Braves Report

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I’m just not sure of what to make of this team anymore, which makes this first paragraph hard. So, onto the pitching.

James did better than his last outing, but still not good. In his brief four inning appearance, he gave up three runs on five hits, one of which was a home run. It’s time for him to get the shoulder fixed and learn a new pitch. The pen did a great job. First Carlyle pitched two innings, gave up 4 hits and a walk but didn’t allow a run to cross. Then, Tavarez and Ohman each pitched a scoreless inning.

In typical Braves fashion, we got pretty good pitching, so the bats stayed at home. The only bright spot was McCann and his three hits.

Braves lose, 2 - 3 .

Tomorrow’s game 9:40 PM, not nationally televised.

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Hampton gets a win. Hampton Gets A Win! HAMPTON GETS A WIN!! I’ll bet you thought those words would never again be spoken, but there is a lot to be said for his resilience, most people, hell, everyone else, would have given up! Hampton stuck with it, if he can put together a good run till the end of the season, he might, just might, be able to find a job.

Hampton really was great last night. He put together seven great innings of four hit ball allowing only two earned runs. A line anyone would envy. Bennett tried to relieve him, but was less than stellar. He gave up two runs in .1 innings. Ohman had to bail him out, and did with a strikeout. Boyer got the last out of the inning with a strikeout. Gonzo pitched the ninth only allowing a single hit.

The Braves pounded out 14 hits tonight. In fact, every single Braves starter had a hit, including Hampton. The hottest bat of the night was KJ, he had three hits, scored three times, and drove one in. Frenchy had two hits, but his average is still in the dump. Prado, subbing in for Chipper, notched two more hits.

Braves win, 11 - 4.

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The downward spiral continues. I must confess, I have never been this down about the Braves, never. It’s not that they are losing, it’s that they have given up. The players have given up, that much is evident. The management has quit, apparent from the Tex move. I guess even I have given up, too, since I haven’t watched an entire game in weeks.

Jurrjens didn’t do too badly, only giving up three earned runs. He actually pitched better than that. He got his ground balls, but they all seemed to be seeing eye hits. In the end, he threw six innings, giving up nine hits and four runs. The pen did a nice job last night. Boyer pitched a perfect inning, while Bennett pitched an inning allowing only one hit.

Not much going on behind the plate (again). Infante and KJ each had two hits. Infante and Frenchy each had an RBI.

Braves lose, 2 - 4.

Today’s game, 10:15 PM. Not nationally televised.

It’s hard for me to come up with the words to write this blog post, mainly because I don’t think its sunk in yet. I first heard the news as soon as I woke up this morning, and to me, it seemed unreal. Skip Caray, one of the main announcers and a name that is synonymous with the Braves, passed away last night in his sleep at the age of 68.

Now, I haven’t followed Skip throughout his entire 32-year career with the Braves, mainly because I really only started watching the team in 1997. But since then, through every single of his broadcasts on TBS, I felt like he gave me something. He gave me the unique feeling of the Braves. His voice is ingrained in my head with most of the fond memories I have. He was honest, but also had a sense of humor that truly made the games more enjoyable. Listening to him was always a treat, and he did his job just about as well as anyone can do it.

More importantly, this was a guy who I grew up with. I’m sure most of you can say the same, that Skip did indeed have an impact on your youth. But now, knowing that I’m no longer going to hear his remarks, or listen to him say something that would undoubtedly put a smile on my face, the feelings are starting to sink in.

Rest in peace, Skip. Thanks for all the great memories. You will be missed.

[August 12, 1939 - August 3, 2008]

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What a godsend this guy Campy has been. After, well, our entire pitching staff got hurt, Campy got the call as a reliever… then as a starter, and he has answered, brilliantly.

Campy had a fantastic outing yesterday. He gave us seven, six hit innings, not allowing a run to cross. It really doesn’t get much better than that. His change up was on, in fact, Ned Yost said, “He has one of the best changeups I’ve ever seen.” The pen held today as well. Bennett went .2 innings allowing only a walk. Ohman went .1, perfectly. Gonzo ended the game, only allowing a hit.

The bats were a little better today, scoring five time, but it wasn’t like we were tearing the cover off the ball with only eight hits. The only player to manage more than one hit was KJ. Escobar did drive in two runs.

Braves cruise to the win, 5 - 0.

Today’s game, 10:15 PM. Not nationally televised.