The Braves are Partying Like it is 1991…

The Atlanta Braves captivated the city of Atlanta and the whole southeast in 1991 when they went from worst-to-first and won the 1991 NLCS. They came out of nowhere to make the World Series and they did it with some of the best starting pitching in baseball. Here we are 18 years later and the Braves are doing the same thing in their hunt for the wildcard spot in the National League. The 1991 Braves were led by starters John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Steve Avery. The current Braves are led by Jair Jurrjens, Tommy Hanson and Javier Vazquez. By no means am I comparing Jurrjens and Hanson to Smoltz and Glavine, but both of these pitchers are a big part of the reason why the Braves have won 15 of their last 17 games.

Jurrjens is 4-0 in his past four starts and Vazquez is also 4-0 in his past four starts with a 0.84 ERA. Hanson has given up eight runs in his past two starts, but is still 11-4 on the season with a 2.98 ERA. Hanson is the closest thing the Braves have had to a young Smoltz. Vazquez and Derek Lowe bring the postseason experience that this staff needs and don’t be surprised if one of these pitchers has a dominant postseason that Smoltz always had when he was pitching with Atlanta.

A key to this team making the playoffs is the bullpen of the Braves. Closer Rafel Soriano hasn’t given up a run since Sept. 19. Reliever Peter Moylan has appeared in a team-record 85 games and only has a 2.66 ERA. The Braves offense is still shaky at times, but this team finds a way to win ball games. The 1991 Braves had strong hitters like Terry Pendleton, Ron Gant and David Justice. The 2009 Braves need Chipper Jones, Yunel Escobar and Brian McCann to come up with clutch hits to match the strong play of this pitching staff. Manager Bobby Cox won the NL Manager of the Year in 1991 and will win the award again if the Braves make the playoffs.