Life is a Journey

New episodes to air on A&E starting July 16th

ETA: Initially I posted June 25th, but it was later reported that that's when reruns will return to A&E.

Atlanta Braves (19-19) @ Philadelphia Phillies (22-18)

Tom Glavine (0-1, 4.03) vs. Brett Myers (2-3, 5.33)

The Braves have lost 5 of 6 and are now just 5-15 on the road, compared to 14-4 at home. Part of the reason for this disparity is the lack of clutch hitting: The Braves are hitting .296 with men in scoring position at home, but just .191 in similar situations on the road. The Phillies are now 11-8 at home.

Tom Glavine is still winless on the season despite good outings, like his last one, where he allowed just 2 runs on 5 hits in 7 frames to the Pirates on Friday but got no support and the Braves lost 3-2. He has allowed 3 or fewer earned runs in each of the 4 starts where he's last at least 5 frames this season. Still, the Braves are 1-5 in his starts, and this marks the first time that the lefty has been winless through 6 starts of a season. Glavine is 28-17 with a 3.68 ERA in 64 lifetime starts against Philadelphia, with a 2-0 record and 2.14 mark in 5 starts against them in 2007.

Brett Myers allowed a season-high 7 runs (6 earned) on 9 hits an 3 walks in just 5 innings in an 8-3 loss to the Diamondbacks. Since winning consecutive starts in mid-April, he has gone 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA in 4 starts. In 17 starts and 7 relief appearances lifetime against Atlanta, Myers is 4-6 with a 4.16 ERA, and has faced the Braves more than any other opponent.

First baseman Mark Teixeira, who is expected to return to the lineup after missing one-and-a-half games with back spams has hit .311 over his last 20 games. Third baseman is the only regular to hit over .300 with runners in scoring position this season for the Braves, with a .344 average. Teixeira is only at .220, and only has 21 RBI despite Chipper's .465 on-base percentage in the spot directly in front of him. Catcher Brian McCann is also hitting just .233 (10-for-43) with runners in scoring position.

Outfielder Jayson Werth is 8-for-15 with 9 RBI lifetime against the Braves, and is 2-for-8 with a homer lifetime off of Glavine.

I thought I had www.white-lies.net saved in one of my HDs. If I do have it, I can't find anywhere. Maybe one of you also saved the whole thing? Because most links aren't working (the school archive, the dragon archive, etc). I think only musicdiamond and Terri's links are still up. Help?

No Live Chat for the final episode?

If not, then I guess this can be the starter.

Which means spoliers, so if you don't want to know. . . don't look!

Atlanta Braves (19-18) @ Philadelphia Phillies (21-18)

Jo-Jo Reyes (1-0, 2.25) vs. Kyle Kendrick (2-2, 4.93)

The Braves won for the first time in 8 games on the road last night after splitting a doubleheader with the Pirates. They still hold the majors' worst home road record at 5-14. Prior to the 8-run outburst, Atlanta had scored just 15 runs over their last 7 road games. The Braves are just 8-10 against other NL East clubs so far in 2008. The Phillies return home after a 3-4 road trip, including a split against the Diamondbacks and a series loss to the Giants. The Philly offense has struggled, scoring 3 or fewer runs in 6 of the team's last 7 losses. They are 8-6 against left-handed starts this season and batting just .235 against them as a team.

Jo-Jo Reyes was forced to leave with a blister on his left index finger after just 2 and 2/3 innings of work last Thursday. He had allowed 2 runs to the Padres prior to his exit. In his first start of the season, coming against the Reds, he allowed 1 run on 4 hits in 5 and 1/3 innings. Reyes has only faced the Phillies once, allowing a run in 3 and 1/3 innings of relief in a 5-2 Atlanta loss last September.

Kyle Kendrick allowed 3 runs on 10 hits in 6 frames but did not factor into the decision in a 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks. The youngster has hurled at least 6 frames in each of his last 3 starts. In 2 starts against Atlanta in 2007, he went 1-0 with a 4.09 ERA.

Center fielder Mark Kotsay is batting .407 (11-for-27) with 2 homers and 9 RBI over his last 7 contests. Third baseman Chipper Jones had 6 homers and 16 RBI in 15 games against Philadelphia last season.

First baseman Ryan Howard is batting .171 (24-for-140) with only 11 extra-base hits in 39 games this season. Closer Brad Lidge has yet to allow an earned run this season in 17 appearances, walking just 6 while punching out 18. Left fielder Pat Burrell, a right-handed hitter, is hitting just .257 with one homer off of lefties this season. 

