NEW YORK – As the Phillies played the final two innings of their game Sunday at Citizens Bank Park, the Atlanta Braves confidently checked out of the visiting clubhouse at Citi Field.
The Braves had every reason to feel good as they prepared for their bus ride down the New Jersey Turnpike on their way to Philadelphia, where Monday night they’ll begin the franchise’s biggest September series in five years against the Phillies.
Having completed a three-game weekend sweep of the New York Mets with a 6-3 win that came courtesy of a Derek Lee grand slam in the top of the seventh inning, the Braves gathered some road momentum, a rarity for a team that is 34-41 away from Turner Field this season.
“We hadn’t been the best of road teams, but I think we’re realizing we’re just going to take this one game at a time and not get caught up in the next series and the series after that,” Braves closer Billy Wagner said.
What seemed equally as nice for the Braves as they whipped out their checkbooks and paid visiting clubhouse dues was the fact that the Washington Nationals held a three-run lead over the first-place Phillies.
The television in manager Bobby Cox’s office was tuned to the Phillies’ game when the Nationals scored in the top of the eighth to take a 6-3 lead.
“Oh, good,” Cox said after acknowledging the he is in full scoreboard-watching mode.
Wagner, who got the day off in favor of rookie Craig Kimbrel after saving the first two games of the series, wasn’t so confident the Nationals’ lead would hold up.
“Is that game over?” Wagner asked.
Told the Nationals still led by three going into the bottom of the ninth inning, Wagner said, “That’s nothing.”
The former Phillie then disappeared into a back room to watch the bottom of the ninth with a few of his teammates. The Phillies, of course, scored four in the ninth without making an out and their lead in the National League East remained at three games over the second-place Braves with 12 games remaining for each team.
“Told you,” Wagner said before disappearing behind the clubhouse doors.
The Phillies’ ninth-inning magic may have kept the Braves a safe distance behind them as the season heads into its final two weeks, but it did not change the fact that Atlanta played a solid three-game series and maintained its lead in the National League wild-card race.
Even though the Braves want to win the division race with the Phillies, they acknowledge that a wild-card berth would be nearly as satisfying in Cox’s final season as manager.
“Now, we can’t split hairs,” Braves president John Schuerholz said Friday. “Now, it’s about getting in the playoffs. We don’t have a three-game lead. We’re three games behind, so now let’s be realistic. Obviously we still have a chance to win the division and our guys are going to try to do that.”
The Braves got solid pitching, spectacular defense and timely hitting in all three games against the Mets. In-season acquisitions Lee and shortstop Alex Gonzalez came through with the big hits in the final two games of the series after rookie Jayson Heyward hit a game-altering home run Friday night.
“It was huge,” catcher Brian McCann said after the Braves completed their first series sweep since June 20 against Kansas City. “We came in here with the mind-set of ‘win every inning.’ This is playoff time. We have two weeks until the season is over, so everything from here on out is playoff baseball.”
Given the fact that the teams play six of their final 12 games against each other, the Braves should feel as though they have a chance. They do not seem overwhelmed by the idea that the intensity level will be ratcheted up a notch in Philadelphia.
“It’s a playoff atmosphere in Philly in April,” McCann said. “I expect it to be sort of like it is every night there. We know we’re going into Philly and what we have to do.”
The Braves lead the season series 7-5 and went 10-8 against the Phillies last season.
“We’ve got good pitching,” McCann said when asked why the Braves play so well against the Phillies. “That is the thing that has carried us this far. They keep us in every ball game. That’s why we’re in this position right now because of our bullpen and our starting pitching.”
The only negative for the Braves during their weekend stay in Queens came Friday night when reliever Takashi Saito left the game with shoulder soreness. Saito did not accompany the Braves to Philadelphia, but the Braves have enough bullpen depth that they should not miss the veteran righthander.
What the Braves have missed for the last five seasons is the feel of a pennant race. Now they have a chance to get into the playoffs and win their division, but they understand the Phillies are a formidable obstacle in their pursuit of the latter goal.