LiveBlog: Braves at Phillies

Why does Wickman show up several times in Google Images when I type in Braves vs. Phillies.

Here we go. Over on ESPN2 at 8 PM, the Atlanta Braves meet the Philadelphia Phillies on Opening Day. Both teams walked out of Spring Training without any major injuries, and for both teams, Opening Day is a time of hope. Both teams seem poised for good things this season.

For the Phillies, they are beginning their World Series defense. The off-season saw the loss of Pat Burrell to the Rays and JC Romero to a 50-game suspension. However, with the addition of Raúl Ibañez and a full season of Joe Blanton, the Phillies aren't worried. Ibañez was a professional hitter in ST with a nice .310/.370/.500 line, Ryan Howard dropped 10 bombs, Chase Utley was healthy, and Blanton, Brett Myers, and Chan Ho Park looked very good. The big questions surround Hamels' health (it seems he's okay) and Jamie Moyer (will age get him?).

For the Braves, they had a lot more turnover, and tumult, this off-season than the Phillies. Long gone are John Smoltz and Mike Hampton, and enter Derek Lowe, Javier Vazquez, Kenshin Kawakami, and Garrett Anderson. The Braves are seemingly in an in-between period. Are they good enough with young players such as Jeff Francoeur, Kelly Johnson, Casey Kotchman, and Jordan Schafer to compete? This ST was a rebuttal to the doubters. Schafer stepped up, Francoeur made significant changes, and the pitching staff looked excellent.

Tonight's matchup pits Brett Myers and Derek Lowe.

Derek Lowe (2008) --> 14-11, 3.24 ERA, 3.26 FIP, 1.92 BB/9, 2.63 GB/FB
Brett Myers (2008) -->10-13, 4.55 ERA, 4.52 FIP, 7.72 K/9, 1.45 GB/FB

Pre-Game

First dumb Joe Morgan comment countdown begins ... now.
Oh god, I forgot Steve Phillips was doing this.
Yum, left-over Dairy Queen cookie dough ice cream cake.

Top 1st (ATL 2, PHI 0) --> McCann 2-run HR

No big shocks in the lineup, but I would have preferred Escobar (high OBP) followed by Kotchman.
Why do I have the idea Miller has no idea what OPS is?
BRIAN!!!!

Bot 1st (ATL 2, PHI 0)
Come from behind isn't exactly right. More like lurk and steal.
I still flinch on pop-ups to Kelly.
What's with highlighting OPS so much? Now, if they did OPS+ ...
I thought Utley had it, but sharp start for Lowe.

Top 2nd (ATL 4, PHI 0) --> Francoeur HR, Schafer HR
Told you Jeff looked good this Spring.
No HGSchafe? Really?
Well, they should be saying it now!
Okay, Derek, at least try at the plate.

Bot 2nd (ATL 4, PHI 0)
1 K down, 206 more to go for Howard.
I like 9 pitch innings.
And FYI, if I leave for a while, it's probably because it's storming here, and I may have to take cover.

Top 3rd (ATL 4, PHI 0)
Who wants the home run this inning? Escobar ... oh! Almost.
Happ to take over for the hapless?
I don't like it when Chipper hops like that.
Let's not make it easy on them guys. Patience!

Bot 3rd (ATL 4, PHI 0)
Still flinch, and he almost dropped it.
He just missed it. He hits one home run and decides to stop playing defense. Geez.
Comes back to hurt. NO EXTRA OUTS FOR GOOD TEAMS!
Rollins should have jacked that, but 34 pitches through 3. Nicely done so far in your debut.

Top 4th (ATL 4, PHI 0)
A home run, and now, he's taking balls. Wow! But a soft liner to short.
At a boy Schafer.

Bot 4th (ATL 4, PHI 0)
Schafer will continue to hit if you don't mess him up, TP.
TP, good player for many, many years? I count two.
Nice play Kotchman. Shut up Joe (even though he's right, for once).
46 pitches. Keep it rolling.

Top 5th (ATL 4, PHI 0)
Good Chip. Seems like the hop was just him upset with himself.
Looks like Myers has settled down. Those were some good curveballs.

Bot 5th (ATL 4, PHI 0)
Why is Morgan the one making good comments/putting things into context?
2 K's, another scoreless frame, and 64 pitches overall.

Top 6th (ATL 4, PHI 0)
Nice first hit, Garrett.
"I think he's still trying to learn how to hit from that stance." Ding, ding, ding. The countdown is over.
Intentional Walk. Nice. Make him pay Derek.
Uh, not that way. No bunt singles for pitchers.
Admirable start from Myers. Could have really gotten away from him, but he came back.

Bot 6th (ATL 4, PHI 0)
Myers --> 6 IP, 4 ER, 3 HR, 6 K, 1 BB (the one walk, intentional, was huge in keeping him in the game)
Wind must be knocking balls down out to right. How hard did McCann hit that?
Nicely done. Defends like Maddux (*snicker*), but 83 pitches in, he's doing a nice overall Maddux imitation.

Top 7th (ATL 4, PHI 0)
Taschner in.
Kelly is just not seeing the ball tonight.
Chipper! Hit that out! Letting first-pitch fastballs go. Geez. And then to strike out swinging ...

Bot 7th (ATL 4, PHI 0)
Bobby Cox Bullpen Watch now in effect.
Ryan "The Exception" Howard?
89 pitches. I think Bobby leaves him in one more inning.

Top 8th (ATL 4, PHI 0)
Jeeffff. Ugh.
Well, two lefty relievers in, and the Braves have looked terrible against them.
Braves look on cruise control. They can't go to sleep on the Phillies.

Bot 8th (ATL 4, PHI 0)
Just looked at this because I was curious -- 9 K, 1 BB for Atlanta. No wonder I'm frustrated even though they're winning.
Lowe still there. How long does Bobby leave him in? If under 100 pitches, he gets another inning.
Bobby's got Gonzalez and Moylan up. This is one of the things that gets me. Neither needed to be up yet. At least let someone get on. Need to be careful with Moylan. I'd let Lowe have another crack, but he's pulled when a runner gets on. No reason to go too far tonight.

Top 9th (ATL 4, PHI 0)
Come on, two more runs right here.
Lidge? Really?
Welcome to the majors, Schafe. Yep, just smile it off.
Lowe's done.

Bot 9th (ATL 4, PHI 0)
Lowe --> 8 IP, 2 H, 4 K, 0 BB (well done in just about every way possible)
Wobbly Time! Bring in Gonzalez!
Time to get nervous ...
Why on Earth did Howard not kill that?
I think Lowe threw fewer pitches in 8 innings.
Woooooo.


Well, pretty good game. Lowe was fantastic. Got groundballs, threw strikes, and got people out. The Braves took advantage of Myers' command issues early, but they seemed to mail it in after that. Myers improved, but the good at-bats just stopped. Became too impatient and didn't see the ball well (10 K and 1 BB). As for the Phillies, you have commend Myers on staying in it after a really rough start. That's the difference between aces and middle to back of the rotation starters. When you don't have your stuff, can you get it back enough to keep your team in it?