The Detroit Tigers knocked off the suddenly struggling Atlanta Braves on Saturday despite the fact that the Braves had one of their best pitchers on the mound.
Kris Medlen got the start for his team on Saturday, and, instead of being the stopper the team needed, he only added fuel to a fire that has to have Atlanta fans just a little bit concerned. At one point this season, the Braves were 13-2 but since hitting that high water mark have gone just 5-6 over their last 11 games.
Even worse is the fact that the Bravos, as they are affectionately referred to be their fanbase, have won just three of their last 10 games. The Detroit Tigers may not be the hottest team in baseball, but they are playing better over their last few games.
Manager Jim Leyland’s team has managed to win three of their last four games and has now taken the first two games of this series. Most troubling for the Braves is how they are losing these games.
Detroit won the first game of this series 10-0 and walloped Medlen and his team 7-4 on Saturday. Medlen allowed a tie-breaking two run homer to Omar Infante in the fourth inning and another two run home run to Johnny Peralta in the second inning.
In all, Medlen allowed a career high five earned runs in a game where his team badly needed him to have a shut down performance.
It wasn’t all bad news for the visiting team. Off season acquisition Justin Upton is continuing to enjoy playing alongside his brother BJ. Justin hit his major league leading 12th home run but that blast was too little too late.
The victory meant that the Detroit Tigers were able to stay within a game of the Kansas City Royals while the Atlanta Braves saw their division lead slip to 2.5 games over the Washington Nationals.