Despite Fredi Gonzalez's inexcusable decision to leave Jairo Asencio on the mound to give away the Braves hard-earned 5-2 lead, the Braves overcame with Dan Uggla's home run (what else does he do besides strikeout and hit home runs?) and Nate McLouth's brilliant at-bat in the 10th to sweep the defending world champs.
All is right in Atlanta.
Jason Heyward's one-game benching has him looking much, much better at the plate. In fact, the Braves looked more relaxed all weekend. Maybe the 162-game season has finally sunk in (like it has in Boston & Tampa, for example) and the realization that every at-bat isn't pressure filled. Dan Uggla still looks like he is pressing, but guys like McLouth, Freeman and Heyward look, to my eyes, to be settling in.
The pitching on this team is going to keep Atlanta in games all year. Brandon Beachy looks good which means the staff right is great (Hudson), really good (Lowe, Jurrjens, Hanson) and good (Beachy). That is better than every team in the N.L. outside of Philadelphia. The bullpen, even without Peter Moylan, is really good. Despite Kimbrel's blown save and Asencio's terrible outing yesterday, the pen is an asset. It might be the best bullpen in baseball.
If this line-up hits with any consistency, this early start will be a forgotten thing (much like last year's losing streak). With the weak-hitting Padres up next, the Braves have a chance to salvage this road trip and the month of April.
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