Two up with three to play

The Braves host Philly this weekend in a series that will be fiercely contested by the Braves and used as a warm-up for the playoffs by the NL East champion Phillies. The other series of importance is in San Fran, where the Giants host the Padres. The Giants have a three game lead in the NL West, so the Padres must win all three games to force a one-game playoff on Monday.

Atlanta's depth shines in sweep of Marlins

The Braves swept the Marlins yesterday, capping the series with a 5-1 victory. Derek Lowe got the win, pitching 5-1/3 innings on three days rest and giving up only 1 run on 7 hits while striking out 9. The bullpen was brilliant once again, allowing 2 hits in 3-1/3 innings. For the series the bullpen was spectacular, throwing 9-2/3 innings giving up 1 run on 5 hits and striking out 16 batters. The pitching depth was only rivaled by the depth on offense for the Braves. In Tuesday's game, part-timer's Eric Hinske and Brooks Conrad had huge hits. On Wednesday, Conrad and back-up catcher David Ross sparked the offense. With season-ending injuries to Chipper Jones and Martin Prado, this is the time for the bench to step up. So far, they have done a great job.

The victory puts the Braves 1.5 games ahead of the Padres in the wild card race. The Braves are off on Thursday and host Philly this weekend. The Padres play the Cubs on Thursday and play the Giants this weekend. The Giants lead the Padres by 2 games in the NL West.

Omar Infante was 0-for-4 rendering his fight for the batting title useless at this point in the season. Infante is batting .323 this year. NL batting leader Carlos Gonzalez was 0-for-5, taking his average to .338. Infante needs to get 7 more hits than Gonzalez over the next three games to keep his hopes alive.

Eric Hinske delivers a big home run to continue the march to the playoffs

The Braves only scored 3 runs last night, but it was enough as they defeated the Marlins 3-2. Eric Hinske hit a two-run pinch-hit homer in the seventh. That home run followed an RBI triple by Brooks Conrad. Tim Hudson pitched on 3 days rest and gave up only 1 run in 6 innings. The bullpen of Kimbrel, Moylan, Venters, and Wagner gave up a run on two hits while striking out 6 in three innings.

Atlanta is now 1.5 games ahead of San Diego in the wild card race with 4 games left (SD has 5 games remaining). The Giants have a 2 game lead on the Padres in the NL West.

Omar Infante was 1-for-4 last night to lower his average to .326. NL hitting leader Carlos Gonzalez was 2-for-5 to raise his average to .341. It may take a miracle for Infante to win the batting title now. He would need to go 13-for-16 over the next 4 games and have Gonzalez hit less than .341 over that same span. To put it another way, Infante needs 8 more hits than Gonzalez over the next 4 games to win the batting title.

Omar Infante may not win the batting title, but he had a huge hit last night

After a one-hour rain delay, the Braves beat the Marlins in 11 innings last night 2-1. In the 11th, two walks sandwiched around a sac bunt put runners on first and second with one out. A wild pitch moved the runners to second and third. Pinch-hitter Freddie Freeman struck out, leaving Omar Infante at the plate with two outs. Infante singled to left field to help the Braves escape with a victory. Tommy Hanson pitched will for the Braves, giving up 1 run in 7-2/3 innings. The bullpen of Venters, Wagner, Moylan, and Dunn threw 4-1/3 shutout innings and held the Marlins to one hit over that span. The two teams play tonight on MLB Network at 7pm. Tim Hudson will pitch for the Braves on 3 days rest. Hudson has only pitched three games in his career on 3 days rest and none since 2006. His ERA in those games is 2.61.

Atlanta leads the wild card race by 1/2 game over San Diego, due to the Padres loss on Monday night. The Giants had an off day and lead the NL West by a game over San Diego.

Omar Infante was 2-for-5 with a walk last night, raising his batting average to .327. NL hitting leader Carlos Gonzalez was 1-for-4 to lower his average to .340. Infante needs to get on a hot streak to win the batting title. He would need to go 13-for-20 over the last 5 games and get some help from Gonzalez to get the job done.

Anything is possible, although it may not be likely

The Braves lost 2 of 3 this weekend to the Nationals, falling to a 1-5 record over the last 6 games. Atlanta is now .5 games behind in the wild card race behind San Diego. The Giants lead the Padres by .5 games in the NL West.


The Braves have 6 games left and host Florida and Philly. The Phillies have already clinched a playoff spot, so they may be resting their players in that last series, so that is a good thing. The Giants are off on Monday and host Arizona and San Diego. The Padres host the Cubs for 4 games and then travel to San Fran. If the Braves can hold on until Thursday and let the Padres and Giants beat up on each other, they could still make the playoffs.


Omar Infante has struggled like the entire team has over the weekend. Infante was 2-for-13 against Washington and is 3-for-25 over the last 6 games. That type of performance will not win you a batting title. Infante is batting .326 and with 4 plate appearances per game over the next 6 games, he will be qualified for the batting title. However, Carlos Gonzalez leads the NL with a .341 average. Infante needs 15 hits over the 6 games remaining to have a shot at winning the title.