Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Anyone who has watched the Atlanta Braves for longer than a few seasons knows by now that nothing comes easy for this franchise. Other teams might cruise into the postseason once every now and then but it almost never happens for the Braves. Even when they go into the MLB Playoffs with a huge lead, they would go in flat with almost no showing in the first round. All of that should make a veteran Braves fan simply shake his or her head at the broken jaw suffered by Jason Heyward. The potential Brandon Beachy injury is the same thing. Perhaps this season will turn out even better because of the bad fortune of late.
I’m not sure if I really believe in anything like karma. I’ll say this without pause though. When the Braves reeled off a 14 game winning streak earlier this summer, I was praying for it to end soon so the bad luck and slumpy play could get over before the end of the season. That’s the truth. Here we have a season where even after the Braves lost their second baseman, ace starting pitcher, a few key bench players and two of the world’s best relief pitchers, they still have a huge lead and they still go on a winning streak? Come on now.
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So in that way of viewing things, the Heyward injury makes sense in a way. Of course something bad had to happen. The Braves might even get swept in the St. Louis Cardinals series. It could very easily happen. Everyone would begin to say they were finished and the Washington Nationals would begin once again to insanely think they actually have a chance. Would it really be so bad to lose as many as eight of ten games?
The Nats would never win all their games over that stretch so the lead would still very likely be double digits. If not double it would be close. The Braves would find a way to develop an even scrappier way to score runs and win baseball games. Then Heyward would come back ready and smelling playoff baseball without missing a beat. Beachy would find out he just needed some more scar tissue to break loose and he would be ready to go as well. Then they could cruise through the playoffs because they have already gone through enough this year and win the World Series without any player having to make the entire fan base angry like the last time they won it all. Hey don’t laugh too hard. This is the Braves, anything could happen.
David Miller is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
