There's an old saying in baseball. To have a winning team in the Major Leagues, one has to win the series' at home and play .500 on the road.
Whoever came up with the saying should have added also beating bad teams.
That's what the Atlanta Braves accomplished this past week at Truist Park. Behind yet another strong eighth inning, the Braves defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 4-1 Wednesday afternoon to complete a 5-1 homestand.
In three of the five wins, the Braves scored at least three runs in the eighth inning. On Wednesday, reserve outfielder Eli White played hero with a three-run homer to give the Braves the lead for good.
On Friday and Monday, the Braves tallied five runs in the eighth inning to erase deficits.
In a perfect world, Atlanta would have its offense hitting a lot better in innings 1-7, but the Braves will take it. With wins in five of their last six games, the club is threatening to climb out of last place in the NL East.
A 5-1 homestand is exactly what the Braves needed, especially considering who they were playing. Entering Wednesday night's games, the Minnesota Twins and Cardinals are a combined 18-30 this season.
The Cardinals have now lost six of their past seven contests. The Twins have arguably only gotten back in the win column since their sweep at the hands of the Braves because they are now playing the lowly Chicago White Sox.
The Braves spotted the top National League teams seven games by going 0-7 the first week of the season. Therefore, Atlanta can't afford any slips against the bottom feeders in the league.
That remains true despite the team about to hit the road. First, the Braves will face the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are off to a strong start this season. Getting a series win in the desert this weekend could be tough.
But then the Braves visit the Colorado Rockies, who have, by far, the worst NL record.
Atlanta's next home series will be against the Los Angeles Dodgers, beginning on May 2. A sweep in Colorado just before that would go a long way to giving the Braves a boost heading into a rematch versus the Dodgers.
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