Another chance at a sweep went up in smoke, but the Braves still won two of three against the Mets at Citi Field. Atlanta got three more stellar performances out of its starting pitching, allowing a total of three earned runs in the series.
Aaron Harang continued to amaze, keeping the Mets hitless for seven innings despite six walks. While I would've liked to see a no-hitter, getting the win was more important and I thought Fredi pulling Harang was a wise decision.
Ditto for Ervin Santana, who held the Mets to one run in seven innings, allowing the Braves to beat Bartolo Colon for the first time in five starts against them. Santana now has a 6/1 K/BB ratio in three starts for the Braves.
David Hale made a strong case to stay in the rotation, but that seems highly unlikely at this point. He gave up three runs (two earned) in six innings and struck out five in the series finale. That should've been enough to win, but once again, the ineptitude of Dan Uggla's glove hurt the Braves' chances. All three Braves errors in the game resulted in Mets runs, but Uggla, who's never been known as a defensive whiz, was responsible for two of those errors. I now find myself holding my breath every time a ball is hit in the general direction of second base.
While the starting pitching was good, the bullpen continued to be a source of concern which is a stark contrast from its dominance last year. Braves relievers have now given up a run in nine of their last 10 games. Craig Kimbrel, who hadn't been pulled mid-inning since 2011, allowed three hits and two runs in his first game back from a sore shoulder on Saturday. I doubt his outing was any cause for concern; his velocity was good and said after the game his shoulder felt "too good".
B.J. Upton has reached base in 11 straight games and has a five-game hitting streak. He had four hits and scored four runs in the series.
Jason Heyward had three hits in the series finale. He entered the series hitting .141, and his last multi-hit game was April 9, also against the Mets, so hopefully this three-hit game will get Heyward back on track. We all know what he's capable of, and it's scary to think that the Braves have been winning largely without his bat.
Freddie Freeman: 6-14, 3 doubles, 1 HR, 4 RBI. He has at least one hit in 15 of 18 games this year.