You’re not going to win them all, at least not against a solid team like the Braves. Still, it was a frustrating game to lose because the bats simply didn’t do squat against a young man who has been very, very hittable on the year.
Ryan Dempster wasn’t at his best, but still allowed only one run in seven innings (which raised his ERA to just over one). Kerry Wood played the villain in a disastrously ugly 8th inning that would have made Carlos Marmol blush. If it weren’t for a pickoff at second base (with a 3-0 count to Jason Heyward), the damage and embarrassment could have been much worse. Whatever happened to that plan to not use Wood in the 8th inning anymore, Dale?
But the offense was the real problem. Good teams win when they hold the opponent to three runs.