Braves swept in 3 by Marlins
The Good: The regulars got a few days of rest and these losses were meaningless. … Bobby Cox was able to audition a number of pitchers for postseason spots and, with 2 solid innings during the series, my bet is on 22-year old rookie Joey Devine to make the roster. Blaine Boyer, Macay McBride and Kyle Davies got lit up during the series and none of them should get the nod over him in my opinion. We don’t have much to go on other than his sparkling minor league and college record, but I have a gut feeling he’s just what’s needed to shut down the Astros in the late innings and rejuvenate the Braves’ lifeless bullpen. … Horacio Ramirez was sharp in his last tune-up for the postseason, allowing 1 run on 5 hits in 5 innings. He struck out 4 and walked 1. He likely will be the first left-handed pitcher out of the bullpen in the NLDS. … The Braves finished with a 90-72 record for the season.
The Bad: Marcus Giles was 1-for-7 in the series. … Jeff Francoeur continued his recent slide, going 1-for-9 in the set. He finished the year at .300. … Dan Kolb gave up 2 runs, 1 earned, in 1/3 of an inning. He has no business being on the Richmond Braves roster, much less Atlanta’s postseason roster! Bobby Cox better leave him off the roster even if it picking the inexperienced Chuck James to fill the spot.
The Ugly: Blaine Boyer was the stalwart of the Braves’ bullpen in August when he didn’t allow a run in13 1/3 innings. Injury and ineffectiveness plagued him down the stretch and now it looks like he’ll be watching from the sidelines for at least the first round of the playoffs. He gave up 3 earned runs on 3 hits and 1 walk Sunday without retiring a batter. That was not the kind of performance Braves’ management was looking for to assure themselves the shoulder sprain he sustained last Monday would not be a limiting factor in the playoffs.
