http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/boxscore?gameId=340725115 The box score, if you care.

I said it in the game thread, and it’s worth repeating now – This team is thoroughly, utterly, and completely mediocre. Since I’m still having trouble with the BBRef linking tool, I will recap the game without mentioning any names – although there are quite a few Braves who deserve to be called out. And not in the good call out way.

Anyway, the bottom of the 8th was a microcosm of the season as a whole, a brief flurry of activity, a false raising of hope, followed by the crushing of said hope. Last night felt like the turning point of the season. Back in the late 80s, the turning point usually came five minutes after the First Pitch of Opening Day when the first Rick Mahler meatball was ceremonially crushed into the stands. the second game when the first Zane Smith meatball was ceremonially crushed into the stands. I know we’re only 2.5 out and it’s a long season and yada yada, but it sure feels, after last night, that the Braves have peaked and are on the downslope. And with the August schedule looming, if we don’t sweep the rest of this series, it will be a disaster of Biblical proportions. You know, dogs and cats living together type stuff.

Anyway, I’ll email 500 quatloos to the first person to correctly suss the reference in the title line.