Atlanta Braves: This Is Why You Should Dig This Braves Team!
By W. M. Lawson
The Atlanta Braves wrapped up a home series with a win Sunday against the Miami Marlins. It was how they did it that should excite fans.
Just last week this intrepid scribe made the argument that, for the Atlanta Braves to inch closer to .500, they would have to start winning series, rather than just an odd game here or there. As if on cue, our beloved Braves went to Washington and did just that. Then they came home and won a series against Miami. It was how they did it, though, that is most impressive.
There are, in fact, a number of fantastic takeaways for Braves fans from this weekend. Mainly, they won 2 of 3 from a division foe. That can’t be overstated. They’ve now won back to back division series and head into a four game set with struggling San Francisco.
The fact that Sean Newcomb hit the bump again and, for the most part, had another solid outing is important and informative. It is possible that this dude is ready. He has the stuff. He just needs to control it. That was my impression when I saw him pitch in Gwinnett on Memorial Day weekend. So far, so good.
In the absence of Freddie Freeman a number of vets, who were brought in, continue to compete and give quality play. Brandon Phillips, when healthy, might be the best Brave on the team, other than Freeman. Matt Adams has played beautifully at 1st Base and at the plate. Dude is straight ballin’. Markakis continues to be the steady anchor to the top of the order.
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But Sunday, the two things that really stood out were the newbies and attitude. Johan Camargo, another dude I saw play in Gwinnett on Memorial Day, went 2 for 2 with 1 RBI and scored 2 runs. They wouldn’t have won without his contribution. Rio Ruiz, who still struggles a bit at the plate, ended the scoring drought with a timely sac-fly and continued to flash glove at 3rd. Both of those dudes are young.
All of this feeds into the last, and most important, thing in my mind: The attitude. What I mean by that is this team doesn’t quit or “get down” even in late innings. If you’ve ever played ball competitively, you know that isn’t easy.
If you’ve ever been in a dugout when the bats are silent, and no breaks are going your way, it is easy to chalk it up to “not being your day”. Once that happens, though, effort seems to wane and some folks quit giving 100%.
That doesn’t seem to happen with our Braves. The bats were frozen cold. A wasted bases loaded opportunity early in the game was deflating. On top of that, the Marlins’ SP, Urena, hit three guys in 2 innings. Things could’ve gotten out of hand. But they didn’t.
Folty brushed Urena back and sent a message: Quit it. Then the mix of newbies and added vets dug in and stayed at it. And won in consecutive walk off hits. A big division series win.
This team won’t win championships in 2017. But they also won’t quit. They’ll play all game and all year. They’ll get better and always compete. That’s the mark of quality.
Next: Atlanta Braves: Winning the Series is Key to .500 Ball
There are all kinds of lessons to be learned from these Atlanta Braves. There are all kinds of reasons to be excited about this team. Now, let’s win the series against San Francisco and start making noise.