The Atlanta Braves sweep brooms are growing cobwebs in the closet, but they should be satisfied with emerging from two long series with non-losing splits.
Both series were against teams that at least on paper the Braves should had no problems dominating, and in a few games, they did offensively. The Braves pounded the New York Mets in the first three games, scoring 33 runs, 27 of those on the same day, last Saturday. The Braves could have swept the Mets, except that Sunday’s pitcher Yonny Chirinos (5.22 ERA) couldn’t hold back the Mets offense in the 5th inning, giving up 5 runs. Even the Braves’ hot bats couldn’t salvage that game, losing 6-7.
The Pittsburgh Pirates is a team the Braves would rather have had more success against, considering the earlier’s pitiful 53-65 WL record against the Braves 75-42. The Braves split that series in half.
The Braves are about to conclude a long string of games without a single day off. They played an uninterrupted 10 days on the road. They will head home to face the New York Yankees, who are last place in the NL East. But this .508% winning average team can still be a tough adversary.
Moreover, the Braves could be forced to play this three-game series without the services of Ozzie Albies, who was removed from Sunday’s Mets game due to cramping in his left hamstring. No word as of writing if Albies is cleared to play Monday.
