It was a split in the Bronx.

Both games still featured some mostly disappointing offense with Acuña out to rest his abdominal muscles. But! There was definitely more to like on today’s game. Ian Anderson pitched into the 7th (a first for any Braves starter this season), and the bullpen didn’t leak too badly. Austin Riley had a good game, walking twice, and adding a base hit and a homer, taking advantage of the short porch in right at Yankee Stadium.

Thursday’s another much needed off-day for this beat up team, where they’ll attempt to keep it rolling against the Diamondbacks over the weekend.

Some days, it is your day.

The Braves turned it back on the Cubs today. The margin again was 13-4, except this time it was the Braves with 13. (Amazingly, but perhaps not that amazingly because this is baseball, this was the second time this had ever happened with this scoreline, first turned by the Phillies and Cardinals in 1936.)

Guillermo Heredia should have probably been the story of the day, but unfortunately Acuña leaving the game early will (and has) dominate the Tweets instead. Hopefully it’s not too bad.

By the way, we’re now 9.88% of the way through the season. So there’s still a long way to go. To wit, 10% of a regular season in other major American sports is:

• Until this coming season, sometime in the 3rd quarter of the second game of an NFL season. (Afterward, about 3 minutes left in the third quarter.)
• The first quarter of the second game of a college football season
• A little over eight games into an NBA or NHL season
• Three and a half games into a MLS season

Some days, it’s just not your day.

Gotta make it exciting, eh?

It turns out we saw something that we’ve never seen today in the bottom of the 9th. Will Smith walked the bases loaded and struck out three batters in the same inning, got the same, and gave up no runs.

Before that, the game looked like it was pretty much in hand, even though the Braves only led 5-2 for most of the back half of the game.

I also listened to a fair part of this one on the radio, since I was out and about getting my second shot. Right now I have just a sore arm, thanks for asking.

Well, I missed the early part of this one since it started pretty early out here on the West Coast. I did see the last few innings, though.

The bullpen still seems a bit leaky for my tastes. AJ Minter entered the top of the 9th with a 5-4 lead and blew the save after walking the first batter.

Fortunately for him, me, and the Braves generally, the offense looked like a bit of its old self in the bottom of the inning. No, there wasn’t a big blast. But there was a good eye and patience from every hitting except for d’Arnaud. Ender amazingly got a hit, Acuña followed with another. Freddie coaxed a 9-pitch walk. d’Arnaud made the first out, but Albies saw four straight outside, which brought Ender home. Dansby then walked it off.

I exhaled, and the team is on to Chicago for a trio of afternoon games. I’ve got the day off tomorrow to go get my second dose of Pfizer. I’m looking forward to it.