This was the series I was waiting to see, A 3 game sweep where everything worked like it was supposed to. The pitching was great (outside of one inning), and the offense scratched out runs. Perhaps most importantly, the offense took walks, totaling 16 of them in all against a good pitching staff. Walks help turn the lineup over, run up the opposing pitcher's pitch count, and make your chances so much better to score runs. Thus, it isn't a coincidence that the Braves averaged 6 runs a game in this series, and won all 3 of them. The Braves scored the fifth most runs in the National League last year, and it was because they ranked 1st in on base percentage. With many of the same people in the lineup, they should be near the top again, and this weekend's series was a step in the right direction. A lot went right this weekend, and lets highlight the key performances:
Braves' starting pitchers- Simply outstanding. San Francisco isn't a great offensive team, but the starters were impeccable, combining for 21.2 innings, giving up only 5 ERs, walking 1(!), and striking out 18 batters in their work. They exploited the impatience of the Giants offense, keeping them off balance and working ahead in the count most of the time. Good things are going to happen most times when your starters walk 1 guy in an entire series, and this was no different. To Tommy Hanson, Tim Hudson, and Brandon Beachy, job well done.
Jason Heyward- I am glad to see that Jason takes well to criticism from me. After pointing out that he was abysmal in the Dodgers series, he proved his point in the Giants series that there isn't anything to worry about. He was 7 of 12 in the series with a double, 2 walks, and a 3 run homer that cleared a 37 foot brick wall about 420 feet away in right center. That's a bomb. Triple slash line for the series: .583/.642/.916. That will work.
Nate McLouth- More for one moment than anything else. He did reach base 5 times in the series, which is very solid (3 walks, 2 hits), but his main contribution was a bases loaded single off Brian Wilson in extras yesterday. Big hit for Nate, after the Braves were on the verge of squandering a golden opportunity to take the lead. The last week has been filled with positives for him at the dish.
Chipper Jones- Chipper staked the Braves to multi run leads twice this weekend with a pair of 2 run doubles, once on Friday and another on Sunday. He totaled 3 hits, two walks, 4 RBIs this weekend, and he didn't even play on Saturday. Even at 39, he should still be an above average hitter, and while his power isn't what it used to be, he is still a solid offensive contributor.
Eric O'Flaherty- He deserves a shout out for some terrific work yesterday, throwing 2 scoreless innings and giving the Braves a chance to get to Brian Wilson in the 10th. No strikeouts for him, but his command was great, throwing 22 of 30 pitches for strikes, while also getting 4 of his outs on the ground. Also of note is that he retired 4 right handed batters out of his 6 outs. As long as George Sherill is in the Braves' pen, O'Flaherty is going to need to be able to retire right handers regularly. He's done it in the past, and he did it yesterday. Good sign for Braves fans.
Goats-
Jairo Asencio- It was a little unfortunate for him, as he threw an excellent pitch to Pablo Sandoval that he still got a hit on, and then Pat Burrell followed with perhaps the 3rd infield single of his career(it's painful to watch that dude run). However, he wasn't able to get the job done for a team that needs another right handed reliever with Moylan on the DL and Linebrink being unpredictable. I hope he gets more chances because his stuff is good enough to warrant it, but he will need to perform better if he gets a shot in a higher leverage situation.
Alex Gonzalez- Thankfully still providing terrific defense, because his offense has been a disaster lately. He was 1 for 11 in the series, and his OBP now stands at a ghastly .250 for the season. Needs to improve from "out making machine" to "regular outmaker" if the Braves offense is to operate at full capacity.
What to Watch For-
The Braves head back down to Southern California for a 3 game set with the struggling Padres. Atlanta has had some great luck the last few years at Petco Park, going 13-5 in games there since 2006. The Padres offense has been abysmal this year, with no Adrian Gonzalez to bail the out, but the pitching has been extremely solid. Expect some low scoring games, as they combine solid pitching with very good defense all over the field. Key will be whether the Braves can get out on top early, as the Padres have been struggling to score any runs, and I imagine its harder to hit when you know you have too. A 2 run hole could cause them to become anxious and to press. Also, as always, keep an eye on the Braves' plate discipline. The team BB rate is up to a very respectable 9.1%, and you can tell the offense is right when they are taking walks. Hope they keep it up.
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