The Team That Simply Will Not Die: The 2009 Atlanta Braves

The 2009 Atlanta Braves live to die another day.

Throw whatever James Bond cliche you can at the Braves, this team is still very much alive in both the wild card and division races.

Last Friday it appeared all hope was lost for Atlanta. After dropping series to Florida, Los Angeles, losing a game to San Diego, and dropping the four game opener to Los Angeles, Atlanta was 7 1/2 games behind a red hot Phillies team.

Friday's game in the fifth inning seemed to be the final death knell for this beleaguered team. A controversial call by home plate umpire Eric Cooper led to a three run bomb by Casey Blake of the Dodgers which ran the score up to 5-2 in their favor. All seemed lost.

But then, miraculously, the Braves battled back to win in extra innings. The momentum shifted and Atlanta refused to waiver, taking the next two games awarding them the series win at 3-1. All the while when the Phillies stalled out, losing three straight. Atlanta is now 4 1/2 games behind Philadelphia. The Bravos are refusing to go quietly into the good night.

What is the cause of this turn around? The answer is simple: a complete overhaul of their lineup.

At the beginning of the season Atlanta's main lineup was as follows: Kelly Johnson, Yunel Escobar, Chipper Jones, Brian McCann, Garrett Anderson/Matt Diaz, Casey Kotchman, Jeff Francoeur, and Jordan Schafer.

Now after the trade deadline the lineup is now: Nate McClouth, Martin Prado, Chipper Jones, Brian McCann, Garrett Anderson, Yunel Escobar, Adam LaRoche, and Ryan Church/Matt Diaz.

Four players have either been removed or traded away. Half of the lineup is new and this new lineup is clicking and firing on all cylinders. The Braves' average for the first half was .264; this month they are hitting for a .274 average. 

Key players for the turn around have been Martin Prado, Yunel Escobar, newcomers Ryan Church and Adam LaRoche. Also a revamped Kelly Johnson was instrumental in the series against the Dodgers.

Braves pitching with leaders such as Derek Lowe and Javier Vazquez have also been great in the stretch. Atlanta is third in the league in ERA with a 3.73 and only the Giants and Dodgers are better with 3.49 and 3.66 ERA's respectively.

All things are looking up for the Braves as well. With 50 games left in the season Atlanta has 28 of those games at home. Furthermore 37 of those games (21 at home) are within the division, more than any other team in the NL East. Having the most in house division games will either make or break the Braves. As they stand the Braves are 20-15 in the NL East.

The next two upcoming series will be pivotal for the Braves' chances. Starting today is a two game series against the Nationals and a three game series against the Phillies.

If Atlanta wants to have a shot for the division, they must play the Marlins and the Nationals better. Atlanta has kept the Phillies in check beating them 7-2 so far and with the Mets in the infirmary they can win against them. The Braves' record against the Nationals is 5-4 and against the Marlins is 3-5.

If Atlanta wants to play October baseball they have to win series from here on out, especially against the Phillies, Marlins, and Nationals.

The Braves will also have Omar Infante and hurler Tim Hudson coming back soon. Both players will no doubt have huge impacts on the team when they return from their injuries.

But this team is far from out of it which seems impossible given the nature of Atlanta's up and down season. This year the team's back and forth play has toyed on most Braves' fans emotions worse than their boyfriends or girlfriends. Through thick and thin this team is still right there and if they make the playoffs, it will be one of the best comebacks since the race to the playoffs in 1991. That year the Braves made it to the world series.

The 2009 Braves are poised and now have what they need to make a run. If and when they get there, this team has what it takes to make it to the fall classic because of their pitching.

All they need to do now is make the playoffs.