I expected the Braves to win at least three of the four games. Oh well.
Atlanta split the four-game series with the Pirates and logged 22 innings from the bullpen, 21 of them scoreless. Cristhian Martinez definitely earned his paycheck; he was awesome in the six innings he kept the Pirates off the scoreboard.
However, I think that pales in comparison to the game-winning RBI by, of all people, Scott Proctor and his priceless faceplant. That probably bought him another week on the roster. As for the play at the plate, I'm glad the call went our way. I'm not sure if instant replay would've confirmed it or not.
Freddie Freeman and Dan Uggla continue to rake. Both of them extended their hitting streaks, Freeman to 12 games and Uggla to 18. Freddie raised his average to .292 and Uggla finally raised his over .200 to .205. Dan was hitting some pop-ups again, though. He doesn't need to be doing that.
Brian McCann strained an oblique muscle in the 19-inning game Tuesday and was placed on the 15-day DL. Not having him definitely hurts, but we have a super backup in David Ross, so the Braves shouldn't miss a beat.
The Braves had 49 hits in the series, but only seven of them came with RISP and they left 49 runners on base. Either that's a testament to how good the Pirates' pitching was or to how much the bats were made of epic fail; maybe even a little of both. I also find it amazing that the only home run the Braves hit was by a one-legged man. The home run was one of only eight extra-base hits in the series.
Alex Gonzalez had two hits in each of the last two games of the series. Give it a moment to let that sink in. What's even more amazing is that Scott Proctor didn't allow a run.
And if I never hear "LET'S GO PIRATES!!!" again, it'll be too soon.
We also need more rally cups.