Atlanta Braves close 2014 season with 2-1 win

It’s over.

No one is happy with how the 2014 Atlanta Braves have performed throughout the season, but on the bright side, the team closed the campaign with a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday afternoon. Hilariously, it was an early lead that propelled the group to the win and an unlikely power source that provided a lead that the team would never relinquish.

The light-hitting Emilio Bonifacio blasted a lead-off home run to begin the day, and it was only the third blast of the season for the former Cubs utility man. That home run was quickly followed by a walk from Phil Gosselin, who immediately stole second base, and Freddie Freeman provided the game’s only “insurance” run with an RBI single to give Atlanta a 2-run lead.

That was all that the Braves could do offensively, but the “bullpen game” actually succeeded in holding down the Philadelphia offense. Left-hander James Russell started the game with four blemish-less innings, and the combination of Luis Avilan, Anthony Varvaro, David Carpenter and Craig Kimbrel navigated the final five frames while allowing only one run.

Quite honestly, there wasn’t a lot of intrigue in the game’s result, but with the win, the Atlanta Braves finish with a 79-83 record. There will be plenty of season review content in this space in the near future, but for now, this is farewell.