it's come to this

The 2013 Mississippi Braves are nothing if not resilient. They’ve won 12 times in their final at-bat, including twice on Monday night at Trustmark Park. Their vaunted starting rotation has been gutted, yet they still lead the league in ERA. They’ve endured two six-game losing skids to stand just a half-game out of first place in the Southern League South with five games to play in the first half. This sets up as a crazy sprint to the finish. Mobile is in first place. Third-place Montgomery is 1.5 games out, fourth-place Jacksonville just 2 back. The M-Braves are at Tennessee starting tonight, while Mobile, which has won eight of its last 10, is at last-place Pensacola. Montgomery and Jacksonville are playing each other. The M-Braves have a winning record on the road and are 4-1 against the Smokies. True, they didn’t exactly leave home on Tuesday night with the best feeling in their collective gut. They blew a late lead and lost to Pensacola before a rather small (announced 2,400) and subdued crowd at the TeePee. But remember, these M-Braves are resilient. And maybe, just maybe, hungry for a championship that has eluded the club since 2008.