Southern Trouble Brewing- An Atlanta Braves Franchise (2010 Braves Review) - thesystemx12's Dynasty

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Southern Trouble Brewing- An Atlanta Braves Franchise (2010 Braves Review)

Posted on April 3, 2011 at 01:11 PM.

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The 2010 season marked a return to prominence for the Atlanta Braves. The season started with the emergence of Jason Heyward, baseball�s number one prospect. After hitting a homer in his first career plate appearance, he led Atlanta to a tie with Philly for first place by the start of the next week. However, a nine game losing streak followed and put fans into a state of panic. The streak, though, did not forecast prolonged failure. Atlanta became one of the hottest teams in the league in May, led by outstanding contributions from Troy Glaus, the NL Player of the Month. Though Glaus�s success did not continue, the team�s success did, and by the All-Star break, they led the NL East. The All-Star game, featuring Jason Heyward, Brian McCann, Tim Hudson, Omar Infante, Martin Prado, and Billy Wagner, resulted in an NL win for the first time in 13 years, thanks to Brian McCann. The next day, Atlanta swapped struggling shortstop Yunel Escobar for a shortstop exhibiting power, Toronto�s Alex Gonzalez. The Braves made another swap at the deadline, dealing Gregor Blanco, Tim Collins, and Jesse Chavez for Rick Ankiel and Kyle Farnsworth. The Braves stayed atop the NL East. However, things began to derail in August. Kris Medlen suffered an elbow injury, requiring Tommy John surgery. Later, Chipper Jones, who had been on a hot streak and, as always, was a team leader, suffered a knee injury that would cost him the rest of the season. Within the next month, the Braves would struggle and eventually lose the NL East lead to Philadelphia. The final week of the season was tumultuous, as Martin Prado suffered a season ending hip injury at a point in the season where every game counted. On the final day, the Braves beat Philadelphia to secure their Wild Card berth. Atlanta, in Bobby Cox�s final season, had entered the postseason for the first time since 2005. Their opponent in the NLDS was San Francisco, led by a ridiculous pitching staff. Ace Tim Lincecum showed this in Game 1, beating Atlanta single handedly by a 1-0 score. Game 2 was looking similar for the Braves, but a late comeback propelled a 4-4 tie into the extra innings. Here, Kyle Farnsworth protected a tie after Billy Wagner suffered an injury to further hurt the injury-bitten Braves. His work paid off when Rick Ankiel, another acquisition from the same trade as Farnsworth, hit a towering shot into McCovey Cove, leading the Braves to a late win. Game 3 contained another **** homerun, this time by Eric Hinske. The Braves were a strike away from gaining a series advantage on their home field when the wheels fell off. A forgettable error by Brooks Conrad, known for his iconic grand slam on May 20 to finish a 9-3 comeback against the Reds in the ninth, allowed the Giants to take the series lead. The fourth game of the series was another dramatic game, characterized by the toughness of veteran Derek Lowe, but eventually, the Braves succumbed to the eventual World Champion Giants. As Braves fans said goodbye to Bobby Cox, the Giants showed their respect, and the 2010 Atlanta Braves season was officially over.