rookie closer Craig Kimbrel entered from the bullpen hoping to send the Braves to a tiebreaker game in St. Louis. After a leadoff single, Kimbrel struck out the next batter for the first out of the inning, but followed with two walks to load the bases. The next batter, Chase Utley, lofted a fly ball to deep left field, scoring the runner from third on a sacrifice fly to knot the game at three apiece. After another walk, Kimbrel finally got out of the inning. The score remained tied until the thirteenth inning when the Phillies rallied for a run. With two outs and runners on first and third, Hunter Pence, who was acquired by the Phillies in a midseason trade with the Houston Astros, sent a ground ball that reached the outfield grass for a single. The Braves needed a run to avoid an unfathomable ending to their season. After a leadoff strikeout, Dan Uggla reached base on a walk. Braves rookie first baseman Freddie Freeman, however, followed with a groundball double play, ending the inning, sending the Braves home, and sending the Cardinals to the National League Division Series to face the Phillies. After sweeping the Braves to allow the Cardinals into the postseason, the Phillies lost the NLDS to the Cardinals in five games. The Cardinals would go on to win the 2011 National League pennant in six games over Milwaukee in the NLCS, and the 2011 World Series in seven games over the AL Champion Texas Rangers. With 27 games to play, the Braves went 9–18 in September to finish the season with a record of 89–73. The Cardinals, meanwhile, went 18–8 to finish at 90–72. Braves closer Craig Kimbrel, who had not surrendered a single earned run in July or August, carried a 4.76 ERA in September with three blown saves. After being dominant in his role for much of the season, Braves setup man Jonny Venters posted a 5.11 September ERA. These sharp declines in both relievers led many critics to question the handling of the bullpen by Braves manager Fredi González. Veteran starter Derek Lowe posted a win–loss record of 0–5 in September with an ERA of 8.75. Shortly into the offseason, Lowe would be traded to the Cleveland Indians. The Braves starters lasted six or more innings only three times over the last 23 games. Over the last five games, all of