A few disjointed thoughts on the Braves' weekend in Philly:
1. The rainout on Saturday was providential. The fewer games the team plays with Andruw and Chipper out of the lineup, the better. Plus, if the Phils do indeed offload a chunk of their team before next Monday, then an extra game against them in September would be wonderful.
2. Horacio looked very good last night. He was hitting the corners with movement. The Phils got ten hits off of him, but they were mostly dribbly singles. Chase Utley was the only Phil to get an extra base hit off of Ramirez. The Phils' only run came when they strung a few singles together and then Mike Lieberthal hit a ball too softly to allow the Braves to turn two. Horacio has now allowed four homers in 62.1 innings this year, a slight contrast to last year when he allowed 31 homers in 202.1 innings.
2a. Also, kudos to ESPN for the graphics they use on Sunday night games for pitch locations. It's a treat to watch the Braves with that added bonus.
3. Leo Mazzone would be so proud of Bob Wickman. Last night, just about every pitch was down and away.
4. Francoeur was big last night, both because of the bat (three-run homer in the 9th to salt the game away) and the glove (huge throw to nab Bobby Abreu at second to lead off the bottom of the 8th).
5. Let's hope that Friday night was not a sign that the Ken Ray Summer of Love is about to end. It would suck if the Braves finally acquired some bullpen help and then the one reliable reliever from the first half of the year loses it.
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