Road Warrior Atlanta Braves Sweep World Champs; Chipper Jones Honored
On paper, past history and the pitching match-ups didn’t favor the Atlanta Braves (22-13) in their three-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals (20-14) this past weekend, but as they say, that’s why they play the games. The Braves won three straight games against the Cardinals, sweeping a series in St. Louis for the first time since 2009. The sweep also helped move the Braves into sole possession of first place in the National League East.
The Braves have become the consummate road warriors this season with a 14-8 record away from Turner Field – including 7-2 on the most recent road trip – tops in the National League. The series sweep in St. Louis was a huge confidence boost for Atlanta, as they had lost their last seven games at Busch Stadium.
The Braves also managed to spoil one celebration – the retiring of former manager Tony LaRussa‘s number 10 – and, took part in another one, as the Cardinals honored Atlanta third baseman Chipper Jones prior to his final regular season game in St. Louis, giving him a framed photograph of himself and a Cardinals jersey signed by Hall of Famer Stan Musial. The Cardinals fans also honored Jones with standing ovations during his first at-bat of each game in the series. The Braves were honored to be a part of LaRussa’s night, in particular Chipper Jones. “Who wouldn’t want to be a part of something special like that?” Jones said. “I try to never miss occasions such as this.”
During his speech prior to Friday’s game, LaRussa paid tribute to the Braves organization saying he hoped to see the two teams meeting in the playoffs this season. Based on what we’ve seen of the two teams so far, LaRussa may very well get his wish. The Braves and Cardinals rank first and second in the National League in runs scored respectively, and both of them feature strong pitching rotations and bullpens.
The Braves now return home for a quick four-game home stand – two against the Cincinnati Reds (17-16) and two against the Miami Marlins (18-16) – before hitting the road again to take on the Tampa Bay Rays (21-14)
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