Jul 19 2008
Braves start second half with one-run victory over Nats
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
Braves 7, Nationals 6
Top of the Order: It got a little too close for comfort in the late innings, but the Braves nonetheless opened the second half with a – stop the presses! – one-run victory, running their winning streak to three games and gaining ground on both the Mets and Marlins in the NL East.
The Good: The Braves needed to start the second half with a W, and that’s exactly what they got. Brian McCann struck the big blow, a clutch bases-clearing double down the line in right in the third inning to drive in three runs and give the Braves a 6-2 lead. Brent Lillibridge must’ve read the blog (we can hope, right?) and took offense to my statement that he’s overmatched at the plate. The Lil’Bridge went 2-for-4 with a two-out, two-run double and a run scored (he’s 7-for-12 with four runs scored and five RBIs in the past three games). Mark Teixeira doubled and walked twice, scoring two runs. Kelly Johnson stole two bases – perhaps a sign the Braves are going to play with a little more aggressiveness. Johnson also drove in a run with a two-out single, as did Mark Kotsay. Tim Hudson wasn’t his absolute best, but he was good enough to earn his 10th win. Blaine Boyer was outstanding in his one inning of work, and Will Ohman struck out the only hitter he faced. Mike Gonzalez notched his fourth save in four chances, extending his consecutive saves streak to 34. Rafael Soriano is scheduled to throw today, after throwing — get this … pain free — in the Dominican Republic’s summer league during the break. If he’s good today, he could be activated Sunday.
The Bad: Staked to a four-run lead after three, Huddy allowed the Nats to creep back into it, allowing a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh. Gonzalez allowed two hits and a run in the ninth before slamming shut the door. Jeff Francoeur opened the second half in all-too-familiar fashion: 0-for-3, his average dropping to .232. Chipper Jones had one hit, his big-league leading average dropping to .375. Yunel Escobar’s shoulder kept him out of the lineup again. Finally, as I’m sure you’ve heard by now and aren’t surprised about, Mike Hampton strained his groin in Wednesday’s start for Double-A Mississippi; Hampton doesn’t think the injury is serious, but it will be a few days before the Braves determine when the oft-injured lefty heads back to the hill to continue his nearly three-year journey back to the majors. I don’t know what would signal the end of the world more: the Cubs beating Tampa Bay to win the World Series, or Hampton actually pitching in a major-league game.
View from the Sports Garage: A good start to a nine-game stretch that is going to determine whether or not Atlanta is buying at the trade deadline (read: gearing up for a run at the division title) or selling (read: looking ahead to 2009). Granted, it got a little snug at the finish, but hey, all Gonzo letting that run score in the ninth meant was the Braves got to actually win a one-run game, running their record to 6-22 in contests decided by a single run. Great at-bats early in the game. Great clutch hitting with two outs. Great hitting by McCann with the bases loaded, the at-bat where the Braves took control. So the Phillies won … so what? The Braves gained a game on both the Mets and Marlins. Honestly, though, so much has been made of the deficit in the East – and I’m as guilty of that as anybody else writing about this team; I mean, do you know how many times I wrote the past four days that the Braves are 6 ½ games out in the East? The focus should be on something else I wrote often this week: the Braves’ record. The win tonight moves Atlanta four games under .500 at 46-50, and that really is where the emphasis should be right now, getting back to .500. If the Braves keep winning series, my feeling is they’ll climb right back into the mix. They’ve won two of the past three series and can lock up another series victory with a win tonight. Remember the last time the Braves won three games or more in a row? Gotta go all the way back to May 22, when Atlanta capped a four-game sweep of the then-reeling Mets at Turner Field to win its fifth consecutive contest. If the Braves can get it done tonight and Sunday, they’ll match that five-game run and hit the road for Florida and Philly – do I need to tell y’all how important next week is gonna be – with a ton of confidence. But, first things first. Gotta keep building off the good play from the past three games.
On deck
Braves vs. Nationals
7:05 p.m. today, Turner Field
The Skinny: Brilliant in the first half of the season, Jair Jurrjens (9-4, 3.00 ERA) toes the slab hoping to continue his stellar rookie campaign. The 22-year-old rookie is 32 1/3 innings shy of his career high in innings pitched, so a lot of eyes will be on Jurrjens as he makes his first few starts after the break. In his last five starts, JJJ has been awesome: 3-0, a 1.30 ERA, nine walks and 26 strikeouts in 34 2/3 innings. For the Nationals, John Lannan (5-9, 3.40 ERA) has pitched much better than his record indicates, but the Nats have provided little run support. In his last start before the break, the left-hander beat the Diamondbacks 5-0. Following Friday’s series-opening victory, the Braves need Jurrjens to keep on doing his thing tonight as Atlanta tries to extend its win streak to four.
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