 in one-run games this season.

(Source: ESPN) Atlanta has lost 18 straight one-run road games.

Atlanta’s last one-run victory on the road came on Thursday August 9th, 2007 when the Braves defeated the Mets in Shea Stadium 7-6. Tim Hudson got the W while John Maine took the loss. Interestingly enough, this game could’ve also been a heart-breaker for the Braves if not for the heroics of Willie Harris who is now with the Washington Nationals organization.

Image: http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2007/08/09/sports/baseball/10mets.ready.html

Before that Mets/Braves game the Atlanta club had been on a four game slide in one-run games on the road (referring to 2007 season). The Braves finished the 2007 season with a 18-25 record in one-run games overall.