That was probably the worst series of the year. I know we've been swept before and I know we had the 9-game losing streak, but with the way this team has been playing lately, it really stung. Here are the recaps to each of the games. Read them at your own risk:
Game 1 Recap
Game 2 Recap
Game 3 Recap
Like I said, none of them are very pretty. Now onto the recap.
The Good:
1. Derek Lowe - Derek Lowe was excellent in Game 3 and should've gotten the win. He threw 7 shutout innings and to be honest, it was arguably his best start of the season. He also came up big when the situation required it. He got out of two bases loaded jams, including a 4-6-3 double play in the 7th inning.
2. Jesse Chavez - Thank you for saving the bullpen. TC's favorite relief pitcher was subject of a ton of criticism lately, but he pitched his heart out on Tuesday. The best part? He threw only 55 pitches in 4 and 1/3 innings. 40 were strikes.
3. Melky Cabrera - The MVP strikes again. He was the only consistent hitter in Chicago and hit .400. Well done, Melk Man.
4. The Defense - Besides the weird "ball inside of Conrad's jersey" play, the defense was very good in the Windy City. Keep it up, guys.
The Bad:
1. Our Offense Against Lefties - When you try to pull every pitch on the outside corner, you're not going to get much done.
2. Jason Heyward - 1-for-12, 3K, 1RBI; Sweet.
3. The Umpiring in Game 3 - Anything within 6 inches of the plate was a strike. That pretty much sums it up.
The Ugly:
1. The White Sox Announcers - Officially the worst in baseball. Oh my goodness. They're pathetic.
2. Tommy Hanson - 3.2IP, 13H, 9ER, 1BB, 0K; Haha.
3. The Offense in Games 2 and 3 - 2 runs in 18 innings, and to be honest, it didn't even look like the Braves wanted to play.
4. Takahi Saito - I have a great idea! Let's throw the AL's 2nd best HR hitter a flat, 92mph fastball down the middle of the plate with 1st base open. That should work well.
5. The White Sox Announcers - Yep. Two times for awfulness.
Upcoming Series:
The Braves kick off a 9-game home stand with the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers come in struggling a bit and the Braves are awesome at home, so hopefully we can take at least 2 out of 3.
If you're in the area, go watch this team. After all, they're basically the best team in the NL.
GO BRAVES!