From the “7-Up Stinks Studios,” here we go…
Atlanta Braves pitcher Jair Jurrjens throws in the first inning during a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, May 24, 2011. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)Braves win – again
The Atlanta Braves handed the ball to Jair Jurrjens on Wednesday and promptly scored three first-inning runs.
Hello, giving Jurrjens a 3-0 lead is like giving the ’86 Bears a three-touchdown edge or fighting a school-yard bully with an AK-47. Jurrjens is the NL ERA leader and collected his NL-best 12th win when the Braves put the finishing touches on a 9-1 win. Jurrjens, who has been so good that his ERA remained unchanged despite allowing a lone run in five strong innings, was probably thinking, “Hey, guys, let’s save a few of these for the next time around, huh?”
That said, the comfortable margin did allow the Braves bullpen to avoid using the lay-down-the-law firm of O’Flaherty, Venters and Kimbrel.