Atlanta Braves edge past St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 as Craig Kimbrel shows control in ninth - MLB
Relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel keeps the St. Louis Cardinals at bay in the ninth as the Atlanta Braves win 5-4 at Turner Field, Atlanta, Georgia, on May 29, 2012 in second game of the three match series.
Kimbrel came to save a one run lead, during crucial stage of the game. He immediately grabbed two strike-outs and kept the Cardinals quiet.
Three-run homer by Dan Uggla in third supplied bulk of the Braves' dominance in the game. As soon as four runs lead was registered at the start, game turned to the Braves' favour heavily.
Afterwards, a little rough up by their starter Randall Delgado apart, relievers were impeccable and did help the Braves in protecting the lead.
Delgado has yet to master the art of keeping control while throwing prolonged spell of innings. Little more than five innings he threw were not as bad as three runs he gave up may suggest.
He was going perfect from the start, but come fourth and his torture will begin. He started conceding singles without accounting for base-runners in his throws. He gave up six hits and allowed three walks.
Catcher Brian McCann was hitless for once more time. He missed out number of games owing to illness, a week ago. For the time he sat out, the Braves’ offence struggled for hits. His entry however has made little difference as he is wasting at-bats frequently.
Second baseman Dan Uggla was star performer for the Braves. He contributed three RBIs and drew two walks.
Helping the Braves snap eight-game losing streak did come as a great relief to Uggla. After shredding the jinx, he thinks that the Braves will have a chance to win games and build up winning streaks.
"Everyone knows how bad we've been scuffling," Uggla said. "When you get that first one, it eases the tension, eases the pressure. We know what it feels like to win again. It was obviously a big night for us."
Uggla is confident that the Braves are going to re-start their expedition and restore dominance in National League East Division they enjoyed at the start.
"This is not an indication of what's going to happen the next day or the next week or the next month," Uggla said. "But it definitely snaps the feeling of, 'Aww, man, are we ever going to win again?'"
Without third-baseman Chipper Jones, the Braves were weakening. Victory will go a long way in boosting their confidence for upcoming games.
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