News
Shaky defense costs Braves in Philly
Covering first base, Prado takes blame for Chipper's error
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com
08/31/09 12:13 AM ET
PHILADELPHIA -- Frustration filled Brian McCann's face as he stared helplessly into his locker. What had the makings to be a victory that would have vaulted the Braves even closer to the top of the National League Wild Card standings was wrecked by a wild inning that led Martin Prado to assume the blame.From a scoring standpoint, Chipper Jones' throwing error proved to be the catalyst for the two-run seventh-inning that the Phillies utilized to solve Jair Jurrjens and gain a lead that they'd preserve on their way to claiming a 3-2 win over the Braves at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday night.
But Prado was well aware that he had an opportunity to lunge across the first-base bag and prevent Jones' throw from traveling into right field and consequently giving the Phillies runners at second and third base with nobody out.
"I'm just frustrated about that," Prado said. "I feel like I should have made that play. That was the play of the game. The game was right there."
Following the miscue, Carlos Ruiz hooked Jurrjens' slider toward the left-field corner and just out of the reach of an extended Garret Anderson, who saw what proved to be the decisive double hit off the end of his glove and fall on the warning track.
"One thing about playing against the Phillies is that you can't make mistakes," Jones said. "If you make mistakes against them, they're going to take advantage of it, which is what good teams do. We ended up making a couple of mistakes tonight and it ended up burning us."
While losing for the second time in three days against the Phillies, the Braves were unable to take advantage of an opportunity to move within 2 1/2 games of the Rockies and Giants, who are tied for the National League Wild Card lead.
They now find themselves 3 1/2 games back because Joe Blanton limited them to three hits over seven innings and because they provided the Phillies the opportunity to make amends after coming away empty after loading the bases with nobody out in the fifth inning.
After Raul Ibanez walked to begin the bottom of the seventh, Pedro Feliz delivered a surprise bunt that surprisingly led Braves first baseman Adam LaRoche to charge. His decision to do so forced Prado to race from his second-base position and attempt to catch the throw Jones unleashed after barehanding the bunt.
| "I'm just frustrated about that. I feel like I should have made that play. That was the play of the game. The game was right there." |
| -- Martin Prado |
Jones' throw crossed the front of the first-base bag. But with Feliz approaching, a stationary Prado didn't attempt to lunge across the bag and secure what seemed to be a catchable throw.
"I wasn't playing in," Jones said."It was just a do-or-die play and I was making a throw to a guy that was on the run. I threw it where I wanted to. I threw it where I wanted to. I guess I didn't. I guess it tailed a little too much into the runner and the play didn't get made."
Ruiz then provided the crushing blow to Jurrjens, who allowed three runs (two earned) and seven hits in seven innings. The 23-year-old right-hander, whose only other damage came courtesy of Chase Utley's fourth-inning homer, has now gone winless in 13 starts that have been marred by two runs or less.
"He's turned into an ace," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "He's a guy you ride. He's just absolutely had no luck."
After Prado's first-inning homer served as the only damage Blanton incurred over seven innings, the Braves staged an eighth-inning rally against Ryan Madson, who didn't retire any of the three batters he faced and exited after Jones delivered an RBI single.
With runners at first and second and nobody out, Scott Eyre, who was making his first appearance since Aug. 13, got McCann to hit a sharp grounder that nearly turned into a triple play. The Braves All-Star catcher had three hits, including two doubles, in eight previous at-bats against the left-handed reliever.
"For the last two weeks, I've been a cheerleader," Eyre said. "I'll keep cheerleading because we're winning. [Manager] Charlie [Manuel] said something to me the other day that I didn't forget about you. Well, we're winning and that's all that matters."
After Utley fielded McCann's grounder and flipped to second base for a force out, shortstop Jimmy Rollins alertly turned toward third base to find that Prado had stopped running.
Prado was retired during the subsequent rundown and McCann had put himself in a position where he had to dive back into first base. The triple play was averted, but the inning ended when Anderson followed with a groundout that set the stage for the recently shaky Brad Lidge to complete his second perfect ninth inning of the weekend.
"That's baseball," Jurrjens said. "You're rolling and then something crazy happens like that, and it costs you the game."
Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
