All good things must end

We knew the Braves weren't going to finish off the year 161-1, but seeing a 10 game win streak come to an end can pull at your heart strings, and a 1-0 loss to the Kansas City Royals in Atlanta does just that.

It was a sad day especially for Mike Minor, who pitched a gem of a game, allowing just one run and five hits over six innings pitched, while striking out five. His record today has dropped to 2-1, but he still maintains a 1.04 ERA.

If yesterday was a game of blasts, today was a game of of keeping the ball low. The two clubs combined for just one extra base hit today, a drastic change from the six overall home runs sent over the walls at Turner Field last night. But in the sixth inning Heyward began to show even more potential, hitting the only double of the game. Heyward's bat has been coming together over the past few games.

A questionable move by Brian Snitker cut a Braves rally short. With Juan Francisco on first and two outs, Chris Johnson hit a bloop single along the right field line behind first base. While the ball was bouncing behind the rain tarp along the right field wall, Snitker sent Francisco around third to try to score the game tying run. However, with Francisco's painfully slow run and poor footing on the base paths, Francisco was thrown out by a good six feet, ending the inning and sending the Braves to the eighth.

The eighth and ninth were short lived. Ramiro Pena hit a pinch hit single in the eighth to no avail, followed by three strike outs in a row to finish the game in the ninth.

The Braves and Royals split the two game series. The Braves still have under their belts a 12-2 record, a Major League best. They hold a four game lead in the National League East above the Washington Nationals, and 4.5 over the New York Mets, both of which are playing later on tonight.

But there was an upside today. Relief pitcher Luis Avilan, who collapsed in pain in yesterday's match up, only suffered a strain combined with severe cramping, and will not have to have surgery. There is a chance he could skip the DL all together and sit out for a few days to recover and rest his left leg.