It's a Heartbreaker : Eithier Continues to Destroy The Braves

Is it possible for one man to single-handedly destroy a team's playoff hopes? Andre Eithier is certainly making it seem that way.

This season in four games against the Atlanta Braves, Andre Eithier, the Dodgers right fielder has hit over .400 with four home runs and 12 RBI. He has come up with all the clutch hits to destroy the Braves this season. In the earlier series just a week ago, Andre Either broke the game open with a grand slam in the sixth inning against the Braves, and in all the other games including this one, he has hit a clutch homerun. None more clutch than tonight.

The Braves had lead the entire game tonight when in the seventh inning, Either came up with two men on and two men out. I was worried because I know Eithier has raked against the Braves that season. When Peter Moylan stuck out Eithier and Manny Ramirez, I felt like we had this in the bag with Gonzalez then Soriano to finish the game and get the last six outs.

Boy, was I wrong.

Moylan ended up staying in and got the job done with a 1-2-3 inning and then Rafael Soriano, the normally lights out closer for the Atlanta Braves, came in and let the first two men on in the inning. With runners on third and first, Andre Eithier came up. Soriano was working around  him to a 2-0 count. Eithier then saw a fastball that left to much to be desired with two strikes and hit a line shot into the right-field seats.

With what Andre Eithier has done to the Braves, I have asked myself the question: Can one man single-handedly sabotage a team's playoff hopes? Well unless the Braves hit a massive winning streak or comeback to take the series, I think Andre Eithier just might have ruined the Braves playoff hopes.

If we're lucky, the Braves don't lose hope and start a losing streak, but that just might be to come.

Right now, for the Braves, the mission is simple, stop Andre Eithier and keep gaining ground in the wild card and on the Phillies. That won't happen if this one Andre Eithier home run shifted the momentum on the last two months of the Braves' season.