For Brooks Conrad, this has been a season of the highest highs and lowest lows.
As familiar as the “dirt dog” became for throwing his hands to his helmet in confusion, and not seeing his walk-off grand slam against the Reds clear the fence, lately it’s been just been the hands-to-the-head part. As if that can some way soften the blow of the glut of eight errors in his past seven games, growing more excruciating by the day.
Conrad committed three errors in Sunday’s Game 3 loss to the Giants, the first Braves player to do that in a postseason game.
No player had done it in a postseason game since former Braves shortstop Rafael Furcal committed three errors for the Dodgers against the Phillies in Game 5 of the 2008 NLCS.
"It's totally embarrassing," Conrad said. "Once again, I felt like I let everybody down. It’s a whole lot to swallow but I’ll try to do my best to get over it. But it’s something you’re probably not for a long time, if ever.”
Conrad had as big a hand in a loss as a fielder can, and his were unforgiving.
The ball wouldn’t stop finding him, for errors in the first, second and finally the ninth inning, allowing the game-winning run to score in a 3-2 loss. Buster Posey’s groundball bounced right to him in the ninth inning and went through his legs, never touching his glove.
Conrad was caught by TV cameras mouthing an expletive on the field.
He was still struggling to explain everything afterward.
“Just coming right at me, one-hopper, tracked it the whole way, just trying to keep it in front at least,” Conrad said. “It just seemed to go right through me. It was a weird feeling.”
The ball had been doing that all night -- the double-play ball he dropped in the first inning, while thinking about flipping it to second base, and the pop-up that allowed a run to score on a ball he went to catch with two hands, but watched kick out of the bottom of his glove.
Tim Hudson pitched around Conrad’s first mistake, though it cost him an extra 15 pitches in the inning. But he couldn’t do anything about the second since it came with a runner at third base who scored easily. Three Braves runs, two were unearned because of Conrad errors.
When manager Bobby Cox came for the ball from reliever Peter Moylan after the error in the ninth, Conrad didn’t come to the mound with the rest of the infielders. He stayed on the edge of the infield grass, looking for some dirt to kick, until first baseman Derrek Lee finally came over.
“I was just trying to be there for him,” Lee said. “We’ve all been there. Sometimes it seems that nothing good is going to happen to you. You feel like you’re on an island all by yourself. I didn’t want him to feel like that.”
Heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, the video board at Turner Field showed highlights of Conrad's grand slam off the Reds while trying to encourage the crowd. Instead, it drew boos.
Shortly thereafter, the game ended in the bottom of the ninth on a Nate McLouth groundout to Giants second baseman Freddy Sanchez. It looked so simple.
Cox has to decide now whether he’ll sit Conrad in Game 4 Monday night. With injuries to both Chipper Jones and Martin Prado, he’s down to only Diory Hernandez as a backup middle infielder. Eric Hinske and Troy Glaus have played four innings combined at third base all season, leaving Cox without many options.
“I’ll have to sleep on it,” Cox said after the game.
Cox has already moved Conrad from third base to second for the last weekend of the season against Philadelphia, trying to make him feel more comfortable. Conrad had throwing errors on back-to-back days against the Phillies to ignite game-deciding rallies in both games.
Conrad had made three errors in three games at third base. Now he has five in his last four games at second base.
“Just got to keep his head up,” Hudson said.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
