The starting rotation is rolling right now. Kyle Wright pitched into the 8th, Austin Riley hit a 2 run homer, and the Braves held on for a 4-3 win to clinch another series win.
Riley homered in the 1st to give the Braves an early 2-0 lead. The Natinals (remember the jersey flub?) got one back with a Juan Soto solo homer in the 3rd, but the Braves hit 4 singles in the bottom of the inning to make it 4-1. Patrick Corbin really gave his left arm for the 2019 title for Washington, because he has been terrible ever since then. Other than another solo homer in the 7th by Cesar Hernandez to make it 4-2, Wright cruised throwing 66 strikes in 84 pitches.
After walking Soto to lead off the 8th, Snitker pulled Wright for Hancock as Wright was about to face the order for the 4th time. Hancock performed his usual tightrope act, giving up a double to Josh Bell on the 1stpitch then a single to 64 year old Nelson Cruz to give up the Grybo and putting runners on 1st and 3rd with 0 outs, and the narrowest of margins with a 4-3 lead. Hancock then did what he often does, somehow getting out of it with a shallow popup to center and 2 strikeouts and the lead still intact. Minter also pitched in trouble in the 9th, giving up a leadoff single to Lane Thomas. He got a foul out from former Braves hero Ehire Adrianza and struck out Hernandez, but a misplay by Acuna again put runners on the corners, but with 2 outs Minter coaxed a groundout from Bell to end the game.
Kenley Jansen is supposed to be ready to return for the Mets series, so that will help with the bullpen. Still feels like the Braves need another set-up RHP type to help.
Ian Anderson will attempt building on his last start tomorrow as the Braves go for the sweep. The Neighbors are starting some guy named Paolo Espino.
That ballet-dance throw for the DP by Arcia in the 3rd to erase two baserunners made the difference in the end.
Thank you, Braves 14.
Break out the brooms, Braves.
Ian needs a good start today. Go Braves!
Please for the sake of the Braves starting pitchers release Smith. Take the manager with him. Both are a detrimental to the teams success.
Is Ed a bot?
One of the Marlins analysts commented on how the game was lost to the Mets because of any other base running blunder by the same player who has difficulty playing center field. With a ball hit in the gap he is (are you ready for this?) TWO FEET OFF SECOND. He is of course thrown out at home on a very close play. Result Marlins lose one of those 42 games. A supposedly MAJOR LEAGUE player who cannot RUN proper routes in the outfield or RUN the bases intelligently. Sports fans this is not a major league player. And baseball wants to expand. When will greed totally destroy the game. Maybe the number crazy writers should focus on what is really important, the lack of quality in the game. From players (mostly not Atlanta’s) managers, coaches, front office (not Atlanta’s) and the jokes we call umpires.
My wife and I will be going to The Open so I will follow but refrain from comment.
TV show My Old Man excellent
I don’t as of yet have any of the new jazz, Hulo, Amazon and other.
I consider The Wire to be the best TV show ever. Than Deadwood.
Old days, Hill Street Blues, Saint Elsewhere, and Homicide Life on the Street
See Ya
@5 Some people are attention starved.
Also, reliever standards are insane. Will Smith enjoying his lowest ERA and HR/9 as a Brave. Just needs to get the walks back down. He’ll be fine.
Hope Ian can put together a solid outing today. At least it won’t be ugly hot today – – should stay below 90 in ATL.
Gorgeous morning. I’m gonna put some chicken legs in the smoker. Let’s go get the sweep Braves!
If we win today with Ian, we should be in great position to take on the Mets (Ian will not see the Mets). Marlins are throwing Alcantera today; hope he wins. If so, a 2-1 series against the Mets will get us within a half game. A sweep gets us 1st place.
@6 – previews for Old Man look good. Hoping to check it out sometime soon.
I think our own old man Snitker is doing just fine.
I want to see CONFIDENCE in Ian. Let’s gooooooo!
