Braves Bullpen Implosion Hands Phillies Victory

PHILADELPHIA 12, ATLANTA 11

The game was very rosy at first. The Braves knocked around Phillie starter Joe Blanton and Javier Vazquez pitched a quality start. However, the Braves bullpen suffered a catastrophic meltdown as the Phillies stormed back to take a 12-11 victory.

Starting the seventh, Eric O'Flaherty got an out and gave up a single to Chase Utley and hit Ryan Howard with a pitch. The Braves didn't record a single out until Ryan Howard grounded to first, driving in the go-ahead run. The Braves walked four batters with the bases loaded and gave up three bases-loaded singles.

Peter Moylan, in his first major league appearance since his Tommy John surgery, walked in two and allowed two of the bases loaded singles. Blaine Boyer walked in two batters as well, and Jorge Campillo allowed another single and walked in the tying run on a pitch he wanted called a strike. He got Ryan Howard to ground out to first, but that drove in the Phillies' eighth run of the inning.

It wasn't over after that. Campillo walked Pedro Feliz and then Carlos Ruiz doubled to left. Eric Bruntlett hit a sacrifice fly to center field off of new reliever Jeff Bennett, scoring another run. Bennett was able to hold the damage down after that, but the meltdown was complete.

Matt Diaz hit a one-out solo shot off of of Phillies closer Brad Lidge to make it 12-11, but Lidge got Jordan Schafer to ground out to second and struck out Garret Anderson to end it.

In all, the five Braves relievers, in just two innings of work, gave up nine runs on six hits and six walks.

Four Braves players had two hits apiece. Brian McCann and Schafer both had two-run homers for the Braves.

Four Phillies players had two hits apiece as well. Raul Ibanez went 2-3, tied the game early with a two-run homer and also had a run-scoring single in the eight-run eighth.

The Braves have an off-day before their home opener against the Nationals, who were swept by the Marlins.

W - Clay Condrey (1-0)
L - Blaine Boyer (0-1)
S - Brad Lidge (1)
HR - ATL - Brian McCann (2)
Jordan Schafer (2)
Matt Diaz (1)
PHI - Raul Ibanez (1)

THREE STARS

GOLD
2B Chase Utley, Philadelphia - 2-4, 2B, R, BB, 2 RBI

SILVER
LF Raul Ibanez, Philadelphia - 2-3, HR, 3 R, 2 BB, 3 RBI

BRONZE
LF Matt Diaz, Atlanta - 2-4, HR, 2 R, BB, 3 RBI

Photo by John Amis

EDIT: Changed box score link to Baseball-Reference.com, added photo

Braves Staff Holds Phillies Off The Board, Hit Two Homers In Win

ATLANTA 4, PHILADELPHIA 0

Jair Jurrjens pitched 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball and the Braves pen finished putting up the zeroes in the 4-0 victory.

Kelly Johnson hit the first pitch into the right field seats for the Braves' first score. After Yunel Escobar grounded out, Chipper Jones hit a long double that hit off the center field wall. He came around to score on a rare error by Chase Utley. Brian McCann's grounder went under Utley's glove and into right field. Jones came around to score on that.

The Braves added another run in the fourth. Jeff Francoeur led off with a single and Casey Kotchman's single moved him to third. After Jordan Schafer popped up to short and Jair Jurrjens struck out, Kelly Johnson hit a slow bouncer to short and beat Rollins's throw to the bag, scoring Francoeur.

Jones led off the fifth inning with a solo home run to cap the Braves' scoring off of Phillie starter Jamie Moyer. After the fifth inning, four Phillies relievers, including fifth starter Chan Ho Park, combined to retire twelve straight Braves batters.

The Braves bullpen was similarly effective. Jurrjens left the game after walking Pedro Feliz with two out in the inning. Jeff Bennett came on to face Carlos Ruiz, but gave up a single to left. Matt Stairs was called on to pinch-hit, so Bobby Cox went with new lefty Eric O'Flaherty. Stairs launched a full-count pitch to right-center, but the hard wind, blowing out to right field, held it in the park for Jordan Schafer.

