Official 2008 Atlanta Braves Season Thread (59-77) vol. We Blow

[trillipinotrapstar]

Tex finally getting his hitting groove on now.

Also Brandon Webb justgave up 10 hits and 4 earned runs, which is not a good sign for such a very good pitcher like him.

Glad that Smoltz might be returning sooner and that Rafael Soriano is ready to return.

Hudson to face Dave Bush Tuesday at Milwaukee.

 

[atljunkie]

damn those are clean pictures. i like the one of them looking up at the planes. good stuff.
braves beat webb today nice.

They definitely need to start winning road games. come on guys.
you are supposed to beat teams like the reds and the brewers. hopefully they can execute. smoltzy getting better is good news!

 

[messiahchild]

This Team is so !#!+@%# Jekyll and Hyde........

They're not beating the Reds as long as Jay Bruce is in the line-up for them. Dude is on like a 400-game hitting streak since high school...

 

[mfr3shm]

Braves lost 3-2 and Hudson pitched a great game going 8 innings but gave up 11 hits but only 2 runs no decision but another quality start.

Braves losing on the road is so sickening they need to play better on the road.

In other Braves news: Matt Diaz goes on the DL and Mark Kotsay might be headed to the DL too.

Returning from the DL: Rafael Soriano, John Smoltz, Mike Gonzalez (return in about 1-2 weeks)

 

[atljunkie]

they should have pulled hudson out in the 7th after he gave up the 1st run. he got away in the 6th. barely got away in the 7th and blew it in the 8th.
he was throwing around 90 pitches at the end of 6 already... they were obviously catching onto him and cox should have brought in the middle relief to do theirjob.
braves couldnt buy a road win. god this is annoying as hell.

braves cant even get a decent amount of runs on the road. wow. 0-0 with the brewers in the 7th? killing me.

 

[trillipinotrapstar]

This Braves team is roadkill again.......

We do good at home but we're terrible outside of Turner Field........

Jo-Jo pitched seven solid innings but it wasn't enough in a 1-0 loss.

Hopefully Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez can turn things around when they return.

 

[mfr3shm]

Another road loss 1-0 and Jo Jo Reyes pitches greatbut what is up with this team on road games they can't catch a break.

 

[mfr3shm]

Great win 8-1 today i am surprised at how great Jorge Campillo has pitched today 5 innings 0 ER how long will it last.

Tex 4 RBI's looks to get hot just about now.

 

[atljunkie]

nice win finally. offense finally shows up and they are getting on base and bringing people in. campillo pitching great.
hopefully they can take this to cincy where they face a tough volquez. dude is having hell of a season but then again so was webb...

 

[mfr3shm]

Today Braves wore the Blue hats but with the grey road Jersey different than wearing the blue on blue.
Rafael Soriano returned today off the DL and was throwing heat pitched great today looks healthy.
Smoltz pitched 2 scoreless innings in a minor league game seems to be ok and expected to be on the Braves soon.

 

[atljunkie]

those sky cam shots are money!!!

do you have the larger image of those mfr3shm???????

and yea, those hats are money. i have 2 of those. 2 of the classic and 1 of the tomahawk A.

anyways, braves face volquez today.

go bravos!

 

[trillipinotrapstar]

Smoltzie to do a bullpen role and could probably close tonight vs the Marlins.

Thank god we are back home; but we still need road wins badly.

 

[mfr3shm]

Braves walk off Homerun

by Yunel Escobar @Turner Field if only they can do this on the road we'd have more wins.

 

[dlo13]

ESCOOOOOOOO!

I was let down that he didn't flip the bat on that walk off job.

(He did it on the go-ahead RBI in the 8th...but not in the 10th. Go figure.)

Smoltz didn't look good. Looks like he might be struggling to locate with that new arm slot. He left two right on the plate. It'll come with time, Iguess...he's been able to re-invent himself several times, so I won't worry.

 

[trillipinotrapstar]

Escobar with da walk-off homer!!!!!!!!

Smoltzie might need some work to do though. If he didn't allow those two runs at the top of the 9th it would have ended quickly. Location of his pitchesare his primary problem.

