Atlanta Braves Morning Chop – The Playoff Races vs. Weather
Oct 2, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Daniel Castro (11) follows the flight of his home run hit against the St. Louis Cardinals during the third inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Friday Night at the old ballyard…83 games remaining at Turner Field… and the Atlanta Braves got a great finish from Julio Teheran, scattering 5 hits over 6 innings for a 4-0 victory over a Cardinals’ team tuning up for a playoff run.
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Teheran struck out six and walked one, though he wasn’t terribly efficient last night: 97 pitches thrown. Additionally, 4 of those 5 hits went for doubles, which was a bit odd.
Regardless, he got the natters he needed to get to shut down the Cardinals’ offense, and four relievers did likewise: yielding 3 walks, but no hits or runs. Arodys Vizcaino would have earned another save except for the the fact that a Daniel Castro triple led to 2 runs in the 8th inning – boosting that lead over the proscribed 3 run limit.
It was Castro who was the unlikely offensive hero. A 3-for-5 night left him just a double short of a cycle. Almost immediately after Joe Simpson mentioned something about St. Louis starter Jaime Garcia keeping batters from elevating the ball, Castro did just that: golfing a fence-scraper into the left field corner’s 1st row… if it even got that far… for his second career homer.
That might have rattled Garcia, as Nick Markakis, Adonis Garcia, and that ageless wonder A.J. Pierzynski followed with single, single, and double to make it 2-0 in that 3rd inning. Alas, the rally was then snuffed with a strikeout and flyout by Cameron Maybin and Nick Swisher, respectively.
Still: it’s another win for the Braves who continue to rally a bit down the stretch. They’ve taken 2 of 3 from the Mets and Nationals, swept the Phillies, and only and oh-fer in Miami puts a blemish over the past couple of weeks (7-5 overall).
The Cards fell to 14-14 since September 1st, but still seem like a team that can turn it on or off on a whim. Hopefully tonight will be “off” again… Shelby Miller finishes the string for the Braves tonight vs. John Lackey.
Next: The White Flag is in the Air!