The Atlanta Braves finally won in grand fashion on Thursday, earning guaranteed home field advantage in the NLDS. This is good news for the Braves since they play so well at home. With a 94=65 record, the Braves also tied the St. Louis Cardinals for the best record in the league. Things are once again looking good in Atlanta.
Their pitching was pretty good on Thursday, but with seven runs in the first two innings, the Braves immediately trumped the Philadelphia Phillies. Jason Heyward's presence in the lineup makes the Braves deadly, especially at the leadoff spot. He went 5-5 with a home run, three doubles and a single, finishing with 11 total bases on Thursday.
David Haley, the now 26-year-old righty, gave himself an early birthday present yesterday with a win over the Phillies. He went six innings, allowed one earned run on seven hits and struck out five. So far in his brief major league career, Hale has a 14 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio. He has also only allowed one earned run in 11 innings pitched.
How does the playoff schedule breakdown? Well it all depends on where the Braves finish their season.
Atlanta, though tied with the Cardinals in the race for home field advantage, has the edge since they own the tiebreak. If they finish on top of the N.L., the Braves will open series in Atlanta through the N.L. Championship Series. If they finish second, which would require the Cardinals winning one more game than the Braves over the weekend, the Braves will host the Los Angeles Dodgers in Games 1,2 and 5, if necessary.
The NLDS will begin on Thursday, Oct. 3. The action can be viewed in a familiar station to the Braves, TBS.
