Atlanta Braves

Atlanta Braves Take Series From Nationals in the Rain

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Sep 18, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Matt Wisler (37) pitches against the Washington Nationals during the third inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The game started as a sunny Sunday afternoon series decider and ended with the Atlanta Braves beating the Nationals 6-2 in a downpour 7 2/3 innings and two long rain delays later.

After his last start against the Atlanta Braves starter Matt Wisler told reporters “. . .I’ve got some stuff to fix, I shouldn’t have an outing like that.  Frustrating night.”  Today he apparently had that stuff fixed. When the rains came with two outs in the top of the sixth he was cruising.

The First Three

Wisler and his opposite number Joe Ross sped through the first. After giving up a broken bat single to Clint Robinson Wisler coaxed Wilson Ramos into a 6-4-3 double play. Ben Revere ended the Nationals half but grounding out.  Ross’s second inning didn’t go as smoothly.

More from Tomahawk Take

Matt Kemp led off with a single and Nick Markakis followed suit. Tyler Flowers lifted a fly ball to deep center for the first out advancing Kemp to third. Jace Peterson returned to lineup with a single to right, scoring Kemp and sending Markakis to second but both were stranded there when the inning ended

Wisler’s only hiccup in the third was a single by Ross who advanced to second on a passed ball. Wisler buckled down and enticed Trea Turner to fly out it center and end the inning.

The Braves had Ross on the ropes in the home half when Ender Inciarte led off with a single.  Adonis Garcia and Freddie Freeman singled as well to load the bases but the Braves couldn’t close the deal.

Kemp swung at the first pitch and popped up for the first out. Markakis struck out on a wicked slider from Ross and Flowers popped up on the infield leaving the bases loaded.

The Braves are now 27 – 133 with the bases loaded this season. That comes out to an MLB worst .203/.220/.263/.483 line with 33 strikeouts.

Sep 18, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson (2) turns a double play past Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos (40) during the fifth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The Middle Three

Jason Werth started the Nats fourth by hitting a high hopper to short but Dansby Swanson was made a nice play to retire him

Wisler made quick work of Bryce Harper and Robinson and was through four with just 41 pitches thrown.

Reynaldo Lopez took over for Ross bottom in the bottom of the fourth and immediately walked Jace. Lopez moved Swanson away from the dish with a high and tight 96 MPH and coaxed a foul on a low heater at 95. The next pitch was another high heater that Swanson somehow took to right, over Harper’s head for a double. Peterson was off with the pitch and scored easily.

Wisler helped his cause by executing a perfect sac bunt moving Swanson to third, Inciarte struck out but Garcia hit a pitch up around his shoulders through the 5.5 hole to bring him in.

A Lopez wild pitch moved Garcia to second so the Nationals decided to walk Freeman. The strategy worked as Kemp popped up to right to end the inning.

It seemed like Wisler might have rested a bit rested too long as the first pitches were either way up or way down. Ramos took the third pitch the then but Wilmer Difo hit into a 4-6-3 double play and Danny Espinoza struck out to end the inning.

The Braves went quietly in the home half and Wisler quickly got two outs in the top of the sixth. However Braves nemesis Trea Turner double with two out and as rain descended on Turner field Werth double to score him.

At that point Joe West called for the tarp and the game went into a one hour rain delay.

Now, where were we. . .

Ian Krol came on for Wisler after the restart and Harper hit a bloop single that Inciarte couldn’t quite get to scoring Werth. Krol’s 2-2 pitch to Robinson hit him on the wrist putting runners at first and second and ending Krol’s day.

Chaz Roe entered and struck out Ramos on three pitches to end the threat with the Braves leading 3-2.

On the day Wisler threw 66 pitches – 40 for strikes – in his 5 2/3 innings of five hit, two run ball striking out two without a walk,  He retired 15 of the 18 batters faced before Turners double in the sixth.

Rafael martin entered to pitch the home sixth for the Nationals and promptly walked Swanson.  The idiocy of modern-day baseball reared it’s head at this point as Nats manager Dusty Baker decided to make a pitching change rather than let Martin face Emilio Bonifacio.

Ryan Zimmerman entered to play first and lefty Marc Rzepczynski to pitch to the switch hitting Bonifacio.  Proving that managers think too much Bonifacio took his second pitch into  the mud swimming pool that was once left field.

