For about 12 minutes it looked like things were going to go well for Atlanta Friday night. Then, Philadelphia came up to bat in the bottom of the first….
The Braves started off well against Aaron Nola, scoring three in the top of the first. Ender Inciarte walked, Ozzie Albies doubled, then Freddie Freeman drove Inciarte home with a run scoring single. After getting two outs, Freeman and Albies pulled off a double steal, with Albies swiping home. Ronald Acuna, Jr. then doubled FF5 home for a quick three run lead for Braves starter Julio Teheran. Acuna’s exit velocity on the double was 112-ish mph, easily the hardest hit ball by any Brave this year.
Unfortunately Julio gave it right back, walking Cesar Hernandez and Carlos Santana before giving up a three run homer to Odubel Herrera. Just like that, it was tied at three. Julio settled down, picking off Rhys Hoskins, then giving up nothing else through the 2nd and 3rd, before leaving with shoulder tightness. Meanwhile, Nola, given a reprieve, showed what happens when you let a top flight starter wiggle off the hook, shutting down Atlanta with a string of no pressure innings.
Max Fried came in and pitched better than his first outing, going three innings, giving up two hits and a walk while striking out three. Unfortunately, one of the hits was Herrera’s second dinger, a solo shot in the sixth to give the Phightin’s a lead they wouldn’t give up.
In the 7th, Nola started to falter, giving up a lead-off single to Acuna, but was bailed out by his defense. Dansby Swanson absolutely wrecked a screaming grounder up the middle, but somehow Hernandez knocked it down and turned it into the unluckiest GIDP a batter will ever see instead of first and third, no one out. And when Ryan Flaherty and Johan Camargo followed with two out singles, it became even more important. Nola was left in to face Ender, and managed to retire him to get out of the jam.
Philadelphia broke it open in the bottom of the frame against Chase Whitley. Whitley gave up a lead off double to J.P. Crawford and then surrendered a two run homer to Jorge Alfaro. At least he didn’t walk anybody.
Anyway, Mike Foltynewicz goes tonight against Nick Pivetta, for the third time in 26 games. Let’s get a few more runs.
I guess Kapler must have learned his lesson about yanking Nola too soon.
Don’t forget that Moylan had another blah performance. He has to be somewhere low on the totem pole by now.
I’m glad someone assembled the numbers. How they’re performing within those innings has been fine, hence quality ERAs, but this will need to get fixed before the season goes along and we suffer more inevitable injuries. Braves now clock in at 24th in SP fWAR. 17th in RP fWAR.
One comment in two hours after the recap?!
Methinks we have been spoiled this week by events and circumstances falling so often in our favor.
The bad now harder than ever to accept. But whose fault was that? Not his.
“The fault dear Painter lies not in our stars but in ourselves, that we are underlings.”
Gohara has been activated from the DL and optioned to Gwinnett.
So Gohara is not a shoe in for the rotation any more until he picks up his conditioning and performance levels again. Fried has got to be a rotation lock for now. Either in the 5th spot or in place of Teheran if he goes on the DL. After that the 5th is open to Sanchez, Gohara, or Wisler – whoever gets well first.
I’d certainly rather see Wisler than Sanchez in what was considered to be a rebuilding year until, oh, about 20 games ago.
Just after Acuña’s hit in the first inning, Phillies announcer John Kruk made the following comments: “ I’m going out on a limb here, but I think we are looking at a multiple year MVP player. … He will be the NL version of Mike Trout.” (This may not be word for word, but pretty close.)
@3 blazon, sometimes a loss is just a loss. After the top of the first, though, it was an enormous letdown and just don’t want to talk about it much. I just wish they had shown the same aggressiveness in the 7th. If Acuna had tried to steal before Dansby hit is DP then maybe they score at least one run and tie the game and the rest plays out differently (or maybe the fielder might have moved when Dansby hit his ball). It’s obvious that the aggressive style rattled Nola in the first.
I know I’ve enjoyed the increased conversation, and it certainly helps to have something better to talk about than “Who fills the 3rd spot in the rotation: Wisler or Blair or Jhoulys Chacin?”. This is a more fun place when there’s winning.
And we have GIFs now!
Has Folty really faced Pivetta every time?
And Teheran vs Nola. And McCarthy vs Velasquez.
Yep, this is the third three game series we’ve had with Philly, and the starting pitchers have been the same for each respective game in the series.
It’s nice to see our youngster compared to Trout, but being an older guy,I’m reminded of a five-tool outfielder who I believe played for the Giants
Another Mays would be ok also.
Why does Snitker insist on hitting Freeman and Markakis back to back when 3 consecutive RHB are after him?
Joe and Chip are all “Yeah, the Phillies are 15-5 in their last 20 games, but their Sabermetrics still suck!”
Joe: “Ozzie Albies should take note of how hard Folty runs!” WTF?
Folty runs like a Secretary Bird.
Have a series, Odubel Herrera. Holy crap.
What a catch. Wow.
Swings like a Secretary Bird, too.
The stray plastic bags blowing around the field do add a little something to the game.
Hot damn, one of our starters may actually pitch seven innings.
Or not…
They should have left Folty in for the 7th. They should have.
91 pitches is not what I personally have in mind for a full night, but the manager’s chair says otherwise. One more inning from our SPs is extremely valuable, so other than “they get crushed third time through the order”, I don’t get it.
Snitker and the trainer had come out to check on Folty in the 6th after he grabbed his oblique area after a pitch. He said he was okay and finished the inning uneventfully, but I’m sure that factored in.
Allard had a good start for Gwinnett. 6.1 IP, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
Remember that time Dan Kolb said “leadoff walls don’t bother me?”
Touki’s start at AA may have been even better
Please. Throw. Strikes. /eom
29 — What was his line?
Touki seems to still be in the game but through 7 he’s given up 3 hits, 1 run, 0 walks and 7 K.
Touki tonight–7 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 7K, 0 BB
32, 33 — Thanks
Walks aside, I think it’s a mistake to take out Minter. He just found the strike zone.
I’ve been really high on Minter. One reason, though, is that before this year he had terrific K/BB ratios. This year is pretty awful.
I. Love. Dan. Winkler. mancrush
Given those results, I’d say putting Winkler in was the right call. Man, he’s been terrific.
That’s how you do a professional job, Winkler. Good job.
Wow, Winkler, wow.
Winkler is building up some well earned trust. That 8th inning was nice.
Screw you, Chip.
Winkler is a stud. His stuff looked electric before his horrific injury…but his violent delivery seemed to be a bad omen that something like that was on the horizon (though not in the manner in which he broke his arm, who could predict something like that??). His stuff today still looks fantastic but his delivery in the one outing I’ve seen looks a lot more streamlined. After what he’s been through you root for him to succeed.
Winkler is a find. I hope Biddle can join him in the fruit of The Great Reliever Stash.
Hey, how about Arodys? That’s a save, folks. Braves win. See y’all tomorrow!
recapped, by candle light.