after five

Five games into the Southern League season, the Mississippi Braves' pitching has certainly lived up to its billing as a strength of the club. The M-Braves lead the league with a staff ERA of 2.87. Four of the five starters allowed a run or less in their first outing; only major league castoff Kenshin Kawakami had a tough time, allowing two home runs in the sixth inning after five scoreless. The M-Braves are hitting .272 as a team, led by Tyler Pastornicky at .526 and Jordan Kreke at .368. The defense has been solid, with only two errors. And yet the club is just 2-3 as it heads into a 10-game road trip that begins Wednesday night at Mobile. The problem? Not enough runs. They've scored only 18, nine of those in the opener. In the last two games of the homestand, the M-Braves put up just one run over 19 innings. It could be a challenge to play .500 ball on the road trip, especially if the clutch hitting doesn't improve. But there is blue sky ahead. The team returns to Trustmark Park on April 23 and will play 20 of its next 25 games at home, where pitching rules. That could be a telling stretch as to how the 2011 M-Braves will fare in the first half.