If I had to pick a time period to live in, I'd have to choose now. One of my most favorite Bible verses best explains my reason.

Acts 17:26 "From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live."

I'm thinking...if God chose my time and place it must be the right one for me. :) I absolutely love that verse. It shows exactly how much God cares for me...he chose my time and my place specifically for me.

If the Padres continue to struggle in the NL West and Mike Hampton can't get his injury problems solved, could we see Greg Maddux in a Braves uniform again after the All-Star break?
-- Mike S., Columbus, Ga.

It didn't necessarily mean anything, but when I was asking some of the team's management and players if they felt they were seeing Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz in uniform together for one last time last week, I kept getting the, "You never know what might happen" response.

Like I said, this didn't exactly mean anything. But at the same time, it provided the reminder that you should never say never. If the Braves found a way to trade for Maddux, they would be doing so because they felt he could help and not just to create a nice story.

Based on the way he's pitching, Maddux is still capable of helping the Braves and every other Major League team. He has posted a 2.52 ERA in his past four starts. His only bad outing came on April 18, when he resumed his career-long struggles against the Diamondbacks. In his other eight starts this year, he's posted a 2.30 ERA. 

---

Thoughts? 

(Just reposting from yesterday's rainout.)
Atlanta Braves (18-17) @ Pittsburgh Pirates (17-19)

Jair Jurrjens (4-2, 2.84) vs. Zach Duke (1-2, 4.60)

The Pirates haven't won 6 straight since a 10-game streak in June-July of 2004. They have won 6 in a row at home and 5 straight overall. The Braves have dropped 6 in a row on the road.

Jair Jurrjens has won 3 straight decisions coming into today's start. He allowed 1 run and a matched a career-high 8 strikeouts over 6 frames against the Padres in a 5-3 win in his last start. He has gone at least 6 innings in each of his last 6 starts. Still, the Braves are just 4-3 in games started by Jurrjens this season. Jurrjens shut down the Pirates in his Atlanta debut, allowing just 2 runs in 5 and 1/3 innings in a 10-2 win on April 2.

Zach Duke allowed 3 runs in 7 and 1/3 innings in a 12-6 win over the Giants in his last start. It was his first win of 2008 in 7 starts, and his first W in 12 starts since last June. The start was also his longest since an 8-inning performance against the Mets in September of 2006. He has gone at least 6 frames in 5 of 7 outings this season. Duke is 1-2 with a 3.38 ERA in 4 starts lifetime against the Braves. He hurled 5 and 2/3 innings, allowing 3 runs on 10 hits in a 10-inning, 4-3 Pirates win on April 3.

Right fielder Jeff Francoeur is hitting just .224 (15-for-67) with 2 homers and 11 RBI on the road this season. He is also just .158 (8-for-38) over his last 10 games, and has just 4 RBI in his last 13 contests. Of Atlanta regulars, just third baseman Chipper Jones is batting above .300 on the road.

Left fielder Jason Bay is 7-for-14 (.500) over his last 4 contests and now has 7 homers on the season. Bay is 4-for-17 lifetime against Atlanta coming into today's game. 

This weekend was very long but very nice. Friday evening was my Mother's Day and Mark brought home a dozen roses for me. We grilled burgers and had a movie night, watching Lion King (Sarah's first time seeing that) while eating popcorn and movie candy. :)

We got up early Saturday morning to head for Beaumont (2 hours southeast) for my Mother's and my sister's mother-in-law's Mother's Day...what a mouthful! LOL! We grilled hotdogs and had a huge picnic. Sarah played with her cousins in the neighbor's pool and it was good visiting with everyone. Mother and Dad's yard is gorgeous...wish I had pictures to show you of the plants and seating areas they have. They've worked for many years to get it just right and it really shows.

Here's a picture of Grammy & Poppy (my parents)with Sarah.

We left at around 4 to head to our best friend's home back in Lufkin, for supper. Phew...we were all tired by the time we finally got there. Supper was great...nice not having to cook and clean up after such a long day. :) Two other families were there and we had another great visit with good friends. The kids...well...that was another story. ::shakes head:: Sarah is the youngest mobile child and is picked on and left out of things quite a lot. At one point, during the evening, she had been locked out Micah's bedroom while the other kids, all 7 of them, played. She was pretty heart broken and we decided it was time to leave...we were all tired and knew that most of her emotions were coming from her being so worn out. Any other time, she would have cried for just a moment or two before finding something to do on her own. Bless her heart.

Yesterday, we headed to Livingston (an hour south) to go to church with Mark's family then take his parents out for lunch. Sarah loves my parents but Mark's are her favorite set of grandparents, by far. :) Another good visit with family but it was good to say good bye and head on home once lunch was over.

