2011 Atlanta Braves: The Atlanta Braves Have Shown Up Just in Time

The Atlanta Braves have arrived. 

After their depressing loss to the Dodgers, things did not look good. The offense could not score and the pitching was starting to decline. 

However, San Francisco was the remedy for the struggling Braves. They completely dominated the series, winning each game by a three-run margin. 

The pitching was spot on except for the final game. The offense did exactly what it was supposed to do, and the defense continued to be excellent.

The Braves rode into San Diego on quite a high. The first game, however, did not go as planned.

Derek Lowe pitched a fine game, allowing only two runs in six innings, but the vaunted bullpen allowed three runs and lost the game for the Braves. Just like many games this year, the Braves lost a close game.

Fortunately for them, the next two games were a breeze. 

Jair Jurrjens looked like the Jurrjens of 2009, in which he had a 2.60 ERA. He pitched his first complete game and the offense scored eight runs. 

On Wednesday the team was even more dominant. Tommy Hanson threw a gem, striking out 10 and shutting out the Padres. Chipper Jones and the rest of the crew backed up the pitching with seven runs, even if five of them came after a two-out error made by Brad Hawpe.

These recent developments have shown that the Braves are alive and well and not an overrated team that won't make the playoffs.

Their offense has finally shown its true colors, scoring an average of six runs in these past six games. Their pitching hasn't been much different than it was in the previous 20 games, allowing only an average of 2.67 runs a game. 

Is this series a sign of things to come? I believe it is.

Last year the Braves went on a long road trip out West that showed the Braves mettle. They eventually made it to the playoffs, even after having an April in which they had a record of 9-14.

We all know what the Braves' offense and pitching is capable of, and these past two series proved it. If you look into the numbers, you can also see why.

Atlanta leads all of the majors in batting average (.331), OBP (.408), with runners in scoring position as well as the NL in OPS (.895) and slugging percentage (.487).

They also are tied for second in the NL for HRs with 27, even though they are eighth in runs scored.

Much to the surprise of most, the Braves pitching rotation leads the NL in ERA, better than the Phillies' and the Giants' rotations. Their entire pitching staff is ranked fifth in the Majors in ERA, only below Oakland, the Angels, San Diego and Florida.

What really is somewhat shocking is the fact that none of the Braves' starting pitchers have an ERA over four. In fact, the highest ERA is 3.68, which belongs to Brandon Beachy.

Finally, I believe that this entire month has put all of the fears about the Braves' defense to rest. No loss has been a result of an error and the Braves are tied with two other teams for the least amount of unearned runs allowed, with three. 

Right now those stats have resulted in only a .500 record, showing that the Braves have lost some tough games. Their run differential is +22, which is only two less than the Phillies', who are four games in front of the Braves.

The offense has started hitting, and the pitching has continued to be dominant. If this continues, then the Braves are in for a great season. 

Results like these are not guaranteed in the future, but I think that there will be a whole lot more series like the last two. The Braves have the players and they have started to breakout.

The Atlanta Braves have arrived.