Exactly one week ago this morning, the Atlanta Braves stood 30-33 for the season. They were 3 1/2 games behind the New York Mets. They had managed to lose the last three games in which they'd scored eight or more runs. If a single word could describe their season to that point, it might have been mediocre...at best.
Now fast forward to this morning, to the unexpected opportunity for Braves Nation to bask in the glow of Sunday's 1-0 home victory, which wrapped up a three-game home sweep of those same Mets. Now 35-35, Atlanta stands but two games in back of current NL East leader Washington and but a half-game shy of New York.
Better yet, Atlanta not only rolls into the nation's capital for the start of a three-game series on Tuesday having won four of its last five and five of its last seven, but it will trot out pitchers Alex Wood, Shelby Miller and Matt Wisler against the Nationals. Beyond that, the Braves won't have to face Washington ace Max Scherzer, who tossed a no-hitter on Saturday.
"It was a great team weekend," said Hall of Famer and former Braves pitcher Tom Glavine at the close of Sunday's telecast. "You need all 25 guys on your roster to get something done over the course of the season, and that's what happened this weekend."
It started Friday night with Wisler's wonderful 2-1 win. It extended to Saturday with big nights at the plate from Andrelton Simmons (four hits) and catcher A.J. Pierzynski (three hits) in a 6-4 victory.
But it was Sunday that best underscored Glavine's words.
Despite another strong home outing from pitcher Julio Teheran - "It's different playing at home, you have the motivation of the fans," he said afterward - the Braves were still scoreless with two outs in the seventh inning against the Mets' Matt Harvey when catcher Ryan Lavarnway came to the plate. He barely missed a home run, but had to hold at second.
Said Lavarnway with the quote of the day: "I was just trying to get on base. I had a little topspin. If I'd had some backspin on it, it might have gone."
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Julio Teheran works in the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Sunday, June 21, 2015, in Atlanta.Still, with runs so hard to come by and Teheran having surrendered but one hit all afternoon, Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez could have stuck with his pitcher, especially given the recent wretchedness of his bullpen.
"Harvey had thrown 100-plus pitches," explained Gonzalez. "Once we got in scoring position, I figured we had to take a crack at it."
In came pinch-hitter Pedro Ciriaco, who plopped in a single to shallow center as neatly as Jordan Spieth plopped in an 18th-hole birdie to win Sunday's U.S. Open. Lavarnway chugged for home. When Mets center fielder Juan Lagares' throw went wide, the Braves had a 1-0 lead they would never relinquish.
"I'm not trying to do too much," Ciriaco told the media. "When you put too much pressure on yourself, sometimes you can't do your best. I've been working with our hitting coach. Just try to get a good pitch and hit it hard."
If any single change may make these Braves better than the dysfunctional group that finished the 2014 season with a losing record, it may be the arrival of hitting coach Kevin Seitzer.
Unlike last season, when every big at-bat seemed to become a risky reason to swing for the fences, this team meticulously manufactures runs, which may be why scoring is up, strikeouts are slightly down and Gonzalez's job appears far more secure at the moment than it seemed in early October last year.
"Putting the ball in play has led to those improvements," noted Glavine.
Added former Braves outfielder Brian Jordan on the postgame show: "(Seitzer's) gotten these guys to shorten up (their swings), put the ball in play. I like what these guys can do the second half of the season."
Atlanta is still 11 games away from the season's halfway point. And it may be the most important 11 games of the year, given the Braves play three at Washington and three at Pittsburgh before coming home for series against the Nationals and Phillies.
With a brutal July stretch that includes 13 of 19 on the road at such difficult stops as Milwaukee, Colorado, St. Louis and Baltimore, the Braves would appear to need at least a split with the Nationals to have a realistic chance to remain in the hunt when September arrives.
But this team also seems to be getting better in all aspects, which is what young teams often do when put together the right way. It even feels a bit like the return of the "Braves Way," which once captured 14 straight division crowns and was so often discussed through the offseason by everyone from Gonzalez to new general manager John Hart.
Yes, it may mean nothing against the Nationals, who have already won five of six against the Braves this year. But a week ago, with those three straight losses when scoring at least eight runs costing them sleep, no one seriously thought they'd reach .500 again.
Now here they are, all 25 guys suddenly contributing, all 25 guys growing in confidence with each fresh win.
To borrow a Sunday line from Jordan: How sweep it is.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com