We all napped the afternoon away before heading to church last night then out to eat with Jimmy, Marcey and Micah for supper.

All in all, it was a nice weekend. Mother's Day has been playing out like this for 18 years, now. We better enjoy them while we can. Our parents are getting up there in age. My mother 71, Dad, 80...Mark's mom, 75 and his dad, 79. They're blessed with good health and we're blessed that they live close enough for us to visit with them quite often. LOL! Well...my parents are on the road right now, heading for Maine. They left yesterday afternoon and pulled an all nighter last night and should be hitting West Virgina by 2 or 3 this afternoon where they'll spend the night before heading further north. I'm 44 and Mark's 48...no way we could pull an all nighter...no way at all! We think they're crazy but more power to them, I guess. ::shakes head:: They' be in Freeport by Tuesday evening and will stay there about a week and half before heading on home in time for Mother's birthday, the 27th. Another whirlwind type trip...I guess it just runs in the blood. LOL!

Well...just looked at the clock. I've got to make a hot dip for MOPS this morning so I better get busy. It's almost 8:15 and we need to leave here in about an hour. Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day and has a great week!

Hey guys,

I'm new to the community but I'm DEF. not new to the show. :) There is something I cannot figure out for the life of me! I'm hoping someone here can help.

I saw an episode of SVU a few months ago but I can't figure out what the name is. I put the basic premiss under a cut so that in case you don't want to answer... I don't spoil it for you!

( So.... )

Thanks in advance for the help!

Atlanta Braves (18-17) @ Pittsburgh Pirates (17-19)

Jair Jurrjens (4-2, 2.84) vs. Zach Duke (1-2, 4.60)

The Pirates haven't won 6 straight since a 10-game streak in June-July of 2004. They have won 6 in a row at home and 5 straight overall. The Braves have dropped 6 in a row on the road.

Jair Jurrjens has won 3 straight decisions coming into today's start. He allowed 1 run and a matched a career-high 8 strikeouts over 6 frames against the Padres in a 5-3 win in his last start. He has gone at least 6 innings in each of his last 6 starts. Still, the Braves are just 4-3 in games started by Jurrjens this season. Jurrjens shut down the Pirates in his Atlanta debut, allowing just 2 runs in 5 and 1/3 innings in a 10-2 win on April 2.

Zach Duke allowed 3 runs in 7 and 1/3 innings in a 12-6 win over the Giants in his last start. It was his first win of 2008 in 7 starts, and his first W in 12 starts since last June. The start was also his longest since an 8-inning performance against the Mets in September of 2006. He has gone at least 6 frames in 5 of 7 outings this season. Duke is 1-2 with a 3.38 ERA in 4 starts lifetime against the Braves. He hurled 5 and 2/3 innings, allowing 3 runs on 10 hits in a 10-inning, 4-3 Pirates win on April 3.

Right fielder Jeff Francoeur is hitting just .224 (15-for-67) with 2 homers and 11 RBI on the road this season. He is also just .158 (8-for-38) over his last 10 games, and has just 4 RBI in his last 13 contests. Of Atlanta regulars, just third baseman Chipper Jones is batting above .300 on the road.

Left fielder Jason Bay is 7-for-14 (.500) over his last 4 contests and now has 7 homers on the season. Bay is 4-for-17 lifetime against Atlanta coming into today's game.

Atlanta Braves (18-16) @ Pittsburgh Pirates (16-19)

Chuck James (2-1, 7.62) vs. Tom Gorzelanny (2-3, 6.91)

The Pirates attempt to win their season-high 5th straight game. The Braves had their 6-game win streak snapped, but attempt to even the 4-game series against Pittsburgh. The Bucs' rotation has been battered, with 14 games seeing a Pittsburgh starter fail to last 5 innings, and opposing teams hitting a major-league high .306 against their rotation. However, this same staff is 2-0 with a 2.77 mark during their team's 4-game win streak. They have, however, scored just 11 runs over their last 3 games. The Braves, meanwhile, have lost 5 straight on the road and are now 0-8 in 1-run road games.

Chuck James will be coming up from the minors for the first time in two weeks to make a spot start. James had a 1.59 ERA at AAA-Richmond in 2 starts and 1 relief appearance, but allowed 4 runs in 5 frames, walking 5, in a 7-4 win over the Marlins in his last major league start. James made two starts against the Bucs in 2007, hurling 13 scoreless innings overall.

