Atlanta Braves Poor Hitting Strategy in the Second Costs Against Zambrano

5/26/06

The Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs met up on Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Tim Hudson vs. Carlos Zambrano. The makings of a great pitching duel. But only until the game started. In the top of the 1st inning, we saw Carlos Zambrano walk 4 hitters and pitch 37 pitches. He gave up no hits but the walks alone gave the Braves the early 1-0 lead. So what was poor about their strategy?

They gambled in the second inning. Too much. Todd Pratt flies out a 0-1 pitch to begin the inning. Then Hudson tries to smack the third pitch he sees. Giles does not waste any time and swings at his first pitch. Zambrano gets out of that inning unscathed and with only 6 pitches. He brings himself back to normalcy.

Because Zambrano had been struggling in the first inning, you could expect to see a lot of strikes the very next inning. Trying to gamble and get Zambrano early in the count is good in theory but when you have your #8 and pitcher on deck. It is not. Those players should be taking pitches to as deep in the count as they possibly can. Then Marcus Giles, seeing that there is 2 outs should work the count as well. Aren't lead-off hitters supposed to work the count?

If Zambrano had to work about 10-15 pitches in the second, you would definitely see Zambrano in a tight situation in the third inning when he faces the meat of the lineup or in the fifth when it rolls back around and Carlos is hovering around 100 pitches. 1 inning makes a load of difference. The Braves were lucky to end up winning the game in the ninth. They should have been done with Zambrano earlier in the game.

Our free pick was on the Atlanta Braves at -120 this game and glad to win it.

Zambrano No-Hits the Braves into the 7th

It has not been pretty for Zambrano but a no-no is a no-no however it happens. Walking four batters in the first inning to give up his only run of the game, Zambrano has been unhittable and untouched until the 6th inning where he gives up a walk to Chipper Jones and Adam LaRoche.

Zambrano survived a near homerun by Francoeur with two outs in that sixth inning.

Zambrano's wildness cost him his no-hitter as he is took 105 total pitches with him into the 7th inning. Questions regarding whether Zambrano would go back out and pitched the 7th inning were silenced when he came up to bat in the bottom 6th. Easy to do when a two run shot by Freddie Bynum puts your team up 4-1.

Our recommendation is to go against Zambrano in his next start. To be over-extended like this today and blow the no-hitter, things do not look good for him.

Ryan Langerhans is the Joke of Atlanta

With Zambrano struggling and the bases loaded, Langerhans blows his chance in the first inning by striking out. Then he has a 3-1 count on Zambrano in the 7th only to strikeout. What a joke. Thanks to this fool, the Braves almost got no-no'd.