Braves stay hot through first week

Six games in and the Braves are 5-1.

Two up on last year’s world champs and the New York Mets and five up on the Nationals who have already been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Actually, they were eliminated when Mark Texeira nearly died in a giggle fit when the Nats made their offer. Sure, it was a lot of money, but if you want to win a ring Washington isn't the place to win one.

Barring last week’s bullpen explosion against the Phillies, nearly everything has gone right for Atlanta. Chipper leads the team with a .400 batting average, McCann, the cleanup hitting catcher, has driven in the most runs (7) and wunderkind Jordan Schaefer has scored the most runs (6) and has an OPS of 1.119.

On the mound, Kawakami and Jurrjens both have looked decent, Vazquez pitched well in a no-decision game and Derek Lowe has been as good as advertised 1-0 with a 0.82 ERA and 10 strikeouts in two games.

Overall, the team’s hitting has been what has helped the Braves get off to a hot start. On Sunday, they were 8-for-8 with men in scoring position. Among the everyday players only Jeff Francouer and Garrett Anderson are hitting under .250. It could be a cause for concern, but I’d wager both of them will hit .275 or better when all is said and done.

The Braves definitely get an A for the first week, which means nothing, but it's better than being Cleveland. The Atlanta infield looks to be among the best in the National League, their starting pitching is above average and the bullpen, assuming no more meltdowns like the one last Wednesday, looks strong. Especially if your starter can go 6 and there is only a one inning bridge to cross to get to Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez.

Need another reason to get excited? After a big series with the Marlins at The Ted Tuesday-Thursday, Atlanta plays at Pittsburgh and at Washington. Not exactly perennial powerhouses. If the Braves can keep it up, it could be a very good first month for Bobby’s boys.