Talking Chop

That was a nice little series. Hitting, pitching and fielding: the Braves did it all against the Pirates. Let's get right into the Good, Bad and Ugly.

The Good:

1. The bullpen - 7.1IP  3H  2ER  2BB/12K; I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'd put our bullpen up against any 'pen in the league. Saito and Wagner have been filthy in the 8th and 9th inning and Moylan, EOF and Venters have all been excellent in middle relief. 

2. Jason Heyward - An early HR in game 2 and a huge 2-out, 2-run triple in Sunday's game essentially clinched it for the Bravos. He went 6-for-13 and it seemed like every inning he was making an impact on the game.

3. Martin Prado - If this guy doesn't make the All Star team, I'm gonna go nuts. EVERYONE VOTE!

4. Kenshin Kawakami - Poor KK. He was great on Sunday afternoon and he would've gotten the win if it wasn't for a bad call by the 3rd base umpire. But as everyone knows, KK doesn't win and he's not a good pitcher.

5. David Ross - I'm not too sure where the Braves would be without Rossy behind the plate. His defense is unquestionably better than McCann's and while he certainly isn't BMac at the plate, he can certainly hold his own. He had a huge 3-run double in Game 2 which gave Medlen a nice cushion as well.

6. Troy Glaus - Funny how this guy was constantly being booed in April and now it seems like he's driving guys in every night. POWAH has been great for the Braves in 2010 and he was just as good in the Pirates series.

7. Derek Lowe - 7 strong innings of 1-run baseball was a nice surprise on Saturday night. Keep it up.

8. The fans at Turner Field! - Crowds of 23,442 on an ugly Friday night, 29,134 on Saturday and 31,078 on Sunday afternoon against any team is impressive. But the Pirates? That's down right awesome. Keep it up. And if you're in the area, you gotta go support this team at The Ted whenever you can.

9. Andrew McCutchen - I know he's on the Pirates, but the dude is a joy to watch. I know he'll probably be a Pirate for at least a few more years until his salary gets above 3 million dollars, but I'd be ecstatic if the Braves somehow got him.

The Bad:

1. Nate McLouth - Yeah, I don't need to explain this one.

2. Yunel Escobar - I know he's starting to hit a bit better, but he leaves so many runners on base...it's ridiculous.

The Ugly:

1. The Rain - Go away. I hate rain delays. I say TC starts up a retractable roof fund for Turner Field. I know I'd be willing to donate.

2. Umpires - More specifically, Chris Guccione. How is he going to make a call from 100 feet away that the home plate umpire, who's 3 feet away, doesn't make? I don't get it. 

3. Hitting with RISP - I know the Braves got the big hit when they really needed it, but there's no excuse for hitting 12-for-43. And if you take away Friday night's game, the Braves were 5-for-25 on Saturday and Sunday. This has to improve.

That's about it. The 3-game sweeps are always easy to write because it's all good (for the most part). Let's all hope the Braves keep it going against the Phillies. And if for some reason we don't win the series, please don't freak out. This team lost 9 in a row earlier this month and we're now 1/2 a game back. This is a resilient bunch and I really feel they can come back from anything.

GO BRAVES!