But a couple wild pitches from Kevin Gregg and Logan Kensing saved us from losing 4 in a row following the Reds' sweep. Good riddance.

 

[mfr3shm]

Smoltz gave up 2 runs but he was throwing pretty hard 95 mph Fastball he says there is still a discomfort in his arm probably too much of throwing hard willcause another injury but i was happy to see him pitch again.

This home winning record is great and all but Braves need to desperatly win on the road too.

Escobar

 

[messiahchild]

@ Cox for lettin Esco swing at a 3-0 count.

@ Amezaga for running into the wall to catch Esco's homerun. The $%#* was he thinking, he had to kno that he couldnt run forever and that a wallwas near.

 

[atljunkie]

YUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNEL

nice walk off homer.
take this into todays game.!
these are must win division games.
phillies need to start losing though!

 

[mfr3shm]

Another home win Chipper Jones hit HR #399

Soriano got his 2nd save of the season.

 

[trillipinotrapstar]

Yunel with another clutch HR!!!

Chipper is just one away from 400!!!

 

[atljunkie]

Originally Posted by MFr3shM

Another home win Chipper Jones hit HR #399

Soriano got his 2nd save of the season.

 

[mfr3shm]

I got TERRIBLE NEWS...

Smoltz to have season-ending shoulder surgery

Surgery could put career of 41-year-old in jeopardy

By DAVID O'BRIEN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 06/04/08

John Smoltz will have season-ending shoulder surgery that could also put the career of the 41-year-old Braves pitcher in doubt.

The Braves have called a media conference at 11:30 a.m. at Turner Field to be attended by Smoltz, general manager Frank Wren and manager Bobby Cox. A Braves official confirmed surgery for Smoltz will be announced at the media conference.

Smoltz, the only pitcher in history with at least 200 wins and 150 saves, notched his 3,000th career strikeout earlier this season.

After spending nearly five weeks on the disabled list with inflammation of the rotator cuff and biceps tendon in his throwing shoulder, he returned from the DL Monday night and blew a save against Florida in his first relief appearance in 44 months.

Smoltz had moved back to the bullpen from his preferred starting role as a concession to persistent pain in his throwing shoulder. He had hoped he could get through the season by pitching in one-inning stints and by altering his pitching delivery and throwing sidearm.

He was charged with two runs, three hits and a blown save in the ninth inning Monday against Florida, but the Braves came back and won 7-5 on Yunel Escobar's walk-off homer in the 10th.

Smoltz converted 154 saves in 3 1/2 seasons as a closer through 2004 including a National League-record 55 saves in 2002.

He went 47-26 as a starter since the beginning of the 2005 season, including 3-2 with a 2.00 ERA in five starts this season before shoulder pain forced him to the DL for the second time since March.

Smoltz has had four right-elbow surgeries and had said in recent years that he wouldn't endure another arm surgery and long rehabilitation to prolong his career. But on Monday he backed away from those statements and indicated he would consider surgery and all other options.

The 1996 Cy Young Award winner has a 210-147 career record with 154 saves and 3,011 strikeouts in 3,395 innings. Smoltz is also the winningest postseason pitcher in history (15-4) and owns the record for postseason strikeouts (194).

The likely future Hall of Famer is eligible for free agency after the 2008 season.

 

[dlo13]

Yeah...I heard this idea being kicked around yesterday. I'm not surprised.

I'd love to see Smoltz come back, but it's a lot different to come back at 41 than it was at 34.

 

[mfr3shm]

It may be career ending because Smoltz said that he doesn't want to come back if he will hurt himself or the team.

You can watch the John Smoltz press conference at the Atlanta Braves website at 11:30 ET they will address the news to everyone.

Its sad to hear if this will be career ending surgery

 

[messiahchild]

- He is appreciated for EVERYTHING he has done for this organization. If he doesn't come back, the Braves better use that $14 mil wisely. Rumor hasit, their is a Scott Boras client that is a VERY GOOD 1st baseman, that is a free agent at the end of the year.