I know we didn't make the playoffs, but can we please not get sewpt by the Nationals

The Braves lost their 4th game in a row last night losing to the Nationals 6-3. Derek Lowe was bombed for 5 runs in 4-2/3 innings. Lowe had a 5.62 ERA in September and this outing did not help much. Hopefully he can work things out and get back on track for next year. On offense, David Ross had a 2-run double while Martin Prado was 4-for-5 and Omar Infante was 3-for-4. Today's game is at 410p on FOX. Jair Jurrjens takes the mound for the Braves.

It's Homecoming today for the Ball State Cardinals and it's going to be a chilly one, highs in the mid 50's and a chance of rain. BSU is still a 5 point underdog with the over/under of 61.

Today is also the 2009 running of the Indiana Derby at Hoosier Park. I will try to stop by the track after the game to wager on this event. My pick to win is the #4 horse Despite The Odds.

Three straight one-run losses shuttle the Braves out of the playoff picture

The Braves lost a tough one to the Nationals last night, 2-1. Nate McLouth homered for the Braves only score. Garrett Anderson had two hits to give him 2,501 hits in his career. He is the 89th player in MLB history to reach that mark. The pitching was great as Tommy Hanson gave up 1 run in 7 innings. Mike Gonzalez pitched a scoreless 8th and Rafael Soriano gave up a run in the 9th to take the loss. Game two of the series is tonight at 735p. Derek Lowe will pitch for the Braves.

Ball State hosts Toledo at noon on Saturday to start the MAC season. BSU is a 5 point underdog, but the line has been bouncing between 4.5 and 6.5 this week. The over/under is 61. BSU has not started 0-5 since the winless season of 1999.

That was disappointing...we can't beat a guy that has a 5+ ERA, plus the tying run gets picked off to end the game

The Braves were lifeless until the 9th inning, but their effort was not enough as they lost to the Marlins 5-4. The offense had 16 strikeouts in the game with only 6 hits. Atlanta was down 5-0 in the 7th when Adam LaRoche singled in two runs to make it 5-2. In the 9th, with the score still 5-2, two walks, two singles, and two errors loaded the bases with the score 5-4. However, Matt Diaz was picked off of third base when he was caught between third and home after the ball squirted away from Marlins catcher Ronny Paulino. It was a disappointing end to a disappointing game. Florida starter Ricky Nolasco came into the game with a 5.28 ERA this season and a 7+ ERA against the Braves in his career. Nolasco struck out 16 batters in 7-2/3 innings and at one point struck out 9 batters in a row. It was a bad time for Nolasco to have the game of his life. Javier Vasquez gave up 3 earned runs in 6 innings for the Braves while Kris Medlen, Eric O'Flaherty, and Manny Acosta shut out the Marlins in 3 innings of relief. The Braves host the Nationals at 710p this evening. Tommy Hanson will pitch for the Braves.

The Braves have been eliminated from the NL East, and are sticking to slim hopes for the wild card. The Rockies beat the Brewers last night, so the Braves are 4 games behind with 4 games left.

We can't win them all, but could we at least not let Josh Johnson hit like he's Babe Ruth

The Braves lost to the Marlins last night, 5-4. The team struggled most of the evening, before Matt Diaz hit a 3-run homer to tie the game at 4 in the 6th inning. The Marlins came right back to score a run in the 7th to take the lead for good. Tim Hudson started for the Braves, but did not have his best stuff. In 5 innings of work he gave up 4 runs on 3 walks and 7 hits. The offense didn't fare much better. Taking away Diaz's contribution and the team was 7-for-27 with 9 strikeouts and 2 double plays. Chipper Jones' double play in the bottom of the 9th inning was the killer as the tying run was on first base with nobody out. Adam LaRoche's 0-for-4 with 4 men left on base didn't help too much. Plus, Marlin pitcher Josh Johnson was 1-for-2 with a double and and RBI. In his career, Johnson is a .146 hitter, but against the Braves he is batting .250 with 2 doubles, a home run, and 5 RBI with a slugging percentage of .500. He's a one man wrecking crew on the mound and at the plate. Game three of the series is tonight at 710p. Javier Vasquez gets the ball for the Braves.