Inciarte put down a perfect sac bunt moving the runners to second and third with one out and Garcia slapped a single into left scoring both runners.

Freeman stroked a low middle fastball to left field and it rolled to the wall for a run scoring double. Baker told Rzepczynski to walk Kemp in order to face Markakis. His 1-1 pitch bounced away from Ramos and Freeman advanced to third but Ramos got to the ball quickly and threw Kemp out at second.  Markakis hit a slow grounder to second ending the inning with the Braves up 6-2.

Mar 2, 2015; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Shae Simmons (86) pose for photo day at Wide World of Sports. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Home Stretch

Shae Simmons entered to pitch the seventh for the Braves and Jace Peterson helped him by making a superb play on Revere for the first out,

Simmons was apparently unwilling to stay out on the field as the rains started to fall so he struck out Espinoza on three pitches. Difo had other plans however singling to left with one out. Zimmerman’s first at bat should have ended after three pitches when Simmons 0-2 fastball sliced the inner half thigh high but was called a ball.

Three pitches later Zimmerman hit a ground ball to Garcia who went to second for an apparent force of Difo. For some reason the Nationals decided to prolong the agony by challenging the call. So while their players stood in the rain the umpires woke up the replay folks in New York who correctly upheld the call ending the inning,

Trevor Gott came onto pitch the home half in a constant, heavy rain and Flowers greeted him with a double into the stream that was once the warning track in right field. Flowers and Swanson struck out and Rio Ruiz appeared for his first major league at bat.

Apr 22, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves grounds crew members pull the tarp on the field during a rain delay against the New York Mets in the eighth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Final Farce

Once again Dusty decided to go to the bullpen and replace the pitcher but before that could happen the umpires called for the tarp and another rain delay began.

The rain delay lasted an hour and 40 minutes and included a Joe West sighting on the field in the rain using the phone before this.

Then it started raining again and no one seemed to care.

It took ten minutes for the official word to come.

Next: A Wrap and a Rant

Sep 18, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves third baseman Adonis Garcia (13) singles driving in two runs against the Washington Nationals during the sixth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

That’s A Wrap

There were lots of things to be happy about today.

The only downside was the inability of the offense to do anything remotely productive with the bases loaded. The Braves are the worst in the bigs this season in that situation. The season is nearly over and nothing is likely to change this year and next year’s lineup will undoubtedly be different. Still it’s annoying.

Dusty By the Book

The other annoying things came from Dusty Baker and Joe West. Baker’s unwillingness to allow a pitcher to face an opposite side hitter was just plain silly. First he refuses to allow a pitcher with high 90’s heat and a power slider to face Bonifacio who couldn’t hold a spot on a major league roster this season.

Boni being a switch hitter he simply changed helmets to face the side – arm lefty with significantly lower velocity and singled to left. After Inciarte bunted he left the lefty in the game to pitch to Garcia who singled and Freeman who doubled. It was nice to see that miniscule theoretical advantage  evaporate.

In what turned out to be the last half inning he was about to do the same kind of thing to get a lefty-lefty match up against a minor league player coming to a major league plate for the first time. Technically he did bring in the lefty but the game never resumed so Ruiz is yet to get to the plate.

I sort of understand Dusty’s moves. He was out of baseball for year, no one wanted him to manage until the Nationals owner overruled his President of Baseball Ops and hired him.  Instead of common sense in a meaningless game he went strictly by the book. Insecurity causes people to do things they probably shouldn’t.  There’s no such excuse for the umpiring crew led by Joe West.

Hi I’m Joe

I fully understand MLB’s edict to finish games if at all possible. The reason for that is to insure games affecting the championship aren’t decided by less than nine innings. Barring something catastrophic today’s game will have no effect on who wins divisions or has the best record.

The Nationals aren’t going to catch the Cubs. The Dodgers aren’t going to catch the Nationals and the Mets aren’t catching them either. The umpires should have known that before the game started. When they were shown the radar showing that the rain stay for hours they should have called it right away.

Having authority is no good if you don’t use it. Joe West is not beyond using his authority in situations that make him the center of attention. However he shirks from doing it when it’s obvious it’s the right thing to do. It’s time for Joe to retire. . . actually it’s past time but the end of this season will do thanks.

The Braves are off to New York where they’ll try to mess with the Mets post season dreams tomorrow night.  I hope the weather and the umpiring is better there.

