Sorry it's a little late, but the Bravos got back into the series win column this weekend, taking 2 out of 3 from the woeful New York Mets. The Braves offense still hasn't gotten on track yet, but the pitching was outstanding this weekend, getting great starts in 2 games and an unlucky one in game 3 from Tommy Hanson. Hanson struggled just a bit with his command in the early going, and it cost him 2 runs. Other than that, he was impeccable, striking out 9 in 5 innings. Let's have a look back at key contributors.
Jair Jurrjens- Jair returned to the rotation with a bang, pitching 7 innings of outstanding baseball in the nightcap, giving up 2 hits, walking 1, and striking out 4 in 7 innings. He had Mets hitters off balance all night. In future starts, I would like to see more balls on the ground from him, as well as a few more strikeouts (although as long as he keeps the K/BB ratio at 4 to 1, he will be fine). However, that's nitpicking. The Braves are a better team when he's in the rotation and healthy.
Alex Gonzalez- Gonzo clubbed 2 homers in game 1 and really helped to put the Braves on their way. His defense has remained outstanding, and he has provided some power this year, ending the series with a slugging percentage right around .500. If only he had a batting eye...
Chipper Jones- Chipper was on base 6 times out of 10 plate appearances in the series, which is business as usual with him against the Mets. Both Braves victories started with Chipper staking the Braves to an early lead, with a solo home run in the 1st of game one and an RBI single in the opening inning of game 2. It was good for the Braves to get out in front early for a change, and Chipper was integral in that.
Goats
Nate McLouth- He needs to start hitting or his job will be in jeopardy. He isn't a good enough fielder to keep trotting out there everyday if he isn't swinging the lumber, and he has been in a funk pretty much since he got to the Braves in 2009. Who knows why really, and its frustrating because I know he's capable of better. However, continuously putting up 1 hit series just isn't going to cut it if it continues. He's probably the Braves best option right now anyway, but I'm sure they will find a better one if he continues to not hit.
Martin Prado- This is a bit of a reach because he did have 3 hits in the series, but the Braves are going to need more from him going forward. Namely, I think he needs to be a little more patient. He has 1 walk this season, which isn't good enough for anyone. The team needs to get back to taking more walks like last season, and I think he can be a catalyst for that since he bats at the top of the order.
What to Watch For:
Braves head west for a week and a half, and it won't be an easy trip for a struggling offense. Ted Lilly has already owned the Braves in game 1 of the Dodgers series, and the Dodgers, Giants, and Padres all have plenty of good pitching to throw at the Braves. Time for the offense to step up, and it starts with plate discipline. Watch for the Braves and see if they start to work some deeper counts and get a couple more bases on balls. They were one of the tops in the bigs last year in walk rate as a team, and this year, they have ranked near the bottom. A struggling offense needs all the baserunners they can get, so working the count can give them that as well as more chances to build confidence, as somebody is bound to get a big hit (.260 team BABIP will go up in time). It would be nice to have some extra base runners via the walk out there when the hits do start to fall.
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