The Braves are 5 games behind the Phillies in the NL East with 5 games remaining. Atlanta is 3 games behind the Rockies in the wild card race. The Rockies have two games remaining with Milwaukee and three games with league-leading LA. The Braves have one game with Florida and 4 with bottom-feeder Washington. It is possible for the Braves to still get the wild card, but a lot of things have to happen. Hope springs eternal....

Something tells me I'm into something good

The Braves are playing very well, to put it mildly, as they beat the Marlins 4-0 on Monday night. They have now won 7 straight games and 15 of their last 17. Jair Jurrjens won his 14th game of the season, pitching 7 innings and giving up only 5 hits. Peter Moylan and Rafael Soriano each pitched an inning of relief to close out the game. Chipper Jones had a homer and Nate McLouth, Brian McCann, and Garrett Anderson each had an RBI. The two teams play again tonight at 710p. Tim Hudson will start for the Braves.

Atlanta is 4 games behind the Phillies in the NL East and 2 games behind Colorado in the wild card race with 6 games remaining. Can we do it? YES WE CAN!!!!

I think some Cardinals have the Rockies in their playoff pool

The Braves kept on chugging as they beat the Nationals yesterday afternoon 6-3 in 10 innings for their 14th win in their last 16 games. Chipper Jones and Omar Infante had RBIs in the 10th and Yunel Escobar added two hits to spur the Braves to victory. Derek Lowe gave up 3 runs in 6 innings while the three-headed bullpen monster of Peter Moylan, Mike Gonzalez, and Rafael Soriano pitched 4 innings of shutout relief. The Braves host Florida tonight at 710p. Jair Jurrjens will pitch for the Braves.

The Braves are 5 games behind Philly in the NL East and 2.5 games behind Colorado in the wild card race with 7 games left. The Rockies took 2 out of 3 this weekend against the Cardinals in a series that the Cardinals could have easily swept if they had any offense whatsoever.

The Washington Redskins suffered a humiliating defeat to the Lions, 19-14. You can't win if you can't score...

We need another one just like Saturday

The Braves beat the Nationals on Saturday afternoon 11-5 while the Rockies lost to the Cardinals, putting Atlanta only 2.5 games behind in the wild card race. Tommy Hanson gave up 4 runs in 7 innings to give the Brave's offense a chance to do some damage. Yunel Escobar, Chipper Jones, Brian McCann, and Adam LaRoche each had at least 2 hits and an RBI each. The final game of the series is at 135p this afternoon. Derek Lowe will get the start for the Braves.

Atlanta is 5 games behind the Phillies in the NL East and 2.5 games behind the Rockies in the wild card race with 8 games remaining.

The Ball State football team started out well, taking a 7-0 lead on Auburn early in the first quarter. They had the ball in Auburn territory with that same 7-0 lead, but a fumble eventually led to an Auburn score. From that point on the size and speed of the Tigers wore down the Cardinals. Auburn won the game 54-30. BSU freshman quarterback Kelly Page was 16-of-28 for 101 yards as the O-line could never give him enough time to throw the ball deep. Freshman Eric Williams led the running attack with 11 carries for 59 yards. Sophomore Briggs Orsbon led the receivers with 7 catches. BSU hosts Toledo next Saturday at Noon in what should be a much easier game than the Auburn game.

The Washington Redskins go to Detroit to play the Lions this afternoon. The Skins are a 6.5 point favorite. Injuries abound on offense for the Redskins as right guard Randy Thomas is out for the season and running back Clinton Portis has bad ankles and was held out of practice for most of the week. This puts more pressure on Jason Campbell and the rest of the offense. The offense has only scored one TD in the first two games. Detroit is not very good, but neither are we.....