Here are three things we gleaned from the Braves' 7-1 win over the Marlins in 14 innings.
1. Apparently, the Marlins' sparkling new stadium has floodgates that require opening
The Braves' half of the 14th inning started quite innocently, with Reed Johnson drawing a walk and Andrelton Simmons pushing him over to second base, thanks to a sacrifice bunt. Incidentally, Johnson's free pass broke a string of 24 consecutive Atlanta batters retired.
That's when things took a turn for the worse — from Miami's perspective.
Jason Heyward walked and Justin Upton (one run, two hits, three RBI) cracked a game-breaking, two-run double down the left-field line, scoring Johnson and Heyward.
After a Freddie Freeman intentional pass, Tyler Pastornicky infield single and Dan Uggla strikeout . . . the stage was set for another big play — a bases-loaded, two-run single from backup catcher Gerald Laird, upping the Braves' lead to 5-1.
Atlanta would tack on two more runs, courtesy of a Chris Johnson single and back-to-back errors from the sluggish Marlins defenders.
When the smoke cleared, the Braves rolled for six runs in the final inning. Ball game!
2. It's time to salute Atlanta's largely anonymous relief corps
Heading into this marathon session, the Braves' bullpen, among National League teams, ranked 1st in ERA (2.72), fewest earned runs allowed (72), fewest homers surrendered (16) and 2nd in opponents' batting average (.217) and WHIP (1.16).
Not bad for a back-end corps that ranks only 12th with innings pitched (238.2) — a figure which didn't account for the additional 7 2/3 relief innings on Monday.
Speaking of which, the Braves relievers yielded zero walks and just two hits in the final seven-plus innings against Miami.
The key moment: With runners on first and second base and no outs in the 13th, David Carpenter (the winning pitcher) forced a 3-6-3 double play . . . before luring Adeiny Hechavarria into a harmless flyout (Heyward).
That was the Marlins' last and probably best chance to earn a victory in extra innings.
The above sub-head is a glib response to the Atlanta fans who have been needlessly sweating the club's stronghold on the National League East (51-38, up by five games) . . . as if the Braves are no longer a good bet for 90-plus victories by season's end.
At its current pace (17 victories per 30 games), Atlanta is on track for roughly 92 wins — an estimate that doesn't even lend extra credence to Brandon Beachy's anticipated return to the starting rotation, or the club's overall strength in the bullpen, anchored by All-Star Craig Kimbrel.
It merely explains why the Braves haven't incurred any losing streaks of more than four games (a one-time occurrence). Translation: They're simply too deep and too talented to fold for long stretches in July, August or September.
Especially in a middling division.
Yes, the Nationals (46-43) have been playing well of late, winning seven of 11, while getting healthy in the process.
But to finish with 92 wins, Washington would have to go 46-27 from this point forward — a plausible, but unlikely scenario for a starting rotation with three certifiable studs (Jordan Zimmermann, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez) . . . but two major question marks at the 4 and 5 spots (Dan Haren, the DL-bound Ross Detwiler).
One more reason to support Atlanta's candidacy in the East: The Braves have only nine games left with Washington . . . but 21 total against the bottom-feeding Marlins (12) and Mets (nine).
