| Douglas Benton. 6th October, 2005 - 1:32 am
 In what proved to be a disappointing beginning for the Braves this postseason, Atlanta droppoed game one of their series with the Astros 10-5. While the Braves were plagued by their own mistakes, the Astros proved to be stiff competition in all facets of the game.
The Astros came right out of the gate with their offense, which was aided by the wildness of Braves starting pitcher Tim Hudson, who walked five guys in his 6 2/3 innings today. The Astros seemed to have runners on all game and had opportunities almost every inning to blow the game open. However, they struggled to capitalize in the early innings as well as they should of, which kept the game close.
Another reason the game was close was the only two mistakes Andy Pettitte made all day, when he left pitches up to Chipper Jones and Andruw Jones, who both took him yard. Pettitte went seven innings, giving up only four hits on the afternoon. Pettitte’s effort was key for the Astros because he didn’t allow the Braves to take the lead when the Astros were struggling to get key hits early in the game.
However, this all changed in the seventh inning as the walks kept coming and the Astros started to come up with those key hits that were previously missing. The key play in the seventh was when the Braves walked in Morgan Ensberg to walk in a run and make the game 7-3. This would make the first of four runs scored with two outs in the inning.
Through all the walks by the Braves issued and things they must change to win game two on Thursday, it might be a strategic move that will make all of the difference. The Braves came into this series saying they weren’t going to let Lance Berkman beat them. However the batter behind him, Morgan Ensberg made them pay with three hits and five RBI.
So, looking toward to game two, here are a few things the Braves need to improve on. They must limit their walks to make the Astros work for everything they get and to show off their excellent defense. Also, they must respect what Ensberg can do because he has the potential to beat you with one swing. The Astros were the better team on Wednesday, but this series is still far from over. |
