Morning Chop: Braves 8/8
Aug 7, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Atlanta Braves left fielder Justin Upton (8) is congratulated by teammate Freddie Freeman (5) after hitting a home run during the seventh inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Gonzalez stomachs Braves’ 6-3 win over Nationals
WASHINGTON (AP) — Order another round for Atlanta Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez, who has learned that a winning streak can be tough to swallow.
The Braves won their 13th straight Wednesday night, summarily dismissing the Washington Nationals 6-3 to complete a three-game sweep and take a staggering-for-early-August 15 1/2-game lead in the NL East.
Now Gonzalez will have to keep drinking up. It turns out that the streak happened to begin on the day that bullpen coach Eddie Perez first gave the manager some sort of protein drink. Gonzalez hates the taste, but he can’t stop drinking it with his team on such a roll; sure enough, he was sipping the concoction from a cup in the dugout a couple of hours before Wednesday’s game.
"‘They may be giving me poop. I don’t even know what it is,” Gonzalez said. ”But I’ve been drinking them for 13 days in a row now. We’re superstitious, you know."
Random Quotes After Braves Sweep Nationals
Freddie Freeman
"This was a big series. We pushed the lead to three more games up on them. We came in here and we let them know we’re here to stay."
B.J. Upton
"I’m starting to get there. I’m definitely starting to feel pretty good out there. I’ve just got to keep working and maintain to keep it to where it is. Tonight is probably the best I’ve felt."
Kris Medlen
"I felt I needed to step up and kind of close out the series. I felt great. It’s probably the best I’ve felt all year. I felt like I was throwing my curveball both for strikes and for chase. Anytime I have that third pitch, it’s really going to help me."
The Braves are amazing and no one is noticing
Today’s Big Winners — The Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves won their 13th game in a row last night. That’s not a typo. Thirteen straight. They have the most wins in the majors. And if you aren’t a Braves fan, odds are you had no idea.
With all the A-Rod and Ryan Braun and Biogenesis talk you can be excused, of course. But it’s time you knew: Atlanta has the best baseball team in the majors right now.
Atlanta Braves GM Frank Wren’s Apology to Washington Nationals Wasn’t Necessary
Atlanta GM Frank Wren was among those who were surprised at the tweet, telling Mark Bowman of MLB.com on Wednesday that…
"I think it was simply an inappropriate attempt at humor from our social media department. It doesn’t reflect how we feel or how we want to do business or who we are. You shouldn’t be directing anything unless it’s positive or uplifting to another team or an opponent. I think that is plain and simple."
While Mr. Wren and I will have to agree to disagree. I certainly respect the fact that he maintained a high level of class with his comments towards the Nationals.
You see, given Harper’s history of making, well, “clown moves,” I had absolutely no problem with the Braves’ social media department choosing to direct a message towards the 20-year-old star. To be honest, I think he had it coming for a while.