My initial reaction to finding out that Uggla went hitless in today’s 6-5 loss to the Cubs was very nonchalant. I loved what Uggla did these past few weeks as he raised his batting average by over 40 points and how he single-handedly put the team on his back. After starting the season out on a bad note, Uggla got his act together and put together a surprisingly long hitting streak which made him favorable once again in the eyes of Braves fans. Braves Manager Fredi Gonzalez, who knew Uggla from his days as a Marlin was very impressed by the work of the second baseman:
“For me, it’s impressive,” said Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez. “It was a streak where at any given time Chipper (Jones) wasn’t in the lineup and Brian McCann wasn’t in the lineup, and Uggla carried us. That was impressive.”
However, it can’t be denied that the streak was starting to become a distraction.
Once Uggla’s hit streak hit the halfway mark to Joe DiMaggio’s record of 56 games, he began to acquire serious media attention. No one was interested in whether the Braves won or lost, but rather the topic of conversation was Uggla’s hit streak. Don’t get me wrong, if Uggla had gotten a hit in today’s game, I would have been elated and would have continued to follow the streak with the same curiosity as anyone else. But now that the streak is over, we can focus on more important things such as catching the streaking Phillies in the NL East.
Because that doesn’t seem possible at the moment, Braves fans can be thankful that they at least are in firm control of the NL Wild Card spot. But as we all know, complacency is a killer and the division title should remain the ultimate goal.
Now that this streak is over, I can honestly say that it has been a good ride. We just witnessed the longest MLB hitting streak in five years. At least for now, Joe DiMaggio is safe.