The National League Wild Card race just got, well, pretty wild.
Craig Kimbrel had the Marlins down to their final strike in the bottom of the ninth inning tonight, but the rookie closer served up a walkoff two-run home run to former Brave Omar Infante en route to a stunning 6-5 loss. The home run followed a single by Emilio Bonifacio which was originally ruled as an error on Chipper Jones.
Kimbrel has allowed home runs in consecutive appearances after giving up just one over his first 75 games. Perhaps this is just something fluky, but one wonders if his heavy workload is finally catching up to him.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals survived a ninth inning rally to beat the Phillies 4-3. Kyle Lohse allowed an unearned run over 7 1/3 innings in the victory, besting Roy Halladay.
Following tonight’s action, the Braves hold a 2 1/2 game lead over the Cardinals in the Wild Card race. It’s actually two games if you count the loss column. And don’t forget about the suddenly hot Giants, who are 3 1/2 back. The Braves have eight games remaining while the Cardinals and Giants will play nine apiece.
