July 19, 2004
Same Old Story
The Braves beat the Phillies 4-2, despite Jim Thome's 31st HR. The Braves take sole possesion of 1st place. Just when you thought that some team in the NL East would break the Braves' strangle hold on first place, there they are again. They withstood the loss of Maddux, Chipper Jones' injury, Marcus Giles' injury and they're back in first place. No team does a better job of finding the parts that fit every year than the Braves.
Posted by David Pinto at
10:31 PM
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Meanwhile, the Phils, again, seem to equal less than the sum of their parts. The Braves went all-out tonight, while the Phillies, again, were sleepwalking. At this point I wouldn't be surprised to see Atlanta win a division that Philadelphia was supposed to own.
Re: The Braves
I watched the game tonite with keen interest.
It was the Braves' to win and the Phils to lose with Paul Abbott going for the Phils and Mike Hampton going for the Braves. Abbott pitched about his best game up to date for the Phils, but the Phils could not get to Hampton at all. After David Bell, who had two hits tonite, Lieberthal and Burrell and Polanco, their other RH bats, were silent. Thome did hit a tremendous shot to CF, but it was solo. Lieberthal hit a rally-killing DP with 1st and 2d and 1 out in the 7th.
Also, a bit dubious on Bowa letting Abbott hit with lieberthal on 1st in the top of the 5th and the score 2-1 Braves. You knew Abbott wasn't going to have much left in the tank on an 80 degree night, and a pinch hitter at least would give you a chance at a run or a rally. Instead, Abbott batted and the rally died. He could have sent up Glanville who has RH power and HR power.
Abbott then surrendered runs in each of the next two innings before he was lifted.
Not exactly Earl Weaver, or for that matter, Bobby Cox managing, there, Larry Bowa!
I have rarely seen a manage so reluctant to pinch hit for his starters when down early in a low scoring game in the 4th or 5th inning and it's obvious runs will be hard to come by. It's precisely in those situations you need a PH and you need to possibly pinch run for your catcher and steal a base and make things happen to create runs whatever.
On defense, the Braves were diving and catching balls all nite while the Phils were letting them fall in front of them all nite or in between them all nite.
Oh I long for the 93 Phils
Those Daultons and Dykstras
And Fregosi-led Phils
With Schilling and Greene
Danny Jackson & Wild Thing
Oh How I long for the 93 Phils!
You will recall the crushed the beast that was Atlanta in 6 games.
Also, Atlanta has won 9 divisions in a row - 1995-2003. 1994 was a strike year and Montreal won the strike year division. Prior to that, Atlanta was in the West Division, and they won 1991, 1992 and 1993 (tied with SF 93 - one game playoff beat SF).
So they have not won "12 division titles in a row". That's a flat out missstatement. They won two western divisions, tied for a third with SF, they lost the first year of realignment to Montreal in a strike-shortened year, then won nine in a row the next nine years.
For all that, they have one World Series title to show for it all, compared with the five up in the Bronx with the Yankees, which makes Bobby Cox a Hall of Fame manager but makes Joe Torre a Hall of Fame Greatest Manager along with Joe McCarthy and Yogi Berra and Casey Stengel.
--AJK
P.S. re: The Braves overhauling the Phils
The Braves have won 16 of their last 20.
According to ESPN Sports Center, the winning streak coincided with their moving Chipper Jones back to Third Base.
One has to wonder why in the world, when you have a hitter with the abilities of Mike Schmidt or Eddie Matthews, you would ever move him OFF third base and replace him with some one as crappy as Vinny Castilla (see Drunken, Bobby Cox) and move said talent to Left Field, where you weaken yourself at both positions.
The kid they brought up from the minors is terrific in left and made another outstanding play tonite.
I watched the AA and AAA all star games this past week and the Braves have more talent down on the farm.
It's amazing Jaret Wright is still throwing like he once did as a young Indian. That's plain unbelievable and a testament to the pitching coaches in Atlanta, who have always been great.
--AJK
Re: Braves v. Phils - Part III
Tonight's Matchup should be Eric Milton v. whomever the Braves throw up.
This is a defining game for Milton, who is the Phillies' ace so far this season.
The Phillies must win to tie up the race. Millwood has lost every game against the Braves has has started this season. Milton does pitch well on the road and threw a beauty last week against the Mets.
Should be a good game, but all the Big Momentum is with Atlanta.
This is the Biggest game of the season.
The Phillies have managed to lose a 6 1/2 lead to the Braves in one month.
If the Phils lose tonight, and drop 3 or more games back behind the Braves, I think Bowas will be on the Unemployment line.
http://philliesblog.blogspot.com/
Mike Berquist notes on his website that Atlanta's isolated power and secondary power numbers have caught up to the Phils while the Phils have declined in July. The teams have equal ISOs of .168 and are tied for 5th in all of baseball. Atlanta has come up nine points while the Phils have fallen nine points, so most of Atlanta's winning surge, as last year, is coming from the offense.
Go to the website!
--AJK
I think Art doth protest too much...
Of the last 12 division titles awarded (?), the Braves have won 12. No one won the 1994 division title. And I suspect beating a team you tie for division title with in a playoff entitles you to, at a minimum, claim you won the division. I'd be curious to know if the Giants do the same.
Oh wait...there was no one-game playoff in 1993. They won 104 games, and the Giants won 103...whatever, Art.
Does anyone know who made a great catch this weekend in right field? The right fielder's glove went over the fence and down a little bit to retrieve it.
I saw it on TV at Midway airport in Chicago so it might have been the Cubs or the White Sox.
I have looked online for a picture of it but unable to find.