Which idiot needs to be punched in the face for essentially giving Soto a single by shifting with 2 strikes?
Bold move walking Bell to pitch to Soto, Cotton, let’s see if it pays off…
I did not remember or know that Arcia was such a good defender.
@13 agreed. He has been pretty good for sure with a stronger arm than I thought
The strong arm helps him play deeper to compensate for his lack of range. I agree, he has done a nice job defensively. If he can do a little bit at the plate then he doesn’t hurt us.
I hope Snitker doesn’t let Jethro go too far into the 3rd time through the order if he gets in trouble.
@16 Snit is very consistent about when he pulls starters. If they have pitched decently with a chance to get the “win” he will pull them before they have a chance to get the “loss”. This game is a perfect example. 2-run lead and Snit pulls Jethro with two guys on base.
The bigger issue today is a pedestrian output against a replacement-level starting pitcher.
Let’s bring in a left hander to face a bunch of right handers. I’m sure it will be fine.
Should have brought in Will Smith!
Is this a triple grybo?
Could not help it. Moron.
@21
No, because the third run — the batter on the 3-run blast — belongs to Lee.
That’s the Matzek we missed. Big play!
The guy pitching for Nats in the 7th inning .. is what we don’t have power arm from right side .. well we do have one but he’s a starter…we gotta get us hard throwing right hander
I always tell Chip to watch the outfielders to tell where the ball is going, but it’s nice when you only have to watch the pitcher.
@25 Riley kinda disagrees.
@27 Nice one Timo.
gNats announcers speculate that every batter since Riley is Finnegan’s last…….lol
@27 …yes …but looks better than O’Day, Chavez or Stephen’s… we have nothing in the RH dept ..
@ I actually don’t disagree. It doesn’t feel like the Braves are actually having one of the best bullpens. It helps that Matzek is back.
In the top of the 10th in Flushing, Billy Hamilton pinch ran for the Manfred Man, promptly stole third, and scored on catcher’s throwing error. 1-0 Fish.
I had no idea Billy Hamilton was on the Marlins.
I’d love another power arm in the pen, but the fact remains the Braves pen overall is best in the league by most measures.
Mets Twitter is melting down over their catching situation.
Now the Marlins score Manfred-Man plus one. Tommy Hunter is not the pitcher he used to be.
You know, Chavez has been a very effective righty out of the pen. I’m not sure how he does it, but his ERA is now under 3.
Gotta love Jesse.
Acuna is so good that he’s still average when he’s struggling.
He doesn’t walk guys, gets a lot of movement and induces weak contact.
Carl Edwards throws hard but doesn’t know where the ball is going. That’s why he was a Braves reject.
Marlins win
Win or lose today, the Nats are not a good team. I distinctly remember many talking about how the Nationals were on a much better trajectory than us after winning the 2019 world series despite finishing behind us in the regular season. Since then they’ve won 121 games. We’ve won 174.
They have a ton of money invested in Strasburg and Corbin, whose arms fell off after being ridden hard in 2019. They sold Scherzer and Turner for Josiah Gray and Keibert Ruiz, 2 promising young pieces, but most of their pitching staff is made up of castoffs and never-weres and has been among the worst in the league.
Gotta love Jesse!
Jesse……….CHAVEZ
Gray, Rainey, Finnegan, and maybe Cishek are the only pitchers on their team who would be good enough to make the Braves this year.
If we had somebody that could bunt … we win ….
Ozuna and Contreras both killed the ball but hit it right at guys.
My thinking concerning today’s game.
