Dan Uggla shines as Atlanta Braves defeat Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 - Part 2
In the regular season series finale, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves had equal chances of winning the match given that both teams had previously won one game each.
The entire outcome of the game was changed by a single home-run in the eighth inning by Dan Uggla of the Braves. The home-run proved to be fatal for the Phillies, but for the Braves, it was what helped them win the previously tied match.
The Braves ended defeating the Phillies with a 3-2 score. This win also meant the series victory for the Braves.
Uggla was truly the force behind Atlanta’s win as the homer wasn’t his only contributing run of the game. All the runs that were put up by the Braves on the scoreboard were by Uggla. He had previously been considered hot and cold and was seen to be inconsistent
at times.
He agreed with the criticism he’s been subjected to by saying, "You see how bad I've been scuffling so far this year, it feels good to be able to feel like you contributed." He continued by saying, "It just helps you feel more a part of the team, I already
do. The guys have made me feel welcome. Even so, you still want to do your part."
While Uggla’s effort was praise worthy, the fact that he gave such a performance against pitcher par excellence Roy Halladay, is what make this even more special. Halladay is one of the best pitchers in baseball currently. He is famously known for being
consistent and never letting any extra hits or runs pass him by experienced veterans, so the fact that Uggla who is in the early stages of his career got to win a game against him is truly shocking.
Halladay has been having a rough time lately given that this is his sixth back-to-back loss since the 2009 season. For any other pitcher having six losses would not be so devastating, but for a pitcher with the abilities and calibre of Halladay, it is worrying.
It seems that every time he has a successful time pitching for the Phillies, the team is unable to provide any run support to him.
The blame of the loss should not go entirely to Halladay, as the Phillies’ offense let him down once again. Although Philadelphia’s offence is nothing to rave about, they have continuously failed to support the team when Halladay or Cliff Lee is the pitcher
on the mound.
It will be interesting to see how the Braves manage to carry their winning momentum forward into their next match-up. The Phillies put in a good performance, but it was not enough to contain the Braves’ offence.
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