Take a guess...come on...I bet you'll be right!
Ok, I'll give you a hint. It has to do with some guys who come out from behind a closed door in right field, trot through the infield, and attempt to throw a ball off a mound...
Any guesses now? What? Did I hear "the bullpen?" Ding...ding...ding...ding...ding...we have a winner!
I really don't know what to write about this topic anymore. How many times can your relief pitching fall apart before you look for other options...any options! Ryan Chambers over at The Braves Show offers some suggestions. Why not try them???
Tied at 3 tonight, Mike Remlinger entered the game in the 8th inning. Kenny Lofton led off and was thrown out by Chipper Jones on a bunt attempt. Nomar Garciaparra promptly doubled, but then JD Drew popped out for the second out of the inning. Now here's where it gets unbearable...so pay attention. The next few at bats went like this (remember, there are two outs):
Top 8TH B:4 S:1 O:2
Willy Aybar walks.
Top 8TH B:3 S:2 O:2
Andre Ethier singles on a ground ball to left fielder Ryan Langerhans. Nomar Garciaparra scores. Willy Aybar to 2nd.
Top 8TH B:0 S:0 O:2
Pitcher Change: Tyler Yates replaces Mike Remlinger, batting 9th.
Top 8TH B:3 S:2 O:2
Ramon Martinez singles on a line drive to right fielder Jeff Francoeur. Willy Aybar scores. Andre Ethier to 3rd. Ramon Martinez to 2nd on the throw.
So...what I'm trying to say is...we got beat by Aybar, Ethier, and Martinez...all while there were 2 outs! What are we going to do when the bullpen has to face Beltran, Delgado, and Wright or Pujols, Edmonds, and Rolen?
And oh yeah, Aybar drove in another two runs in the 9th to pad the lead. If we weren't talking about the Braves bullpen, I'd suggest we start checking Willy for steroids!
This loss bothers me even more than yesterday's defeat. Another strong performance by our starting pitching is wasted. When will the madness end?????
Final Score
Dodgers 8
Braves 3
WP - Danys Baez (3-2)
LP - Mike Remlinger (2-3)
HR - LaRoche (9), Ethier (4)