An other Sunday and another loss should be avoided. With a tough part of the order do I take Anderson out? Too many managers who lack any creativity with a shutout say no. What does the catcher say (not in Ian’s presence)? Okay we let him in. First baserunner he’s done? I say yes. Now do we become even more creative (some Snit has no clue to what the word means), since none of the active relievers are performing in a shut down manor, how about we go backwards and bring in the closer to close out this inning. But whomever comes in needs to be effective against the schedule hitter and the likely pinch hitter. Hell maybe we get a double play and the same pitcher pitches the seventh. It may not have worked but by the numbers only is a sign you don’t know what you are doing. The Ray’s have the best pitching staff in baseball because they have a manager who has no regard for the pitchers feelings (ask Charlie) and is very creative. I personally feel at times he makes good but not needed moves just to show how smart he is. After all he did follow the man who started all of this.
Creativity is a positive thing. I doubt if Snit is a good golfer or chess player.
Sigh, they are not winning this, are they?
Just brutal with situational hitting and baserunning once again. Sending Anderson out in the 6th potentially cost them the game.
If they hold the nats in the second inning of Manfredball, can they please end this?
48 — Paragraphs, please.
McHuge!
If you’re going to pinch hit TDA for Arcia, why not pinch run Gosselin for Contreras since he has to come in anyway?
Why the hell not pinch hit Gosselin .. he can at least do that ….
53 — TDA is a better hitter. Arcia probably is too.
There isn’t anyone more un-clutch on this team than RAJ
Acuna couldn’t come up with a clutch hit if his life depended on it .. maybe loose some of the bling and quit doing all the things after honeruns trying to be cute .. just play baseball
@54 … I left out bunt Gosellin … sorry
@55 and 56–yes, it would be best just to DFA him
Hindsight’s always 20/20 around here
Okay, time to finish it, fellas. I really have to go to bed.
What an exciting, close baseball game. Our team is in a tight division race and it’s still the weekend.
@58 yeah, that’s what I said. I can see how you would think that’s what I meant
Yeah, we are in the soft underbelly of their bullpen now.
Positive energy, kiddoz. It works!
Austin Riley certainly has the clutch vibe though… bring on the Mets!
Braves BP today: 6.2 3H 1BB 1ER 4K. Gute Nacht. Go Braves!
Giggity!
Getting internal server errors while the braves were being crappy in extras, only to fix it once they win…real crafty, braves journal staff :p
Riley has been pretty clutch all day. He missed his clutchy-ness in one extra inning. But the credit has to go the bullpen today (excepting Lee). If Kenley comes back tomorrow, Lee will go down. With Duvall and Jansen back tomorrow, we’ll pretty much be at full strength. And only 1.5 games back.
P.S. Riley is back over .900 OPS.
Riley is really locked in. His OPS is now over .900
Edit add—his SLG is higher than Machado and Arenado.
The Braves now have a better run differential than the LOLMets.
Good for those boys. Proud parents, I bet.
When we traded Langeliers, did you think Contreras was going to be an All-Star in 2022? I didn’t.
The Mets have not exactly been playing poorly. 6-4 in their last 10. The Braves are just playing better.
For what it’s worth, my other team, the Orioles have won 8 straight and are threatening .500 and inclusion in the wild card. Some AL East team is going to be mighty embarrassed if the O’s are not last place.
72 — William’s breakout is certainly lessening the blow of losing Shea.
It’s pretty easy to figure out what you need to do at the trade deadline when you’re third and 2 games under .500. It’s not so easy when you are maybe the 4th or 5th best team in baseball with a rising trajectory. This year may be the most challenging for AA to get it right.
Riley and Kyle Wright are the biggest omissions from the braves, IMO.
Some day I may regret the loss of Shea, but right now I feel pretty great how it’s worked out!
I wouldn’t count Riley or Wright out yet. Some guys will end up sitting out and will have replacements.
I think both Riley and Wright end up getting in. But it’s better to make the team and then decline then to be an alternate and have to accept in order to be considered an All-Star. If it were me, I’d graciously decline and still get to say I was an All-Star.
Looks like he’ll replace Goose.
Recapped, with the bonus All-Star Game news. I’m just now seeing the Robinson Cano news, so I’ll add a brief bit about that to the end of my recap as well.