Braves.Today.Com

By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com

Braves 5, Padres 4

Top of the Order: On a day where two pitchers were hurt and the offense couldn’t get in gear until late, the Braves finally won their first one-run game of the season on Matt Diaz’s bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth, capping a perfect homestand and extending their winning streak to a season-high six games.

The Good: Gotta start with the sticks. Atlanta only mustered eight hits against the Padres, but a series of San Diego errors and some timely hitting by the Braves in the final four innings turned the tide. Greg Norton (Norton!) came through for the second day in a row, lacing a bases-loaded single to plate two runs in the sixth. Yunel Escobar reached base three times (two hits and a walk), scored three times and opened the decisive bottom of the ninth by beating out a bunt single. Chipper Jones saw his average drop to .419 with a 1-for-5 day (what a bum … just kidding, of course. Hoss still rakes). That one hit was a big one – a single in the ninth to help set up Diaz’s heroics. The bullpen was stellar: While both Buddy Carlyle and Jorge Campillo each allowed one run, they kept the game close, and from there, Jeff Bennett, Royce Ring, Will Ohman and Manny Acosta slammed the door shut the final three innings. And that bullpen may be getting stronger soon, as John Smoltz says his shoulder feels good and he’s eying a return late this month. Making his Braves debut, Omar Infante started at second base, had a hit in three trips and started a big double play to end the first inning.

The Bad: Jo Jo couldn’t go-go past the 2 2/3 mark. One start after impressing in a win over Cincinnati Saturday, Jo Jo Reyes developed a blister and came out in the third inning. Not like he was all that impressive before the blister surfaced: five hits, two walks, two runs allowed (one earned). Granted, his defense in the first inning was a joke: Mark Teixeira got all chewed up on a ball hit to him, and Mark Kotsay got caught in-between on a ball that bounded off his glove and behind him. The Braves made San Diego starter Wil Ledezma – who sucked when he was a Brave last summer and who, by all accounts, didn’t like being here – look far better than he really is in the early innings. And to think, we gave up on Macay McBride for that … well, that’s another story. Carlyle left with a neck injury after colliding with Kevin Kouzmanoff on a ball down the first base line in the fifth.

The View from the Sports Garage: Be still my beating heart … A ONE-RUN VICTORY! Finally, the Braves won one of these games decided by a single run, after opening the season with nine losses in one-run decisions. About time, right? So, I’m sitting in Turner Field after the game Thursday (yes, I know the section subtitle says “View from the Sports Garage,” but I did go to the game. Maybe it should be “View from Section 225″) and I’m thinking about what this winning streak means. It’s the Reds and Padres, after all, two teams that totally are in the toilet already this season. And maybe that would be my thought a few years ago, but not now, not after watching the Braves leave victory after victory lying on the table this year because the clutch hitting wasn’t there or the starters couldn’t get past the fourth inning or the bullpen couldn’t hold a lead. No, I’m enjoying the heck out of this. The Braves are playing really well for the most part. Thursday was not one of those days, but when you have a day when it’s not clicking on all cylinders, you try to stay within striking distances, get some breaks, get a few clutch hits and get back into the game. That’s exactly what the Braves did. Six in a row sure does feel good. Now, gotta take that momentum on the road to Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Maybe while everybody’s engrossed with the NHL’s Eastern Conference Finals (Pens vs. Flyers, in case you didn’t know, or didn’t care), Atlanta can sneak outta the Keystone State with a 5-2 trip. Do that, and the Braves will come home in first place. Like the sound of that!

On deck
Braves at Pirates
7:10 p.m. today, PNC Park

The Skinny: Hard to believe Tom Glavine (0-1, 4.50 ERA) has not won a game for the Braves since 2002. OK, cheap shot, considering he pitched with the Mets from 2003-07. Still, with the exception of his last outing against Cincinnati – in which he allowed six runs and couldn’t make it through the fifth inning – Glavine has been solid for the Braves. His control eluded him against the Reds (a season-high five walks) and he never looked comfy on the bump even after his mates handed him a 7-0 lead. More importantly, Tommy showed no signs of problems from that hamstring that landed him on the DL last month. Sunday was just one of those starts. Toeing the slab for the Buccos is Ian Snell (2-2, 5.09 ERA), who gave up four runs in six innings in his last start. Think Brian McCann will be in the lineup tonight? Yepper. Mac has seven career hits against Snell, including three homers. Time to kick off the roadie with a victory, push the win streak to seven and push ever closer to the top spot in the NL East.

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