All Things Bubba

...for the Atlanta Braves, anyway. There's no good ways to wash out of the postseason, but this seemed especially heartbreaking. Trailing most of the game, then a rally to take the lead...only to lose it in the 8th, on one swing of Juan Uribe's bat. After he failed to put down a bunt...twice.

Even worse, it was David Carpenter on the mound when it happened. It should have been lights-out closer Craig Kimbrel. It was an elimination game. Today would have been an off day, if the series continued. What was he being saved for?

Even Joe "Pushbutton" Torre used Mariano Rivera for multiple innings in the postseason. With a one-run lead in an elimination game, Kimbrel should have gotten the ball as soon as a runner got on, if not at the beginning of the 8th.

Even if he can’t go two innings, better to have him in the high leverage situation. It was the bottom of the order due up in the 9th. Arrghhh.

Paul Janish did finally get into the game, as a defensive replacement for Elliot Johnson. He looked all right. Fielded the last out of the 8th. Somehow, I expect someone with a broken nose to look like Marcia Brady in that episode where she's hit in the face with a football. But he looked normal, though you could see a couple of stitches on the side of his nose if you looked closely.

I wonder if that was his last game as a Brave. He's out of options now, so can't be stashed in the minors. I'd guess the Braves will sign just one of Janish, Ramiro Pena, and Elliot Johnson, and it seems like Janish is behind the other two. I think he's most valuable of the lot, but Pena was en fuego in his small sample size. I'd bet on a big regression if he continued to play, but his season was cut short by injury. Elliot Johnson has more pop than Janish, but he struggles to make contact, strikes out a ton, and has terrible plate discipline. His defense is also notably worse.

Fredi seems to prefer Pena and Johnson, though, so Janish may be out of luck. Maybe he'll find his way back to Cincinnati. Walt Jocketty seems to have really liked him.

Labels: Paul Janish