Braves Show They Can Beat Good Teams and Win Close Games

The Atlanta Braves have already shown this season what they couldn’t show last season: They can win close games and beat good teams. The past season was unbearable to watch because the Braves lost so many 1-run games.

But this year the Braves are winning 1-run games, they are beating good teams in close games and they are getting hits at opportune times. The record may not be great, but there’s something alive with this team.

We know Jason Heyward is good. In fact, Heyward may become the best player in baseball if he could improve his play in the outfield. He has quickly become the leader of this team and he will respectably usher out Chipper Jones, who has been the captain of this team in similar fashion; Chipper came out of the gates strong and only injury and age has slowed him. God forbid, players decline. Thank you, Chipper, for all of you have done for the Braves.

Last night’s win against the division-leading Cincinnati Reds, the Braves blew a lead only to have Jason Heyward win it back with a slice to right field, driving in Martin Prado from first base. Prado, who has been another unsung hero on this team, has been a solid replacement to Kelly Johnson, who is blowing it up in Arizona.

What can you say about these Braves other than they are doing what they couldn’t do last year. That’s nice, but this team needs to have a long winning streak to put them in position to return to the playoffs and do some damage. There’s a bunch of no-namers on this team to those guys who aren’t fans, but there’s a lot of heart, too.