In my Georgia Bulldawg fandom, I do not like interesting or exciting games. I never have. I like to beat the spread by 20 points and demolish all opposition. I want my team to perform like the Red Army in the pincer movements around Stalingrad; continuous, ruthless, efficient, and with overwhelming force. But, as an alternative, barely winning close games is a lot better than losing.

Grant Holmes was once again good. Not spectacular, but for major league minimum, should you be expecting spectacular? He and Dylan Lee (also a force in this game) are illustrative of a strong ability in this FO to find a meh / not quite mediocre / maybe replacement level pitcher that has something more to create, get that pitcher into the system, adjust the pitcher and watch him thrive. Holmes pitched 6 and one third, 4 K’s, 1 BB, 4 H, 1 run (on a solo home run). That is a well more than minimal “quality start” (2 less runs and one third of an extra inning). WHIP was under 1. He threw 79 pitches with 49 for strikes.

So, a lot of the night’s theme was “at ’em” balls. Both teams hit disproportionately high numbers of hard hit balls for the runs that scored. The Braves finally got the scoring going in inning 3. With 2 outs (after tow outfield batted fly balls, one classified as a line drive by mlb.com), Austin Riley walked. Then Matt Olson singled. Then, Marcel Ozuna singled. Then, Michael Harris II singled. And, as seems to be inevitable this year, Ozzie Albies made the third out with 2 still on (but it was an outfield fly ball).

Next inning, James Wood (no, not “Once Upon a Time in America”) hit a one out solo home run for Holmes’ only run given up. It was also the last Braves run given up for a while. But a single followed and with 2 outs Luis Garcia pretended he was a poor man’s version of Vic Wertz and Michael Harris demonstrated (not merely pretended) that he is a solidly lower upper class man’s Willie Mays by turning and chasing one down over his shoulder almost to the wall in center.

For a long time, there was only one scoring highlight. Just yesterday in the Braves Journal spere there was a debate over attempting to trade Marcel Ozuna which then brought up he was in a slump. The response was, “yeah, he looks like crap for a while, then goes on a tear for a while, but nothing is out of the usual.” On the night, Marcel earned at least the front door of the beer joint. He was 2 for 3 with a walk. As I figure that is a “nightly OPS” of 2.417. That is more than one and a half of prime Babe Ruth / Barry Bonds / Ted Williams. Or you could set it out as “a Silicon Valley Country Club’s Babe Ruth / Barry Bonds / Ted Williams.”

When the 7th inning started, Holmes got 1 out and then gave up a double. Snitker went to Dylan Lee. Dylan is another guy found more or less on the scrap heap that has really shown out. On this occasion, it was 8 pitches, 6 strikes, 2 K’s. Thanks Dylan.

Then, Daysbel Hernandez (another hang in there and stick with him and we just might have something guy), got one K and gave up one hit for no runs and sent it to 9.

Then, what has become almost as common as non production from Ozzie, but is vastly more troubling, is that Raisel Iglesias was once again ineffective. (I think he is hurt. He needs time on the “injured list.” If not, then he is approaching “desiccated remains” stage. I am not sure exactly who could come up at the level needed and who could shift up in the pecking order, but continuing the Jerry Clower theme, “Shoot up here amongst us. One of us has got to have some relief!!!!” Raisle’s inning was ground out, single, single, ground out (no double play despite runners first and second), INFIELD single (which scored 2 because of a Nick Allen throwing error), walk, then strike out. Comparing WHIP to Holmes, above, Raisel’s was 4.0. If you don’t follow that one, “in the long run,” if a pitcher is over 1.3 that is problematic, over 1.5 is at least “not too good.” 2.0 is “get me a new pitcher>”)

Eli White led off bottom of 9 in a 3 – 3 game and singled. Then Allen bunted him up to second. Alex Verdugo went to a 3 ball 2 strike count, then singled White in to walk it off. Yay!!! Excitement!!! Me, I would have preferred 10 to 0, Braves way.

Meanwhile, the Braves continue this long stretch with no days off until Monday. “Come Monday, it’ll be alright.”