Atlanta Braves Baseball: The One's That Got Away

Coulda, woulda, shoulda.

That's the mantra that these '09 Braves will be known by for the foreseeable future.

This is not to take away from the current surge that the Braves are experiencing. It's exciting to be at least mentioned in a playoff race in September.

I do realize that the Braves are still technically not out of the playoff picture. I am still watching every night with bated breath, living and dying with every play, just as I was in April, May, June, July, and August.

Unfortunately, there were many chances in those months when the Braves did not take advantage of prime opportunities. Opportunities that, had the Braves either held onto a lead or had simply taken care of business against bad teams, would have the Braves atop the Wild Card with nine games left. Instead they are at the mercy of opponents games in which they have no say.

I know hindsight is 20/20, but some of these games I have chosen to profile in this article were detrimental from the moment the Braves them.

Here are five games that I have highlighted as momentum-killing, morale-damaging, and postseason chance-hampering—losses that have occurred throughout this season.

July 4, at Washington

The Braves were riding high. Coming off a sweep of the Phillies that brought Atlanta to within 3.5 games in the NL East, and having won a season-high five straight games, the Braves led the entire game. Tommy Hanson, coming off two straight outings in which he held the Yankees and Red Sox scoreless, exited the game after giving up one run. He left with a 3-1 lead in the eighth inning.

Mike Gonzalez came in to nail down the eighth and ended up getting nailed for three runs after walking two batters and giving up a hit.

The Braves lost 5-3 and Tommy Hanson's third straight awesome outing was wasted. The five game winning streak was over. This would end up being the first of three straight losses.

By the way, the Rockies also lost on this day. There's one game...

July 12, at Colorado

Leading 7-3 going into the seventh inning, this is one that definitely got away. Even at Coors Field, a 7-3 lead with the Braves pitching staff should definitely be a win.

The inexplicably-used Manny Acosta allowed the Rockies to get within a run in the seventh. Then the oft-used Peter Moylan surrendered the lead in the eighth. The Rockies won it in the ninth, in a tie game, against a rookie pitcher.

This was the final game before the All-Star break and it would have given the Braves a three out of four series win against the hot Rockies.

Obviously, it was head-to-head...a game lost to the Rockies.

July 28, at Florida

Blown saves are a killer. No-one knew that more than Rafael Soriano on this night. After a pitchers duel featuring Jair Jurrjens and Ricky Nolasco, the Braves finally broke through in the ninth.

Garret Anderson continued his torrid stretch with a solo homerun in the top of the ninth to give Atlanta a 3-2 lead going into the ninth. Closer Rafael Soriano had blown one save all season long, and was in the middle of a dominant stretch in which he had converted 11 straight save opportunities.

Soriano walked the first batter, then got the next out. Up steps pinch-hitter Ross Gload, who promptly sends Soriano's 10th pitch of the inning into the first row behind the outfield wall. Braves lose 4-3.

By the way, the Rockies are shutout by the Mets, 4-0 on the same night. Another missed opportunity...

Aug. 6, at Los Angeles

Speaking of blown saves...The Braves are up 4-2 in the ninth. Derek Lowe's return to LA was a resounding success as he only gave up two earned runs in 6.1 innings.

Here comes Soriano...there goes Soriano. Nine days after surrendering the loss to the Marlins, Soriano would give up two straight hits to Juan Pierre and Rafael Furcal. Mr. Walk-off himself, Andre Ethier, came to the plate representing the winning run.

Do I really have to tell you what happened next?

The Braves would go on to win the next three games to take the series three out of four, but the damage was done once again as the Rockies lost to the Phillies 3-1 earlier that night.

Sep. 9, at Houston

Tommy Hanson is a victim again! This time his manager was to blame. The young Hanson was pitching the game of his life! The rookie had scattered five hits over eight innings and had just struck out the side in the bottom of the eighth.

The Braves offense could only muster one run against the equally dominant Wandy Rodriguez.

Much to the chagrin of Hanson, Bobby Cox decided to take him out after he notched his fifth, sixth, and seventh strikeouts of the game in the eighth.

Once again, Rafael Soriano blew it.

He got one out, but gave up the game winning single to Miguel Tejada in the bottom of the ninth inning. A game the Braves had in hand, behind a stellar performance by the Rookie of the Year hopeful who wasn't even close to tired in the eighth inning, was lost.

Same night, the Rockies defeated the Reds 4-3.

If you weren't keeping count, that's five games lost to the Rockies in the final innings of games that the Braves led. If that's not detrimental, I don't know what is.

There were other losses that hurt as well. Not the least of which is the Sep. 2 game at Florida in which the Braves clawed their way back into it, only to lose on former Brave-Wes Helms' walk-off homerun. And how can we forget the three game sweep at the hands of the hapless Reds just a few days later?

The bottom line is that the Braves could be on top of the Wild Card with a week left, rather than 3.5 games back and hoping for help from the Cardinals.

It's a long season. Things happen. You lose from time to time. But in baseball when you have the lead late, giving it up will always, and I mean always, hurt.