O'Flaherty pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless ball and Rafael Soriano pitched around a two-out walk to Feliz. Mike Gonzalez, who pitched in the opener, got Eric Bruntlett to line out to left field, where Garret Anderson made up for a misplay in the second inning (a liner by Raul Ibanez popped out of his glove and he couldn't corral it) by tracking down deep liners from Eric Bruntlett and Jimmy Rollins. Shane Victorino hit a fly ball to center that Schafer caught easily, completing the shutout.

W - Jair Jurrjens (1-0)
L - Jamie Moyer (0-1)
HR - Kelly Johnson (1)
Chipper Jones (1)

THREE STARS

GOLD
P Jair Jurrjens, Atlanta - 5 2/3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K

SILVER
2B Kelly Johnson, Atlanta - 2-5, HR, R, 2 RBI

BRONZE
3B Chipper Jones, Atlanta - 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI

AP Photo By John Amis

EDIT: Added photo credit and changed boxscore to Baseball-Reference.com's boxscore and play-by-play.

Opening Day Thrills For Braves, Lukewarm For Phillies

ATLANTA 4, PHILADELPHIA 1

After the Phillies and their fans celebrated their 2008 World Series championship, the Braves quickly reminded them that there is a lot of work to do if they're to celebrate like that again.

Derek Lowe was masterful in his first start for Atlanta and the Braves launched three home runs off of Phillie starter Brett Myers to pace the team early. The visitors held off a ninth-inning rally by the Phillies to earn a 4-1 victory.

Lowe, a sinker ball specialist, limited the Phillies to just two hits, a double and single, in eight innings. He induced 13 ground balls and the . His outing is rare for Braves' Opening Day starters. Since 1954, only five other Braves pitchers have allowed no runs on Opening Day for the Braves:

Lew Burdette, 1956

Warren Spahn, 1959

Rick Mahler, 1982, 1986, 1987

Tom Glavine, 1992

Greg Maddux, 1993, 1994

Lowe joins Maddux in that they didn't pitch complete-game shutouts in their stints.

Catcher Brian McCann got the Braves on the board in the first inning. After Chipper Jones singled to left-center with two out, McCann launched a Brett Myers change-up into the second deck in right to give Atlanta a 2-0 lead.

The second inning wasn't much better for Myers. Jeff Francoeur led off the inning with a lined shot into the left field stands. After Casey Kotchman struck out, Jordan Schafer made his major league debut. Schafer worked the count to 3-1, and then nailed a two-seamer to the left-center bleachers. He became the 99th major league player to hit a home run in his first at bat and the first Brave to do it since Jermaine Dye did it 13 years ago.

Myers limited any further damage, going six innings in his stint, and four Phillies relievers held the Braves off of the scoreboard.

Bobby Cox, the Braves manager, opted to go with closer Mike Gonzalez in the ninth inning. This move was most likely due to two things: Lowe is going to pitch the Braves' home opener on the 10th against the Nationals and he was at 97 pitches.

Gonzalez faced pinch-hitter Eric Bruntlett and gave up a double to left that was just fair. After a fly ball by Jimmy Rollins moved Bruntlett over to third, Jayson Werth singled him home to give the Phillies their first run. A walk given to Chase Utley set up the chance for the Phillies to be able to tie the game with one swing of the bat. Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez were two prime candidates to launch a tater. But Gonzalez got Howard looking on a full-count fastball right down the heart of the plate and he blew away Ibanez with a fastball for the final out.

The teams will have an early off-day before resuming the series on Tuesday.

W - Derek Lowe (1-0)
L - Brett Myers (0-1)
HR - Brian McCann (1)
Jeff Francoeur (1)
Jordan Schafer (1)

THREE STARS

GOLD
SP Derek Lowe, Atlanta - W, 8 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO

SILVER
CF Jordan Schafer, Atlanta - 2-3, HR, R, BB, RBI

BRONZE
C Brian McCann - 1-4, HR, R, 2 RBI

AP Photo by John Amis

EDIT: I updated the reference to Braves pitchers allowing no runs in their Opening Day starts of eight innings or more, adding Maddux, Spahn, and two of Rick Mahler's years. Also added photo credit and changed link to Baseball-Reference.com's boxscore and play-by-play.