Sep 18, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Matt Wisler (37) pitches against the Washington Nationals during the third inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The game started as a sunny Sunday afternoon series decider and ended with the Atlanta Braves beating the Nationals 6-2 in a downpour 7 2/3 innings and two long rain delays later.

After his last start against the Atlanta Braves starter Matt Wisler told reporters “. . .I’ve got some stuff to fix, I shouldn’t have an outing like that.  Frustrating night.”  Today he apparently had that stuff fixed. When the rains came with two outs in the top of the sixth he was cruising.

The First Three

Wisler and his opposite number Joe Ross sped through the first. After giving up a broken bat single to Clint Robinson Wisler coaxed Wilson Ramos into a 6-4-3 double play. Ben Revere ended the Nationals half but grounding out.  Ross’s second inning didn’t go as smoothly.

More from Tomahawk Take

Matt Kemp led off with a single and Nick Markakis followed suit. Tyler Flowers lifted a fly ball to deep center for the first out advancing Kemp to third. Jace Peterson returned to lineup with a single to right, scoring Kemp and sending Markakis to second but both were stranded there when the inning ended

Wisler’s only hiccup in the third was a single by Ross who advanced to second on a passed ball. Wisler buckled down and enticed Trea Turner to fly out it center and end the inning.

The Braves had Ross on the ropes in the home half when Ender Inciarte led off with a single.  Adonis Garcia and Freddie Freeman singled as well to load the bases but the Braves couldn’t close the deal.

Kemp swung at the first pitch and popped up for the first out. Markakis struck out on a wicked slider from Ross and Flowers popped up on the infield leaving the bases loaded.

The Braves are now 27 – 133 with the bases loaded this season. That comes out to an MLB worst .203/.220/.263/.483 line with 33 strikeouts.

Sep 18, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson (2) turns a double play past Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos (40) during the fifth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The Middle Three

Jason Werth started the Nats fourth by hitting a high hopper to short but Dansby Swanson was made a nice play to retire him

Wisler made quick work of Bryce Harper and Robinson and was through four with just 41 pitches thrown.

Reynaldo Lopez took over for Ross bottom in the bottom of the fourth and immediately walked Jace. Lopez moved Swanson away from the dish with a high and tight 96 MPH and coaxed a foul on a low heater at 95. The next pitch was another high heater that Swanson somehow took to right, over Harper’s head for a double. Peterson was off with the pitch and scored easily.

Wisler helped his cause by executing a perfect sac bunt moving Swanson to third, Inciarte struck out but Garcia hit a pitch up around his shoulders through the 5.5 hole to bring him in.

A Lopez wild pitch moved Garcia to second so the Nationals decided to walk Freeman. The strategy worked as Kemp popped up to right to end the inning.

It seemed like Wisler might have rested a bit rested too long as the first pitches were either way up or way down. Ramos took the third pitch the then but Wilmer Difo hit into a 4-6-3 double play and Danny Espinoza struck out to end the inning.

The Braves went quietly in the home half and Wisler quickly got two outs in the top of the sixth. However Braves nemesis Trea Turner double with two out and as rain descended on Turner field Werth double to score him.

At that point Joe West called for the tarp and the game went into a one hour rain delay.

Now, where were we. . .

Ian Krol came on for Wisler after the restart and Harper hit a bloop single that Inciarte couldn’t quite get to scoring Werth. Krol’s 2-2 pitch to Robinson hit him on the wrist putting runners at first and second and ending Krol’s day.

Chaz Roe entered and struck out Ramos on three pitches to end the threat with the Braves leading 3-2.

On the day Wisler threw 66 pitches – 40 for strikes – in his 5 2/3 innings of five hit, two run ball striking out two without a walk,  He retired 15 of the 18 batters faced before Turners double in the sixth.

Rafael martin entered to pitch the home sixth for the Nationals and promptly walked Swanson.  The idiocy of modern-day baseball reared it’s head at this point as Nats manager Dusty Baker decided to make a pitching change rather than let Martin face Emilio Bonifacio.

Ryan Zimmerman entered to play first and lefty Marc Rzepczynski to pitch to the switch hitting Bonifacio.  Proving that managers think too much Bonifacio took his second pitch into  the mud swimming pool that was once left field.

