An Ugly Game Turns Beautiful

As I got into my car, and began my drive home from the gym, I was delighted to listen in as the Braves jumped all over the Marlins 4-0 in the top of the first. A great way to start loss-avenging win from the night prior. Lots of baseball fans see late game rallies, regardless of the eventual outcome with optimism, because they believe that momentum can be carried into the next day's game. In this case, it proved to be true, because Atlanta jumped out of the gate, making short work of Van Den Hurk.

And then I got home, turned the television on only to see Mark Redman melt down yet again and give up the lead and let the Marlins tie the game on a Cody Fucking Ross homerun. Come on now, Cody Ross? That guy is like a slightly more intimidating version of David Eckstein. But the Braves would not be daunted, as they came forth to regain the lead in the next inning.

Redman actually pitched a scoreless 2nd inning, which had me thinking that maybe he just needed to settle down.

Nope. Cody Ross again hits a massive double off the wall that Langerhans couldn't field because of all the random shit plastered all over the outfield wall in Dolphin Stadium is a huge distraction to lose the ball in. What was funny was that the pitch prior to the game-tying double was exactly the same pitch - except Ross towered it foul, by like a foot. I would've imagined that Redman wouldn't have thrown it again, but who was I kidding, it's Mark Redman - the alleged "worst All-star in history."

So with the game knotted up at 6-6, I felt this pit in my stomach that this was an evening where I would be going to bed upset yet again.

Enter Peter Moylan.

The following is a real transcript with my co-writer, as he was watching his Nationals take on the Phillies:

HIM: Jamie Moyer confuses me
ME: yes he is weird
ME: uh oh
ME: moylan is in
ME: game over
HIM: damn it

What I expected the Marlins to turn into the illegal beating of baby seals turned into the exact opposite. Moylan feasted on the righty-rich Marlins lineup, and recorded three-scoreless innings of solid relief pitching. His unorthodox sidearm delivery had tons of movement, and I was left watching my TV with the WTF look on my face as pitches mysteriously curved back into the strike zone at the last possible movement. I kept waiting for him to tire and eventually let the Marlins take the lead, but he kept pitching, and getting outs.

By the time he was lifted for a pinch-hitter, he had only yielded one hit and one walk, and his ERA had dropped to a very respectable 3.86. Yates came in and recorded a hold in the 7th, and Soriano recorded one of his own in the 8th. In the top of the 9th, the Marlins made a huge mistake and intentionally walked the .056 hitting Langerhans, and with a full-count, Pete Orr cracked a laser into right field for a two-run single. By the time the top of the 9th was over, the Braves were up 11-6, and it was no longer a save situation for Wickman. Regardless, he shut the door on the Marlins, and the game was over.

Peter Moylan's performance was brilliant. He earned his first ever win in the Major Leagues, but the main story was that despite Redman's abysmal performance, the Atlanta bullpen came in and dominated.

Atlanta Bullpen: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 0 ER, 7 K

As far as I'm concerned, they all deserve the win for that kind of performance. Despite the fact that the team won, Redman should still get a loss. For sucking so badly.