Braves mini-break
I think it’s a good time for the Braves to take a couple of days.
Yes, playing baseball for a living – a very, Very, VERY good living – is not digging ditches or running into burning buildings.
But after a hectic roller coaster of 19 games in 18 days – a stretch that was very beneficial for the Braves and pushed them well into the lead for the NL East – a true off day with no BP, no travel, no nothing will be much welcomed.
It’s especially true since the Braves just ended their most impressive road trip in three decades with back-to-back losses to the red-hot Yankees. And, if forced to get right back in the mix, last night’s 5-4 thriller would have been tougher to put in the rear view than most regular-season setbacks.
The Braves lost despite striking out a medium-size village of Yankees (15 Ks) and because the pitchers could not keep the ball in the yard – New York outhomered Atlanta 3-0. (Side note on the homers: One of the Yankees’ blasts was by Rougned Odor. I know earlier this year that Touki Toussiant was my nominee for MLB player who sounds the most like a “Star Wars” character, but Rougned Odor has to be in that conversation too, right?)
The Braves lost because of base-running blunders and failures to do the little things that the Yankees did very well. Case in point: Aaron Judge had two outfield assists Tuesday night, and both went through the cutoff man.
With the Giants looming and a trip to see the defending champion Dodgers after that, enjoy the couple of days, Braves Country – and that’s players and fans.
Because, even with all the success, this August run has been tiring – right Jules?
And about last night
(Side note: “About Last Night” is underrated funny, thanks in large part to Jim Belushi. So there’s that.)
OK, as a general rule, I loathe the “Refs cost us the game” argument across every measure.
It’s tired. It’s overly simplistic. And worse, it’s excuse making in the highest order.