Another one-run win for Bravos
By Bud L. Ellis
budmansbravesbeat.mlblogs.com
Yunel Escobar's two-run single in the bottom of the seventh
vaulted the Braves into a one-run lead, and Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano
made it stand up in a 4-3 victory that gave
More importantly, the one-run win marked the 12th time this season the Bravos have won a game by the slimmest of margins. Big deal? You bet! Last season, en route to losing 90 games for the first time since 1990, the Braves only won 11 one-run games all season.
Now 12-8 in one-run decisions, the Braves are tied with
They win the close ones.
That's something the Braves just couldn't do last season, going 11-30 in games decided by one run. Win just half of those 30 losses, and the Braves would've finished 87-75. But - as we said often last week in regards to the Tom Glavine situation - that was then and this is now.
And the now is starting to show the promise many of us
believed in coming out of
The Braves once again showed some late-game resiliency, getting the clutch hit from Escobar after both Kelly Johnson (bunt single) and Gregor Blanco (sacrifice bunt) executed the fundamentals perfectly. On a night where third-string first baseman Greg Norton had to start, on a night following a 15-inning marathon that exhausted the bullpen, on a night where staff ace Derek Lowe didn't have his sharpest stuff early - yet managed to keep Atlanta in the game - the Braves grinded out the type of victory that good teams find a way to get.
In case you've missed it, the Braves are a perfect 3-0 since Nate McLouth was moved to the top of the lineup. The new center fielder is 5-for-14 with five runs scored in those three games. Escobar, batting second between McLouth and Chipper Jones, is 7-for-16 with four runs scored, four RBIs and a pair of three-hit games during the winning streak.
And it is just that, a winning streak, albeit a small one. The Braves need to continue to build on the momentum of the three victories - two come-from-behind efforts and the grueling 15-inning win - during the final two games of the homestand.
Minor pick: On first blush, I can't say I'm overly impressed
with Mike Minor, the southpaw lad from
But after watching some video last night, I might be changing my mind.
The stat line for the 21-year-old's junior season at Vandy
isn't all that eye-popping: 6-6 with a 3.90 ERA. But his strong performance for
Team
How near? Well, not as near as the last college hurler the
Braves selected with their first pitch. You recall Joey Devine's not-so-devine
rise through the ranks after
He doesn't throw particularly hard, but looks like he knows how to work the corners. And he's a tough guy who's pitched in some big-time games against international competition. And the SEC is a good baseball conference. Time will tell, as always is the case when dipping into the draft pool.
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I totally disagree with the Braves picking Minor. We could of went with multiple players, that can pitch better than Minor, like White, Miller, Leake, Turner, Jenkins, Gibson, Arnett, Brothers, and etc. I can keep naming players that Braves could of selected with that spot, and I am also going to add Grant Green to that list, since Braves are weak at SS, except for Escobar. Minor is not impressive, I would of rather went with Scheppers, over Minor, at least he can locate the ball over the plate.
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Joe-Joe (as opposed to Jo-Jo, who re-injured his hammy yesterday at Gwinnett): I definitely think the Braves could have went elsewhere at No. 7. Watching some video of Minor last night brought me from totally disliking the pick to feeling "eh" about it. Not really happy about it, but maybe disliking it a little less.
But again, I think you're right in the Braves could have landed somebody else at No. 7 who might have fit their needs better down the road. Without really diving into it, I wonder if Atlanta gave any thought to finding somebody who -- in three or four years -- could play third base.
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