Atlanta Braves drop advantage in Wild Card standings – MLB News
Atlanta Braves lost 5-6 against Florida Marlins on Monday, September 19 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida to see their Wild Card lead diminish to 2.5 games with just eight games left in the regular season.
St. Louis Cardinals, on the contrary, have experienced a boost in their form to inch closer to a postseason berth, a feat which 14 days ago no one would have envisaged. Braves were 8.5 games ahead on September 5 but have since dropped nine games to see their
advantage weaken.
Jair Jurrjens ouster from the rotation due to injury was cited as a major reason for this dip in form but Craig Kimbrel’s dismal performance against Marlins suggested otherwise. Kimbrel has been the most vigilant closer this season but Omar Infante’s two-run
homer in the last inning handed him his third loss of the season and allowed the Marlins to transform a one-run deficit to a one-run lead and seal the game.
Expressing his emotions after the game, Kimbrel said, "Anytime you don't get your job done, of course you're frustrated."
Braves are expecting Tommy Hanson and Kris Medlen to make a comeback in-time for the postseason, but they will now have to secure their qualification before aiming for the pennant.
Mike Minor has been a major concern for Atlanta’s bull-pen lately and a lifeless start against Florida have raised questions on his place in the rotation. If he continues with this lacklustre showing, it is highly likely that he will lose-out on his position
for the next season, especially with Jurrjens, Medlen and Hanson expected to be in full swing by that time.
The most probing performance, however, was of Kimbrel, who conceded his second home-run in as many games to expose his vulnerability under pressure. Before this, Kimbrel had allowed only one home-run all through the season and a sudden dip in form has raised
many eyebrows.
Currently on 44 saves for the season, Kimbrel was in-line to bag a league-leading 45th save, but an error by Chipper Jones disallowed the rookie to achieve that feat. Jones, commenting on his error said, "When you play baseball in a football stadium
that can happen from time to time."
The Braves will seriously need to work their way through the remaining games to secure a postseason spot which, otherwise, the Cardinals are likely to grapple.
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