Atlanta Braves sweep Chicago Cubs with 5-2 Mother’s Day victory
May 11, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher
Evan Gattis(24) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Chicago Cubs during the fourth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
The Atlanta Braves completed a much-needed series sweep of the Chicago Cubs today, thanks to the offense waking up behind Aaron Harang. Evan Gattis and Jason Heyward went yard in this one and Harang threw six innings of two-run ball for the Braves to grab a 5-2 win on Mother’s Day.
In addition to Heyward and Gattis’ homers, both Chris Johnson and Ryan Doumit had two-hit games, with Johnson adding a run and Doumit an RBI.
While Harang has received a good amount of criticism of late, he was once again solid on the hill. He threw six innings and allowed six hits while striking out nine Chicago hitters and walking just two. I wouldn’t expect to continue seeing those strikeout numbers, but Harang has done an excellent job filling in like the team has needed him to do.
What might have been the best thing to see however, was the work from the bullpen. Anthony Varvaro, Ian Thomas, Alex Wood and David Carpenter combined to throw the final three innings and allowed just three hits (one against Varvaro and two against Wood). They also struck out five batters and walked just one to shut the door on the Cubs and prevent any kind of late-game comeback.
This was a big series for the Braves as they were coming off of two seeps and a 1-2 series loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. With the victory, the Braves move to 21-15 on the season and put a bit of distance between themselves and the second place Miami Marlins.