Last time out, Tom Gorzelanny hurled 5 frames of 1-hit ball against the Mets, but walked 5 and had to leave with back tightness. He then proceeded to skip a start with the ailment. He is averaging fewer than 5 innings over his 6 starts so far in 2008 and has 27 walks in 27 and 1/3 innings. Gorzelanny faced the Braves on April 2, allowing 3 runs in 6 innings in a game the Braves won 10-2. He is now 0-1 with a 5.25 ERA in 2 career appearances versus Atlanta.

Second baseman Kelly Johnson splits are indicative of the road woes many Atlanta batters are facing: he's .252 away from Turner Field and .316 at home. Third baseman Chipper Jones's majors-leading average is now just .413 after going hitless last night.

Second baseman Freddy Sanchez is hitting .529 (9-for-17) with 5 RBI in his last 4 games.

Hey everyone. I'm looking for a story that I'm pretty sure was called "The Book of Secrets", a medieval AU where JC is raised as a woman and married off to Chris. Does anyone have that, or know where it is?

Atlanta Braves (18-15) @ Pittsburgh Pirates (15-19)

Tom Glavine (0-1, 4.50) vs. Ian Snell (2-2, 5.09)

The Braves went 6-0 on their homestand and now take their hot streak on the road, where they have not played well at all. Winners of 7 straight at home, they have lost 4 straight on the road, and will attempt to remedy this in a 4-game set with the Pirates. On the homestand, the team hit .333 with pitched to a 2.67 mark, sweeping the Reds and Padres in 3-game sets and finally notching their first one-run win last night. They haven't won 7 straight since July of 2006. In road games, however, the Braves have scored just 11 runs over their 4-game losing streak, and are just 4-11 away from Turner Field on the season. The 4 road wins is the fewest such amount in the majors. The Pirates completed a 3-game sweep of the Giants, and look to win a season-high-tying 4th straight game. Pittsburgh has homered in 6 of 7 and 10 of 12 contests.

The Braves dropped 2 of 3 to the Pirates in their oepning home series. They went 2-1 at PNC Park last year and 5-1 overall against the Pirates on the season.

If you exclude the start where Tom Glavine was forced out with a strained hamstring, he has allowed just 2 runs on 9 hits in 12 and 1/3 road innings. However, he is winless since last September 8, going 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA in 5 starts as a Brave and 4 as a Met since then. Glavine was staked to a huge lead early on in his last start, but allowed 6 runs on 7 hits and 5 walks in 4 and 2/3 innings to fail to qualify for the victory in a game the Braves won 14-7. The lefty is 4-0 with a 2.67 ERA against the Pirates since losing to them in September of 2002. Careerwise, Glavine is 22-12 with a 3.12 mark against them. He allowed just 2 runs on 5 innings to them on March 31, but the Braves lost that game 12-11 in 12 innings.

Ian Snell opposed Glavine in that contest, allowing 4 runs in 6 frames. The Bucs won each of Snell's first 3 outings, where he went 2-0 with a 3.93 ERA. Since then, however, he has 0-2 with a 6.04 ERA, including allowing 4 runs on 10 hits in 6 innings to the Nationals in his most recent effort. He has given up exactly 4 runs in 3 of his 6 starts. Snell is 1-2 with a 5.28 ERA in 5 lifetime starts against the Braves.

Third baseman Chipper Jones' ridiculous average fell to "just" .419 after last night's contest. He is hitting at a .377 clip with 5 homers and 10 RBI on the road. Catcher Brian McCann is 7-for-12 with 3 homers in his career off of Snell.

Utilityman Ryan Doumit has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 starts, and has 6 doubles, 3 homers, and 11 RBI over that stretch.

Fun facts: 7 of the 11 Atlanta road losses have been in one-run games. The Pirates are 13-5 in games where they score the first run.

San Diego Padres (12-22) @ Atlanta Braves (17-15)

Wilfredo Ledezma (0-0, 1.96) vs. Jo-Jo Reyes (1-0, 1.69)

The Braves attempt to notch their 6th straight win and sweep the Padres. This is the 2nd 5-game win streak of the 2008 campaign for Atlanta. The Braves haven't swept the Padres in 3 games at home since August of 2000. They did, however, sweep them in San Diego in July of 2006. The Padres have been outscored 20-8 on their 3-game losing streak, and are tied with the Giants for the fewest runs scored in the NL, with 113. They are also just 6-13 on the road.

Wilfredo Ledezma will be making his first start of the season, replacing Justin Germano in the rotation. Ledezma went 0-2 with a 7.71 ERA in 12 relief appearances with the Braves last season, but has never pitched against them. Overall, he is 8-13 with a 5.64 ERA in 34 career starts.

