Ben Sheets put the finishing touches on a terrific career with the Braves on Thursday, striking out two of the three batters he faced. Atlanta won 4-0.
The Braves started just two of their regulars on Tuesday night. With the playoffs beginning in about 72 hours, manager Fredi Gonzalez elected to rest all of his starters before the regular season wraps up Wednesday.
The Atlanta Braves take on the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night, in the second of a three-game series to conclude the 2012 regular season.
Chipper Jones is not in Tuesday's lineup, and is merely getting at least one extra day of rest in advance of Atlanta's playoff game on Friday. The Braves were officially eliminated from the NL East title race with their loss last night, and will host either the St. Louis Cardinals or Los Angeles Dodgers Friday night in the new one-game Wild Card round.
Following their loss on Monday night, the Braves are now the No. 1 wild card team in the National League. They will likely play the Cardinals on Friday at Turner Field.
The Atlanta Braves are seeking to keep their division title hopes alive, but time may be running out against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.
The Braves are trailing 2-1 in the sixth inning despite getting a terrific pitching performance out of Paul Maholm. Against his former team, Maholm has looked strong pitching six frames and allowing just five hits and three walks while striking out seven.
Atlanta took the lead in the top of the third with a Jason Heyward RBI single, but the advantage was short-lived. In the bottom of the inning, Chase d'Arnaud tied the affair with a RBI groundout to short.
The Pirates then made it 2-1 when Starling Marte hit a solo home run in the fifth, giving Jeff Locke a chance to earn the win.
The 24-year-old finished up his night after six innings with only two hits surrendered. However, he did walk five, leading to a high pitch count and Jeff Karstens relieving him to start the seventh.
The Atlanta Braves need to sweep the Pittsburgh Pirates, and need the Washington Nationals to be swept, in order to force a 163rd game to decide the NL East champion.
The Atlanta Braves finish up their regular season schedule with a series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and they can rest easy knowing that they have a playoff berth clinched. That means at least one more home game for Chipper Jones, and possibly quite a few more. The Pirates, meanwhile, have fallen well out of contention after fading late in the season. Lineups for Monday's game are listed below.
The Atlanta Braves will play their final regular season series of the year against the Pirates. They'll need to sweep and get some help, but they still have a chance at the National League East crown.
