The Braves are back – Maybe

With Atlanta’s three-game sweep of the division-leading Philadelphia Phillies, the Braves find themselves just two games out of first place in the NL East.

I just got home from Turner Field, and was lucky enough to watch the Braves break the broomsticks against first place Phills. To say Atlanta needed those three games would be an understatement. After losing 6 of 9 against the Yankees and Red Sox, the Braves were desperate to turn things around and at least give themselves a chance in the race for the NL East. There was no better time to get three wins than against a Philadelphia baseball club that beat them every time the two teams met at Turner Field in 2008.

Unbelievably, the offense that has been so miserable all season sorted it out. Who knows, maybe it will be their most powerful production of the year, and the bats will come back down to earth. Do that underground, because you haven’t been good enough to be called mediocre until this Phillies series. Martín Prado became a catalyst for a club that has only had three solid hitters this year (Chipper Jones, Brian McCann, Yunel Escobar). Prado almost wins only the first game of the series. He went 4-5 and drove in four runs, including game-tying RBIs.

Although Prado had the best single drive of any Atlanta hitter, Gregor Blanco and Matt Diaz were just as valuable. Blanco, replacing an injured Nate McLouth, set the table for all three games. His slap mixed with great speed reminded me of Otis Nixon. Even his outs tended to be productive and, at the very least, put pressure on the defense. Matt Diaz, a guy who’s been a streak hitter his entire career, decided to get red hot. He went 7-11 in the series, scored 4 runs and drove in 3, including a home run. Diaz also enjoyed a breakthrough moment as Prado did in game one, driving in the winning run in the series finale.

Aside from the role players doing their jobs, the ball finally began to bounce in the direction of Atlanta. What turned out to be the key play of Game 3 of the series was a wild pitch by Mike Gonzalez in the eighth inning. Jayson Werth took off from third when he saw the pitch deviate from McCann’s glove and headed for the goal. González, ran to cover the plate, and McCann slid to the ground to retrieve the ball, spun and threw a strike to González at the plate. Werth slid headfirst as Gonzalez caught the pitch and gloved the runner. The plate umpire waited a brief moment and gave an emphatic call out. The crowd went wild. The players went crazy. Even Bobby Cox showed signs of life. That momentum carried over into the bottom half of the inning and led the Braves to within three runs and the series sweep.

No one knows what this sweep of the Phillies will mean in the long run. It could certainly lead to an extended run for Atlanta, as they go to Washington for three games, starting Friday night. While the Nationals aren’t a scary team, the Braves do have an early trait of playing at the level of their competition. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see the offense go back to standby mode and lose this series to the Nationals. But for now, the Braves have swept the defending world champions and find themselves 2 games off the division lead. And in Atlanta, that will suffice for now.