Braves Bid Bobby (Good)Bye

The drought is over for the celebratory champions of the National League West. The Giants won their first playoff series in eight seasons Monday after defeating the Braves in Bobby Cox’s last game as Atlanta’s skipper. Cox announced he would be retiring at the end of the 2010 season earlier in the year. Last night, the manager was hoping his legacy would last another day in the best-of-five series with San Francisco. The series was tense right up until the final out. Every game of the NLDS was decided by one run, culminating with the Giants’ 3-2 victory in Game 4 at Turner Field. The Braves were plagued by miscues during the thrilling series and couldn’t find a way to beat some of the league’s best pitchers in the post-season.
Derek Lowe pitched hitless baseball for the Braves through six solid innings. Lowe was pitching on just three days’ rest but showed no signs of sluggishness. He destroyed San Francisco hitters, fanning eight total batters. Depleted with injuries to standout players, Atlanta was unable extend Cox’s career however. It was the West coast Giants that quieted a packed stadium on the East coast. The Giants did just enough to advance to face the Phillies in the conference championship. After trailing 1-0 in the sixth, San Francisco tied the game when Cody Ross pasted a homerun off Lowe. The Braves plated a run in the bottom of the sixth to retake a one run lead. Brian McCann homered off second year hurler, Madison Bumgarner. The Giants’ flamethrower went six innings and allowed six hits. He struck out five and walked one batter during his post-season debut. Giants starters have stupefied the opposition, allowing just three earned runs during the NLDS’s 29 innings.
The Braves had their chances. They stranded nine men on base and were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. The Giants overcame the Braves’ one run lead for the second time with Ross’ hitting heroics in the seventh. The 29 year old outfielder drove in the winning run on a punch to left field. Buster Posey scored on the base hit off Atlanta’s Jonny Venters. The Giants were helped by Atlanta errors for the third time in their three victories. Shortstop, Alex Gonzalez, was the guilty party for the Braves on Monday night. Gonzalez’s costly blunder in the decisive seventh allowed the tying run to score. Aided by shaky Atlanta defense and reliable relief pitching, San Francisco shut down the home team and seized the series. Santiago Casilla, Javier Lopez and Brian Wilson combined to slam the door on the Braves’ promising season in Cox’s final game.

Parting Points: I’m disappointed in Favre’s behavior and the fact that the Jets are 4-1.