May 22 2008
Bats lead the way as Braves bomb Mets
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
Braves 11, Mets 4
Top of the Order: Jeff Francoeur returned from a sorely needed night off with a bang, missing hitting for the cycle by a double as Atlanta bombed the Mets for a third-consecutive victory over its NL-East rival at Turner Field.
The Good: Frenchy’s back! After sitting out the second game of Tuesday’s doubleheader and seeing his consecutive-game streak end at 370, Francoeur responded with a three-hit night (single, triple, homer), scored a run and drove in four to highlight the 14-hit Atlanta offensive explosion. Mark Teixeira added three more hits and three RBIs, raising his average to .274. Brian McCann stayed red hot: three more hits, three runs scored and two RBIs, his average rising to .331. Chipper Jones went 1-for-2, that one hit career homer No. 398 to tie Dale Murphy for most by an Atlanta Brave. His major-league leading average sits at .410. Hitting leadoff, Omar Infante reached base three times (a single and two walks). Kelly Johnson added two hits, further proof he’s better suited hitting seventh in the order. All of this was plenty enough for Jair Jurrjens, who stuffed the Mets for just five hits and two runs (one earned) in seven innings to earn his fifth victory.
The Bad: By the time the game ended, the Braves were without both their starters on the left side of the infield. Shortstop Yunel Escobar didn’t play after that nasty collision with Ryan Church at the end of Tuesday’s doubleheader; Escobar may miss the series finale tonight, too. Jones took a Scott Schoeneweis’ pitch off his right shin in the seventh inning and hobbled off the field. Finally, why in the world did Bobby Cox call on Jeff Bennett in the eighth inning of an 11-2 game? Very, very questionable, giving his workload and the level of importance Bennett has attained in the Braves’ bullpen. Why not let Phil Stockman, Royce Ring and/or Chris Resop finish things out? Bennett allowed two runs in his one inning of work, but he never should’ve been out there in the first place.
View from the Sports Garage: All season long, we’ve moaned and groaned about the lack of production from the middle of the Braves order, in particular the spots from cleanup down through the bottom of the lineup. We all knew what this lineup was capable of producing and now look at what the folks hitting behind Escobar and Jones are doing. Teixeira was hitting .240 on May 16 and was riding a 0-for-14 skid. Since then, he’s raised his average to .274 with three multi-hit games, going 10-for-18 with six runs scored. McCann, who sat at .275 on May 2, hasn’t gotten as much attention as Jones, but he’s been every bit as good this month: eight multi-hit games, 19 RBIs and 11 doubles this month. He’s hitting .419 in May. Johnson looks so much more comfortable hitting seventh. At .231 on May 2, Johnson has raised his average 56 points to .287 in 20 days with six multi-hit games. He’s hitting .357 this month. Francoeur, who desperately needed a day off, got it Tuesday. His response Wednesday: a breaking performance, raising his average 11 points to .269 and hitting his first homer since April 12 in the process. All those numbers add up to this point: The Braves now are getting the offensive production we expected at the start of the season. Add in the solid effort being shown by the pitching staff – both starters and relievers – and the result is a Braves’ team that’s surging. Atlanta has won seven of its past 10 (scoring five or more runs in six of those victories), sits at a season-high four games above .500 at 25-21 and goes for a sweep of the Mets tonight. At 19-5 at home and with eight more games left on this very important homestand, one cannot help but think the Braves are hitting their stride. The pitching has been there for the most part. Now, the offense is making up for lost time, and it’s just a matter of time before the Braves push past pesky Florida and into first place in the NL East.
On deck
Braves vs. Mets
7:10 p.m. today, Turner Field
The Skinny: The Braves go for the sweep, and they go against the man who most of the free world anointed the NL Cy Young Award winner … in January. Johan Santana (5-2, 3.30 ERA) has been good, but not other-worldly, as most baseball experts said he would be when the Twins dealt him to the Mets in January. He’s allowed 11 home runs so far, one of the highest totals in baseball, and the Braves beat him at Turner Field in early April. Tim Hudson (6-3, 3.06 ERA) had put together three excellent starts in a row, but allowed a season high five-runs and walked five in five innings Saturday against Oakland. Still, this pitching matchup is quite enticing – two of the better hurlers in the game going at it as the Braves try to polish off the Mets.
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