Mets Crash Braves Celebration

I and 51000 of my closest friends attended Chipper Jones day at the Ted yesterday. It started off well with lots of great – short – speeches and the presentation to Chipper of a pool table, a family trip to Hawaii and a home plate made from bricks taken from the Turner Field facade. Tim Hudson started and looked playoff ready for 6+ innings. Freddie Freeman got into Moe’s pocketbook with a homer in the home wrecker inning so we all get a free burrito at Moe’s today – anyway the Mets turned up in the 7th to ruin the party.

Tim Hudson

Through six innings Hudson looked like the Ace he’s been most of his career, there were base runners here and there but Huddy induced double plays or David Ross picked off attempted thieves and no significant threat emerged. Even the 7th didn’t look threatening until Lucas Duda hit his homer.  The Mets doubles machine Daniel Murphy got his mandatory double for the night to open the inning but David Wright lined out softly and after walking Ike Davis intentionally Huddy stuck Scott Hairston out swinging.  Duda was quickly behind 1-2 but Huddy couldn’t put him away and on the ninth pitch of the at bat a sinker meant to be inside and running back to the edge drifted over the heart of the plate and Duda didn’t miss it. Suddenly the Mets were up 3-1 and that’s the way it finished. An ineffective Cristhian Martinez needed Cory Gearrin‘s help to get out of a bases loaded jamb in the eighth and Gearrin pitched a quick ninth but the Braves hitters went meekly in the bottom half and the game was over.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

Once again – still – I am bemused (I wish it were amused) by some of Fredi Gonzalez decisions.  He rightly holds Michael Bourn out of the lineup with an injured thumb but starts David Ross who’s carrying an oblique injury that hurts badly when he runs.  I understand Brian McCann‘s shoulder is sore again after that swing on Wednesday night but J.C. Boscan is on the bench for just these reasons; why isn’t he catching?  He isn’t the threat Ross is but right now Ross is a mistake hitter who can’t run. We need him for the post season. We aren’t going to catch the Nationals in spite of all the  that’s still our goal talk. It just makes no sense. Then there’s the pitching. While Hanson beat the Marlins Thursday Fredi had a quick hook that brought a scowl to Hanson’s face as he left.  The Marlins are basically a 4A team now so the victory is more an indication of that than of any improvement for Hanson. He surely can’t be on Fredi’s post season starter list so why waste a start on him when Julio Teheran, Randall Delgado and Ben Sheets haven’t been seen to even warm up since their return to the team. It might have been a good idea to give them an outing and see what they look like. It been offered up that Teheran or Delgado might – probably will –  start the last game against the Pirates in order to have Huddy as rested as possible for the playoffs. Ben Sheets is I suppose around for moral support. He isn’t mentioned  in any way by the team, so why is here here?  It seems an insult unless he’s injured and if he’s injured why haven’t we heard? Finally on my “really” list is the use of Martinez last night. A one inning hold situation has never been his role, Chad Durbin and Jonny Venters have done most of that.  He got through the inning but only after Gearrin bailed him out with the bases loaded. He’s not short of work lately , if the role isn’t important why him instead of someone who needs work like Teheran, Delgado?

That’s A Wrap

I could comment on many things that have me slightly askew but I’ll save that for after the World Series. I’m heading out later to meet some of my Braves Twitter Fam in the Green Lot prior to this evening’s game. I’m looking forward to seeing them and watching a great performance from Mike Minor tonight. If you’re at the game look me up. I suggest you check out the Hub link  on Tommy Hanson and other from Baseball Prospectus, it’s informative and well written.