Jo-Jo Reyes allowed just 1 run in 5 and 1/3 innings in a 9-1 over the Reds in his first start of the season. Reyes went 2-2 with a 6.22 ERA in 10 starts and 1 relief appearance for Atlanta last season. He made his major league debut against the Padres, yielding 5 runs in 3 innings in an 8-5 loss at San Diego.

Chipper Jones' majors-leading batting average is now .429. He has 16 multi-hit games this season, has hit in 27 of 30 games played, and is hitting .322 with 21 homers against the Padres in his career.

OMG
SPOILERS THAT MAKE ME VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY HAPPY.



AKJFNVAJBNMADGN
is all I can say.

Goodnight to all.

-- Rafael Soriano got some good news on his ailing right elbow. An MRI on Wednesday revealed no structural damage.

-- Peter Moylan will be having Tommy John surgery on Thursday under Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Alabama. Moylan attempted to throw a 15-pitch bullpen session on Sunday, but had to stop after 7 pitches after feeling pain in his elbow. Moylan will likely not be able to pitch again until June 2009.

San Diego Padres (12-21) @ Atlanta Braves (16-15)

Randy Wolf (2-1, 3.57) vs. Tim Hudson (4-2, 2.95)

The Braves attempt to win a 3-game set from the slumping Padres. The Braves are now an NL-best 12-4 at home and have won 5 straight at Turner Field. The Padres, meanwhile, have lost 15-19 and are tied with the Rockies for the worst record in the majors.

Last time out, Randy Wolf pitched 6 innings of 2-run ball and tallied 9 strikeouts, but did not get a decision in a 3-2 loss to the Phillies. San Diego is 3-3 in Wolf's starts so far this season. Wolf is 4-9 with a 5.02 ERA in 21 starts and 2 relief appearances lifetime against the Braves. He has not won any of his last 7 starts against them, dating back to September of 2003. He also has not had any decisions in his last 4 starts against them, even though he allowed 7 runs on 11 hits in 8 and 1/3 innings spanning 2 starts to the Braves in 2007.

Tim Hudson has won each of his 3 home starts, posting a 1.66 mark in those games. He threw a complete game shutout 3-hitter with 10 punchouts against the Reds in a 2-0 victory on Friday. Hudson is averaging receiving 4.7 runs of support in 2008. He is 2-0 with a 4.88 ERA in 5 starts lifetime against the Padres, although one of those wins did come in his only start against them last season.

First baseman Adrian Gonzalez is 5-for-8 with 2 homers lifetime off of Hudson. Right fielder Brian Giles is 6-for-12 off of him, while center fielder Jim Edmonds is 7-for-16 against him, including a home run.

Third baseman Chipper Jones is 8-for-15 with 2 homers and 8 RBI through 4 games of the 6-game homestand. He is 29-for-62 (.468) with 5 homers and 19 RBI in 16 Atlanta home games. Chipper is also 13-for-40 (.325) with 3 homers lifetime off of Wolf. Center fielder Mark Kotsay is 13-for-29 (.448) with 9 RBI during his 7-game hit streak, and has also hit Wolf to the tune of 6-for-14 with a homer.

Fun fact: The Padres are batting .099 (10-for-101) in the 5th inning this season. 

Moderators, if this is inappropriate, please let me know and I will delete the post. However, the rules did not indicate that this would be an issue, so I hope that I am not offending anyone in posting this. I'd go to the game myself, but have no one to go with, and my schedule is making attendance nigh-unto-impossible.

I have four tickets and a parking pass to the upcoming Braves game on Sunday, May 18th at 1:35 PM against the Oakland A's. The seats are Aisle 206R, Row 6, Seats 8-11. As far as I can tell, these are fairly good seats, behind (and slightly to the side of) homebase/the batter's box. (I believe they're fairly near the press boxes? If I'm reading this map of the stadium correctly.) The parking pass is for the Blue Lot.

I work in downtown, or can meet the purchaser in a public location this weekend to hand off the tickets. Given how close we are to the game, I'd hate to risk putting them in the mail.

For the package, I am asking $90, which I feel is a reasonable price for all that you're getting and a discount from the original sale price of the tickets. If you're interested, or would like to make me an offer, please let me know here or through email at UntraditionalFairyGodmother [at] gmail [dot] com. If I get a lot of offers, I will be choosing the highest offer, as I am in desperate need of some spare cash. So yes, asking $90, willing to take more than that, of course. ::laughs:: Anyway. Ummm... I don't know what else to add, really. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Thank you.