Here are three things we learned from the Braves' 4-3 victory over the Marlins, dropping the club's magic number to seven.
OK, so the majority of Marlins-Braves tilts have been largely forgettable this year. That's the reality of two clubs separated by 28 1/2 games in the division standings.
However, Atlanta and Miami fans must have been simultaneously intrigued during the seventh inning, when the Braves bullpen — nursing a one-run lead with two out — was obligated to face Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton with the bases loaded.
For various reasons — nagging injuries, avoidance tactics from opposing pitchers, lack of plate protection in the Miami lineup — Stanton will fall considerably short of last season's tallies of 37 homers, 86 RBI, 75 runs and a .290 batting average.
But for one evening, one of baseball brightest 23-and-under stars had a chance at redemption, an opportunity to find temporary salvation from a losing campaign that must seem interminable, at times.
In the 7th, with Chris Coghlan, Ed Lucas and Christian Yelich on the base paths, Stanton strode to the plate, eyes wide from the anticipation of playing the conquering hero against the National League's best team (87-57).
Ayala, fresh from a quick warmup session in the bullpen and sharp from a near-flawless outing on Monday, threw an accurate strike in his first delivery. The second pitch elicited a hard-swing foul. The third pitch was hardly a throwaway; in fact, it had enough bite to lure Stanton into another swing — this time without contact.
Strike three!
On the strength of just three pitches, Ayala stealthily diffused a tense situation, while also preserving the specter of Julio Teheran's 12th victory for another inning. (Dan Carpenter and Kimbrel sailed through the final two frames.)
Gripping drama ... for at least a few minutes.
In previous Three Cuts, I stumped for Teheran (12-7, 3.05 ERA, 154 strikeouts) as the Braves' Game 2 starter during the NLDS round, thinking the 22-year-old wunderkind would be better suited for Turner Field during the postseason.
As in, it would be easier to harness and then channel the adrenaline that comes with a young star's first stab at playoff pressure.
But recent results speak louder than the speculative thoughts of a random writer:
Of his last six starts on the road, spanning 38.1 innings, Teheran (six strikeouts, three runs allowed on Tuesday) boasts two wins and a 2.83 ERA.
Citing the bigger picture ... from June 5 to Aug. 30, spanning 16 outings, Teheran allowed just two or less runs 11 times.
In that span, the Braves rookie also notched eight-plus strikeouts six times — including the Aug. 24 and 30 starts.
And for the entire year, Teheran has recorded three or less walks in 26 of 27 outings.
Bottom line: If the Braves offense isn't running at peak form during the playoffs, the pitching order for Games 1, 2, 3 might not matter amongst Mike Minor, Kris Medlen and Teheran.
But at face value, Atlanta fans might be more comfortable with Teheran's caged heat at a homer-friendly venue like Great American Ballpark (Cincinnati) during the NLDS.
Including Tuesday's effort, Johnson (482 PAs) is just 19 plate appearances shy of officially qualifying for the NL batting title.
And counting the two hits against the Marlins, Johnson (.330 batting) currently holds slim, but oddly comfortable leads over Michael Cuddyer (.327), Jayson Werth (.324), Andrew McCutchen (.324) and Yadier Molina (.320).
If we had to guess ... Johnson's magic number for claiming the title resides in the neighborhood of .329.
Here's the breakdown: Of Atlanta's final 18 games, with conservative estimates of 14 starts, 61 plate appearances and 54 official at-bats, Johnson essentially needs 16 more hits to remain at/above the .329 line and presumably clinch the batting crown.
Incidentally, only two primary third basemen have won NL batting titles over the last 29 years ... and both were Braves — Terry Pendleton (1991) and Chipper Jones (2008).
Yes, if only Internet stories had an infinite amount of editorial space. Oh well.
