Postgame: Atlanta Series: Marlins Win Game 1

[Party]

We won.

[Namaste]

The Marlins love playing away from JoeRobbieSunLifeLandSharkProPlayerStadium

[Party]

So do the Dolphins.
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Jack tied Fredi for most wins.

[Blackout Pact]

If only St. Louis didn't choke against the Pirates.

[MiamiHomer]

David Samson said he was mad about McKeon's comments about Nolasco after today's game.

ATLANTA -- A bunt unnerved Ricky Nolasco before a home run beat him.

“I should be ashamed,” Nolasco said after the Marlins dropped a 4-1 decision to the Braves at Turner Field.

Nolasco bobbled a bunt on a safety squeeze in the seventh inning and gave up a backbreaking home run – a three-run shot – shortly thereafter as the Marlins came out losers to the Braves on Wednesday afternoon.

Even though the Marlins managed only four hits, and none after the third inning, manager Jack McKeon put most of the fault on Nolasco.

“I guess that’s why you’re 10-11 or 11-10 or whatever,” McKeons said of Nolasco, who fell to 10-11 with Wednesday’s loss. “That’s why you’re not a 20-game winner. You’ve got to concentrate. You’ve got to make pitches. Sooner or later, you’re in the big leagues four or five years, you got to be better than that.”

Nolasco was outstanding for six innings, allowing only a pair of singles and walking one during that stretch, before the Braves struck for all their runs in the seventh. After Dan Uggla reached on a one-out walk and advanced to third on Brian McCann’s single, Martin Prado “surprised” Nolasco by dropping down a bunt.

Uggla scored easily on the perfectly placed bunt, but Nolasco bobbled the ball, allowing Prado to reach safely. One out later, Alex Gonzalez connected on a hanging, 0-2 slider, sending it just over the wall in left for a three-run homer.

“You can’t let .220 hitters take care of you all the time,” said McKeon, referring to Gonzalez, a .238 hitter. “With two strikes with Gonzo, throw the ball a foot outside or a foot over his head and he’ll swing at it. He was going to trick him, I guess. You throw him that soft stuff and he’s going to hit it, but we keep giving it to him.”

Nolasco was kicking himself for bobbling the bunt.

“I was surprised [by it], but I still need to make that play,” Nolasco said. “That was obviously the game change. It’s a routine bunt that I need to make. I didn’t field it cleanly.”

Then came the at-bat with Gonzalez, who has been clobbering his former team this season. Gonzalez went 8 for 11 in the series and is hitting .328 against the Marlins this season.

Nolasco put Gonzalez in an 0-2 hole but hung a slider over the plate. Gonzalez took care of it.

“One pitch ended up killing the whole game for me and this team,” Nolasco said. “I should have been out of that inning 1-1.”

The Marlins did next to nothing at the plate.

Greg Dobbs opened the second with his eighth home run, a solo shot off rookie Randall Delgado. But Omar Infante’s single with two outs in the third was the last hit for the Marlins all afternoon.

“Our offense was sputtering,” McKeon said.

Once again, the lineup did not include outfielders Logan Morrison or Mike Stanton. But Morrison is likely to return Thursday in at least one game of the Marlins’ doubleheader with the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. And Stanton said it’s possible he could see action, as well.

Stanton’s sole contribution Wednesday was comic relief for his teammates. Stanton was perched on a Gatorade cooler on the top step of the dugout when Dobbs lined a foul ball directly at him. The ball struck the protective screen in front of Stanton, but the startled slugger toppled backward, spilling blue Gatorade all over the dugout.

“I couldn’t tell if it was going to duck under the screen or clip the top and hit me,” Stanton said. “I was trying to make the team go thirsty.”

McKeon blames Nolasco after Florida Marlins lose to Braves

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Also for anyone that missed it:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csCl_5WunKw[/ame]

[THE_REAL_MIBS]

McKeon says the same thing about every starter if they don't win the game. Heck, he's made a similar comment grouping Ricky and Anibal together about them not stepping up when JJ went down. Why would Samson be upset? If you read any statement from McKeon after a loss, he'll never say "the starter did great. We just couldn't give him any run support". It's always "the starter is not concentrating enough and/or doesn't want to win so that's why we lost".

I can't remember which game it was but Jack said almost exactly the same thing about Volstad in a game we lost 3-2. I think that was three starts ago for Volstad when he gave up 3 R, 2 ER in 6.1 IP. Actually, I know that was the game because Jack blamed Volstad for throwing the ball at Gaby's knees instead of chest high when Gaby dropped the ball for the error.

[Chewford]

David Sampson is an angry little man.

[AdamRavs]

Napoleon complex

[Jay]

Jack blamed Volstad for sucking because people hit .300 off him along with the huge list of evidence that shows he sucks.

[....J....]

Jack blamed Volstad for sucking because people hit .300 off him along with the huge list of evidence that shows he sucks.

^^^^^^^^^

[Erick]

McKeon says the same thing about every starter if they don't win the game. Heck, he's made a similar comment grouping Ricky and Anibal together about them not stepping up when JJ went down. Why would Samson be upset? If you read any statement from McKeon after a loss, he'll never say "the starter did great. We just couldn't give him any run support". It's always "the starter is not concentrating enough and/or doesn't want to win so that's why we lost".

I can't remember which game it was but Jack said almost exactly the same thing about Volstad in a game we lost 3-2. I think that was three starts ago for Volstad when he gave up 3 R, 2 ER in 6.1 IP. Actually, I know that was the game because Jack blamed Volstad for throwing the ball at Gaby's knees instead of chest high when Gaby dropped the ball for the error.

Poor Volstad.