Braves Hot Streak Continues

After sweeping the Washington Nationals 9-0 today, the Atlanta Braves hold the best record in baseball, at 11-1.  Even though the Braves have only played one elite team (Washington Nationals), they have made a big splash in the early going. Here's why the Atlanta Braves have impressed me through their first twelve games:

• The Braves are the only team, in the MLB, to have at least one player, in the top 5 in RBI, HR, E.R.A., Wins, Saves, and Batting Average.
• They have played 2 easy teams, the Chicago Cubs (4-8), and Miami Marlins (2-10), and an okay team the Philadelphia Phillies (6-6).
• They rank 1st in Team E.R.A. (1.98), Earned Runs allowed (22), Runs allowed (23), and batting average allowed (.206)
• 3rd in Team HR (18)
• 4 out of their 5 starters have a 2.70 E.R.A. or below

The Atlanta Braves pitching has carried their team to an 11-1 start. However, they have only played one team over .500 so far, the Washington Nationals. The Braves hitting will need to improve as only 3B Chris Johnson, LF Justin Upton, and C Evan Gattis have been producing so far. RF Jason Heyward (.103 Average) will need to step up his game. The Braves also have already 8 errors this season, which is 20th in the MLB. The Atlanta Braves have been the storyline of the first 12 games of the MLB season so far, but will they continue to play this great? There is still plenty of games to be played and an early season surge does not mean automatic playoff contention.