May 23 2008
Sweep elation as Braves rally to down Santana, Mets
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
Braves 4, Mets 2
Top of the Order: Tim Hudson rebounded from two early home runs with an outstanding effort, and Chipper Jones slew the Mets again with the game-winning single during a three-run seventh inning, sparking the Braves to their fifth victory in a row and capping a four-game sweep of their biggest NL-East rival before a fired-up gathering at Turner Field.
The Good: In a pitchers’ duel with Mets ace Johan Santana that lived up every bit to its pregame billing, Hudson was super. Pitches No. 14 and 15 of the night were hit into the seats, putting the Braves in a 2-0 second-inning hole, but otherwise Huddy stifled the Mets over eight innings, allowing seven hits with no walks and four strikeouts. The Braves’ offense chipped away at Santana all night, breaking out for the three-spot in the seventh. Jones went 2-for-4, raising his big-league leading average to .412. Mark Kotsay and Mark Teixeira also had two hits each. The top four spots in the lineup (Omar Infante, Kotsay, Jones, Teixeira) finished 7-for-16 with three runs scored and three RBIs. Kelly Johnson went 3-for-4 to raise his average to .299, his hustle double leading off the seventh setting the table for the heroics. The defense was outstanding; the Braves turned three double plays in the final four innings, and Kotsay’s sliding catch of Carlos Delgado’s liner ended the game and set up an impromptu celebration in the stands. Will Ohman came on and got that lineout for his first save of the season. Off the field, John Smoltz threw for the third consecutive day and the six hitters who faced him in a simulated situation reported Smoltz used a three-quarters delivery very effectively.
The Bad: Hudson put the Braves in an early hole with bad pitch location to Carlos Beltran and Delgado in the second, missing over the plate on balls that were ripped into the seats. Atlanta had chances against Santana throughout the evening but could only score once until the fateful seventh. Manny Acosta gave up a hit in the ninth, bringing the tying run to the plate. Jeff Francoeur overswung most of the night at Santana’s breaking stuff, going 0-for-4 and leaving five runners on base. Yunel Escobar didn’t play for the second straight day, but reported feeling better and anticipating a return to the lineup tonight. The Marlins refuse to realize they are the Marlins, finishing a sweep of Arizona that keeps the Braves 1 ½ games out in the NL East.
View from the Sports Garage: It started in the bottom of the seventh inning, from our seats in Section 203, from the group of high school students in front of us, the middle-aged folks on our row, the elderly people farther behind us: “Sweep! Sweep! Sweep!” Sweep, indeed. The Braves authored their most electrifying victory of the year, and their most important, definitely delivering a statement against their most-hated rivals in a game that had the attention of the baseball world because of who climbed the bump for both teams. Hudson was fantastic, the two missed pitches in the second aside. When the Mets were able to start mounting threats in the late innings, Huddy made the pitches he needed and his defense played fantastic behind him. Santana worked himself in and out of trouble most of the night, but in the seventh finally fell victim to the very thing that’s sparked these Braves this month: fundamental hitting. After Johnson’s double, Hudson took a pitch under the chin, glared and barked at Santana (further working the home crowd into a frenzy), then got down a perfect bunt with two strikes. Infante, Kotsay, Jones and Teixeira followed and merely hit the ball where it was pitched. No trying to hit the ball out of the ballpark. Great at-bats, in a critical situation, against one of baseball’s best hurlers. It felt and looked every bit like October, and the Braves stepped up, stayed within themselves and delivered with the game on the line. That’s 13 wins in the past 14 at home, where the Braves are 6-1 on the current homestand and 20-5 on the season. This team is playing its best baseball in maybe three years now, and it all comes back to the recipe the Braves used throughout the 1990s in building their dynasty. Stellar starting pitching. Outstanding defense. Solid situational hitting. Good relief work. Put it all together, and the Braves and their fans are flying high this morning. This homestand, as I wrote leading into it, is very critical. So far, the Braves have played like a team that is hell-bent on taking control of the NL East. At the same time, they improved to 7-2 over the Mets, who look like they just might be teetering on the brink of implosion as Memorial Day weekend begins. In four games that could help to shape the summer in the East, the Braves stood up and delivered a command performance. Bravo, Braves!
On deck
Braves vs. Diamondbacks
7:35 p.m. today, Turner Field
The Skinny: His numbers may not show it, but Jo-Jo Reyes is growing up. And as a result, there is a sense of stability beginning to develop around the fourth spot in the Braves’ rotation. Reyes (2-1, 4.12 ERA) has been plagued in his past three outings by a blister on his left index finger, but the lefty was good enough to grind it out into the sixth inning Sunday against Oakland, picking up his second win of the season. He’s allowed 19 hits in his past two starts, but Reyes is throwing strikes – just two walks combined his past two times out – and you can see his confidence growing. Arizona sends Doug Davis (1-1, 3.72 ERA) to the bump tonight and I hope the fans at Turner Field will give Davis a warm welcome. Six weeks and one day ago, Davis underwent surgery to have a cancerous thyroid removed. Davis hasn’t started since April 8 and is a guy who walks plenty of hitters but is effective getting out of trouble. The D’Backs come to town after being swept in Florida, so the Snakes need Davis to pitch well. For the Braves, it’s four more chances at home to deliver another statement, this time against the NL-West leader, before hitting the road for Milwaukee and Cincinnati next week.
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