So, looking back over my recaps, I realized that I hadn’t inflicted a Running Diary on you all in a while, so I decided that the opening of the second half would be a great time to remedy that situation.

9:00 PM EDT – I wander upstarirs to prepare for the game.

9:07 – ZZZZZZ.

1:35 AM EDT – I wake up, and head to the bathroom. Getting old sucks. If you have a choice, I’d recommend against it. Anyway, I checked my phone and saw the Braves won. Great, I’ll get back to sleep and catch the MLB.Com condensed game in the morning to see what happened for the recap.

2:00 – Not asleep yet.

3:00 – Nope. Dadgummit, I have to drive my Mom to Charlotte this morning to see her sister. Need some sleep.

4:00 – Screw it.

4:05 – Downstairs to grab some water and catch the game highlights. I see the Angels no hit the Mariners on Tyler Skaggs Night. Sometimes sports just makes you go ‘Awww.’

Anyhow, Josh Donaldson gets the Braves off to a good start, crushing a three run homer to right center. SP Jr. and I went to the Braves-Padres series last year in San Diego. (beautiful town – if you have to get old, then do yourself a favor and go catch a series out there. Wonderful downtown park, great weather, lots of sights to see. Disclosure – This ad sponsored by the San Diego Board of Tourism.) Anyway, it’s long damn way to right center as I remember it, so give JD some props for that.

The Braves trotted out Dallas Keuchel, and he was very good. He issued a few too many walks for my liking (4 in his 7 IP), but generally kept the ball on the ground, getting 13 outs via grounders/double plays of the 21 outs he recorded. Add in 5 strikeouts and that’s a recipe for a quality start. The only damage done was a Manny Machado solo shot in the bottom of the 6th.

Atlanta added a two solo bombs of their own before that – Ronald Acuna Jr. answered a brushback pitch in the top of the 5th with a no doubter into the second deck in left, and the Bringer of Rain nailed another shot into right center in the top of the 8th to give the pen some wiggle room.

And wiggle they did, as Chad Sobotka allowed a Machado single, then wild pitched him to second. A walk followed, and, if I had been awake my teeth would have started grinding. But a double play eased any tension all those poor East Coast saps who were awake might have been feeling. But another single brought in Manny, and Snit went to the pen for Jacob Webb, who retired Ian Kinsler.

Luke Jackson closed out the 9th, giving up another lead off single to Manuel Margot (which I think is San Diegese for ‘Ender Inciarte‘), but striking out the next two. Margot was allowed to take second and scored on an Eric Hosmer single, but Jackson got Machado to ground out to end the game.

5:10 – Time to post and then head back to try to get an hour or two of shuteye. Good night, err…morning to all.