Medlen, Johnson Propel Braves Over Phillies
By Brad Stiene
Sep 27, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves third baseman Chris Johnson (23) celebrates a solo home run with shortstop Andrelton Simmons (19) in the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
It was an eighth inning home run by Chris Johnson to back up yet another outstanding performance by Kris Medlen Friday night as the Braves have taken the first two games of the series against the Phillies by a final count of 1-0.
Johnson continues to show that he can fill shoes left behind by Chipper Jones. One can assume that because of so much power hitting in front of him and behind him, Johnson has been getting a lot more pitches he likes–thus the reason why he is batting .324 this season.
Not to be outdone by Johnson, Kris Medlen turned in a dandy in his final tune up before the playoffs begin. Medlen went eight innings of two-hit, two walks, seven strikeouts and zero, count ’em zero, runs allowed. Medlen definitely needed to step up tonight because of the fact his opponent, Cliff Lee (who also turned in an outstanding performance), is the type of pitcher the Braves will be facing in the playoffs. Hats off to Medlen who did the job and did it well.
The Braves were only able to muster three hits against Cliff Lee, who has always been tough against the Braves–yet only one was needed. It would be nice to see the Braves get on a serious hot streak while they can and absolutely torch the opposing teams in the playoffs.
Another piece of note is that Craig Kimbrel notched his 50th save of the year. With Mariano Rivera retiring, it would be very hard to make a case for anyone else to be considered as the best closer in the game. Night in and night out Kimbrel comes in and takes care of business and doesn’t fool around out there on the mound
The Braves are back in action tomorrow same time same place. Mike Minor will be looking for his 14th victory of the year as the Braves continue to their quest for post season glory.