There’s a rhythm to a baseball season, and tonight’s game leaves me a little syncopated. St. Louis games are supposed to be characterized by stifling August heat, and, back in the old stadium, Astroturf you could fry sausages on. But it’s April 3, and we’re in St. Louis.; Really?The earliest the Braves have ever played in St. Louis before this was 1968, when they played opening day on April 10th in the previous Busch Stadium, a game that was delayed by a day for Martin Luther King’s funeral. Pat Jarvis lost a 2-1 decision to Ray Washburn in relief of Bob Gibson. The Braves had 3 hits (Boyer, Millan and Lum).The Boston Braves never played in St. Louis in April, and the Milwaukee Braves never played them in the first two weeks of the season.
The Braves got three hits a little faster in this game; they had three homers by the end of the 2nd inning, one of them a release of pent-up anger from Austin Riley which circled the Arch a few times before landing 475 feet from home at 113 mph off his bat. That was a solo shot, but a two run Ozzie Albies dinger and a three run RAJ knock gave the Braves a lead. 1 + 2 + 3 = 6 runs, which turned out to be more than enough. (But not always… see below.)
The Braves pitched Charlie Morton.I don’t claim to read everything about the Braves, but Charlie has flown completely below the buzz radar this spring. The fight for the fifth starter and the injury to Kyle Wright were the pitching stories I read. Last year, Charlie’s recovery from the broken leg was a big story. Now it’s just a matter of letting a 4th starter veteran do his thing.And that’s what he did: 5 1/3 of scattering hits here and there and three runs given up. If Charlie pitches that way all year, that’s really all you need out of a 4th starter. He’ll have a few much better games, and a couple of stinkers: just keep on keepin’ on, young fella.
Nick Anderson followed up Charlie, filthily.He gave up a homer to Goldschmidt, but a lot of good pitchers have done that, and by the time he hit it the Braves had scored a couple more. Easy peasy.
This is the way a ten hit team easily beats a twelve hit team: chicks dig the long ball.
Some Performances
Ronald Acuna Jr was 3 for 4 with ¾ of a cycle. Arcia played shortstop like Ozzie Smith. Ozuna played like Ozzie Nelson. (TFloyd will know who I’m talking about.)
Statistical Oddity Of The Night
The Braves hit 3 homers. A solo shot, a two run homer and a three run homer in order.; That doesn’t happen a lot, but it happens a lot more than I thought: 442 times. The Braves last did it on August, 19, 2017, with a solo from Brandon Phillips, a 2 run homer from Kurt Suzuki and a 3-run shot from Matt Adams. They lost the game 11-8. Remember back then? This is much more fun.
RIP Chipwatch
He was sitting in the other booth. Deo gratias. I didn’t listen. Brandon and Jeff gave him a nice encomium in bottom of the 4th.I wish him nothing but well, as long as I don’t have to listen to him. Chipwatch is hereby retired, like Andruw’s #25.St. Louis will obviously like him more than I do, their being the most knowledgeable fans in baseball and all.
I got through well enough to post something in the new way. I didn’t post a picture at the top… baby steps. But I’m not making an editorial comment here: I know the season has started and it’s not really the 2022-2023 Offseason like it says at the top. But I can’t figure out how to change it.
When I get a moment, I’ll doctor it up. Learning curves!
Nice recap. I’m very excited for this offense. A fully fit RAJ is a pleasure to watch.
You’ve made me re-look at that 2017 team, the last of the crappy ones before our division winning run. it was much older than I remembered.I would’ve sworn Phillips was off the team once we called Ozzie up, but apparently not, he just moved to third. A starting line-up consisting of Enciarte, Phillips, Freeman, Kemp, Markakis, Suzuki, is one I have no memory of. Probably for the best.
It is indeed disorienting to see the Braves in St. Louis in April. But it is very comforting to read a JonathanF recap, who is already in midseason form.
At least Ozzie Nelson is the father of a Hall of Famer. Marcell has no such redeeming feature.
Death, taxes and an entertaining and informative JonathanF recap. Plus ca change etc
Well done, Jonathan. From my perspective, Uncle Charlie has flown under the spring training buzz because of his veteran status and $20 mil contract…but his effort last night felt a lot like last summer and once Wright is back and if/when Soroka is good to go, I wonder if ol’ Charlie might have a hang nail or something that lands him on the IL to save face and enable the Braves to win the division again. If I remember correctly, he started 2021 like this and eventually settled in, but he’s two years older, and I know what the last two years have done to me, so..
…time will tell, I guess.
“Ozuna played like Ozzie Nelson” made me roar with laughter. But aren’t you being a bit harsh? He got on base twice.
So did Ozzie Nelson… With Harriet. Where do you think Ricky and David came from?
A 1950’s sitcom with them sleeping not only in different beds but different rooms? Gotta be the stork or the mailman
Or the milkman! I’m old enough to remember the Mathis Dairy milkman delivering those bottles of milk to our house