Inciarte put down a perfect sac bunt moving the runners to second and third with one out and Garcia slapped a single into left scoring both runners.

Freeman stroked a low middle fastball to left field and it rolled to the wall for a run scoring double. Baker told Rzepczynski to walk Kemp in order to face Markakis. His 1-1 pitch bounced away from Ramos and Freeman advanced to third but Ramos got to the ball quickly and threw Kemp out at second.  Markakis hit a slow grounder to second ending the inning with the Braves up 6-2.

Mar 2, 2015; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Shae Simmons (86) pose for photo day at Wide World of Sports. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Home Stretch

Shae Simmons entered to pitch the seventh for the Braves and Jace Peterson helped him by making a superb play on Revere for the first out,

Simmons was apparently unwilling to stay out on the field as the rains started to fall so he struck out Espinoza on three pitches. Difo had other plans however singling to left with one out. Zimmerman’s first at bat should have ended after three pitches when Simmons 0-2 fastball sliced the inner half thigh high but was called a ball.

Three pitches later Zimmerman hit a ground ball to Garcia who went to second for an apparent force of Difo. For some reason the Nationals decided to prolong the agony by challenging the call. So while their players stood in the rain the umpires woke up the replay folks in New York who correctly upheld the call ending the inning,

Trevor Gott came onto pitch the home half in a constant, heavy rain and Flowers greeted him with a double into the stream that was once the warning track in right field. Flowers and Swanson struck out and Rio Ruiz appeared for his first major league at bat.

Apr 22, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves grounds crew members pull the tarp on the field during a rain delay against the New York Mets in the eighth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Final Farce

Once again Dusty decided to go to the bullpen and replace the pitcher but before that could happen the umpires called for the tarp and another rain delay began.

The rain delay lasted an hour and 40 minutes and included a Joe West sighting on the field in the rain using the phone before this.

Then it started raining again and no one seemed to care.

It took ten minutes for the official word to come.

Next: A Wrap and a Rant

Sep 18, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves third baseman Adonis Garcia (13) singles driving in two runs against the Washington Nationals during the sixth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

That’s A Wrap

There were lots of things to be happy about today.

The only downside was the inability of the offense to do anything remotely productive with the bases loaded. The Braves are the worst in the bigs this season in that situation. The season is nearly over and nothing is likely to change this year and next year’s lineup will undoubtedly be different. Still it’s annoying.

Dusty By the Book

The other annoying things came from Dusty Baker and Joe West. Baker’s unwillingness to allow a pitcher to face an opposite side hitter was just plain silly. First he refuses to allow a pitcher with high 90’s heat and a power slider to face Bonifacio who couldn’t hold a spot on a major league roster this season.

Boni being a switch hitter he simply changed helmets to face the side – arm lefty with significantly lower velocity and singled to left. After Inciarte bunted he left the lefty in the game to pitch to Garcia who singled and Freeman who doubled. It was nice to see that miniscule theoretical advantage  evaporate.

In what turned out to be the last half inning he was about to do the same kind of thing to get a lefty-lefty match up against a minor league player coming to a major league plate for the first time. Technically he did bring in the lefty but the game never resumed so Ruiz is yet to get to the plate.

I sort of understand Dusty’s moves. He was out of baseball for year, no one wanted him to manage until the Nationals owner overruled his President of Baseball Ops and hired him.  Instead of common sense in a meaningless game he went strictly by the book. Insecurity causes people to do things they probably shouldn’t.  There’s no such excuse for the umpiring crew led by Joe West.

Hi I’m Joe

I fully understand MLB’s edict to finish games if at all possible. The reason for that is to insure games affecting the championship aren’t decided by less than nine innings. Barring something catastrophic today’s game will have no effect on who wins divisions or has the best record.

The Nationals aren’t going to catch the Cubs. The Dodgers aren’t going to catch the Nationals and the Mets aren’t catching them either. The umpires should have known that before the game started. When they were shown the radar showing that the rain stay for hours they should have called it right away.

Having authority is no good if you don’t use it. Joe West is not beyond using his authority in situations that make him the center of attention. However he shirks from doing it when it’s obvious it’s the right thing to do. It’s time for Joe to retire. . . actually it’s past time but the end of this season will do thanks.

The Braves are off to New York where they’ll try to mess with the Mets post season dreams tomorrow night.  I hope the weather and the umpiring is better there.

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