Offense Comes Alive, Braves Win Game 3

Jun 23, 2013; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher Brian McCann hits a grand slam home run in the 1st inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Well it had to happen eventually right? It would be the game after I actually said it might be time to worry.

Well, there is really no worrying with Brian McCann, who put the team up four runs with one swing of the bat in the top of the first inning. Currently, Big Mac is hitting .229/.328/.424 with seven homeruns in 137 plate appearances.

The team would tack on three more runs in three separate innings to beat the Brewers 7-4. The win would ensure the Braves avoided the brooms of the Brew crew, and hopefully get the hitters back on track. Jordan Schafer and Chris Johnson also homered in the game.

Schafer had a fantastic day, going 4-5 to bump his average for the season up to .313. Like I mentioned earlier today, it certainly won’t hurt the Braves too much if Schafer is forced into a role with more playing time. I’m not sure how long this kind of success will hold up, but it is certainly great to see especially considering the things he has done and been through. We might have to take an in-depth look at the kid sometime soon.

Paul Maholm got roughed up a bit in his five innings of work, allowing eight hits and four earned runs. The bullpen was fantastic however, combining to allow just one hit and two walks over the next four innings to shut Milwaukee out the rest of the way. Cory Gearrin apparently didn’t pitch very well (he didn’t record an out and walked two batters) but the quartet of Luis Avilan, Anthony Varvaro, Jordan Walden, and Craig Kimbrel got the job done.

Kimbrel managed to pick up his 21st save of the season–but that’s arguably the most useless stat in the book so I don’t really care.

Atlanta will head to Kauffman stadium tomorrow to begin a series against the Kansas City Royals. It should be fun.