I’m going to try to liveblog today’s first game here. Whether this works or not will depend on whether or not I can effectively do this on my phone (untried) whether I can remember I’m liveblogging while stuffing my face with food (maybe?) and whether or not I have anything to say. This will also serve as the game thread for both games today.
Today is the fifth anniversary of Mike Soroka’s MLB debut at CitiField, a game I was privileged to attend in slightly better seats than I have today. The picture above is his first pitch in The Show. We’re waiting to get you back, Mike. We’ve been doing OK without you, but it isn’t close to the same.
12:37: Sausage and Peppers downed, Bourbon and soda at the ready…
12:48. The organist is playing a polka-themed I Wanna Be Sedated.
12:50 Bourbon finished, assisted immensely by hearing The Ramones played like the Beer Barrel Polka.
1:17 3 run homers always play. Murphy!
1:40 I was told the pace of play had improved…First inning completed in 30 minutes… 3-1 Braves.
1:43. One time through the lineup is all (Not Jo-Jo) Reyes gets Curtiss greeted with RAJ bomb. 6-1.
1:57. I didn’t mean to slight Pillar, whose 2 run homer counts as well. But his barely left the park.
2:11 Alonso overmatched in his first at-bat, undermatched in his second: 6-4
2:44 Strider breezes through 5 innings with 107 pitches and 4 runs allowed. A modern complete game.
2:56 I have said mean things about Mets fans’ intelligence in the past, but the woman in front of me is perusing Fundamentals of Matrix Computations between innings. If I weren’t married, I might ask her to make eigenvectors with me.
3:00 Baty Bats off Dylan Lee: 6-5
3:04 New meets old— a pitch clock violation followed by a sacrifice bunt.
3:17 We didn’t pay too much for Sean Murphy — 9-5
3:56 AJ. Nobody’s worried, are they?
4:02 Ok… A little worried. 9-8
4:03 Had it all the way. Recap of game 2 tonight.
Unfortunately, Soroka had nothing last night after being lights-out in his last two starts. Missing 2 years is hard
WIsh I could be there with you today. Unfortunately, my wknd plans included the washed-out Sat/Sun games. Today, I got my hands full, but will have the games nearby on the iPad. Here’s to a big day in BravesLand.
It’s still early, of course, but the A’s are on a pace to win 34 games. Meanwhile, Rays are on a pace to lose 34 games.
Have the Braves announced their extra player for today?
Dusty Baker’s been going to the Busy Bee in Atlanta for more than a half-century. This is a great piece.
https://theathletic.com/4440319/2023/04/23/astros-mlb-dusty-baker-braves-busy-bee/
Game 1 Lineup:
How do the Mets have 2 days off and have to open game 1 with a bullpen game?
Helluva start… keep it up, fellas
Sean Murphy is… good.
Strider against the Mets is not a good matchup. They know how to drive up pitch counts. His 1.622 WHIP in three starts last year against them is alarming. They’ve got him figured out in a way others do not.
Nice job by Strider getting out of it there. He needs to get back to the center of the zone, IMO. He doesn’t need to fart around painting the black with the stuff he’s got.
Pillar!!!
EDIT: Oh, Ronald. You beautiful man.
Acuna says I got your 3 – 0 strike zone expansion right here.
Ronald! Oh my!
Welcome to the friendly confines of CitiField, JonathanF. Petey A. knows the strike zone. The bourbon was an excellent idea, the sausage and peppers not so much. It’s a doubleheader.
This is morphing into a long-bullpen special. Gulp.
Strider’s four starts the last two seasons against the Mets as of 2 on, no out, 6-4 in the third: 1.95 WHIP, 6.28 ERA.
Time to get Strider out of there. Save him for the next start.
Strider throwing some changeups today, deep in his pitch count. They look good, too.
Somewhere, Chip Caray is watching and is very excited.
Well, that’s why you wanted Strider in as long as possible. And it looks like it still wasn’t long enough.
Bullpen off to another stellar start.
I’d ratherour entire bullpen not hit the regression monster at the same time.
Let’s get some back here.
Like that, pretty much.
So far it appears that the Braves FO know what they were doing when they signed Murphy. Also, I think Atlanta’s bullpen is a little better than the Mets. Hope this continues to be the case.
Edit: Right now the assumption about the bullpen looks a little shaky. Why in the heck did they not challenge the slide???
Kill this bullpen with fire.
Get off your duff, Snitker, and challenge that.
Vaughn Grissom’s defense is the gift that keeps on giving. Dude can hit but he is no shortstop
The video room guy was out getting a coffee, I guess. Should’ve been a double play on interference by McNeil, erase the run, and put the runner back on third. For some reason, we didn’t challenge it.
Egregious derelict of duty by the entire Braves coaching staff to not challenge that double play. When we lose this game I hope they have to answer for it.
Glad we were waiting on the return of Colin McHugh to fix the dumpster fire bullpen. God help us if we need to go to Minter in the 9th
we have got to have a pitcher somewhere out there that can get some outs.
Chavez? Good night.
Snitker really isn’t clothing himself in glory this inning.
Grissom is the Ryan Klesko of shortstops.
I suspect that play looked even more awkward live than on TV.
Good grief. Even when he makes the play, he looks goofy doing it. Not that it really matters as long as the play as, in fact, made.
Is there ANY chance Snitker will keep Anderson in for the 9th?????
Normally I’d say no, but we do need to have somebody available to pitch out of the bullpen in Game 2.
Minter… (gulp)
I don’t care if Alonso hits it to Sunnyside, do not walk him.
EDIT: Yay, one down.
Pitchers don’t always get through an inning without giving up 2 runs, but it’s the way to bet.
Charlie Morton’s going to have to take one for the team if he gets rocked tonight.
And sweet merciful crap, Minter. This is Dan Kolb for a new generation. And the manager is the last to see it.
Didn’t think it would be easy, did you?
It’s a win and, for the moment, a 4-game lead.
Let’s go for the sweep.
Scary but a win is a win. I really think Nick Anderson is our only truly reliable reliever right now. I guess Snit’s saving Jimenez for the nightcap.
It sure seems like Anderson is the only reliable guy right now and Lee was really good until a week ago or so. Anderson has been outstanding thus far.
I like it much more when we win. 🙂
Where did RAJ get hit at? The gamecast doesn’t say.
RAJ out of the game. Hit in the upper left shoulder, right at the joint.
Um, there will certainly be a reaction to that HBP. Lindor & Alonso might wanna put on football helmets.
I just hope Charlie doesn’t get tossed.
Probably better to wait and let the bullpen handle it. Plus, it adds plausible deniability.
Particularly if the game gets out of hand in either direction. As old school as I am I would rather sweep these clowns than get into a season long escapade but at some point we need to protect RAJ and drill somebody but I would also prefer the bullpen do it.
Does anyone in our pen throw hard enough to hurt someone? Could they locate enough to even hit them? So many questions. I’m interested to see if our team stands up for RAJ.
If that’s a broken scapula, he’s probably out two to three months. F*** the Mets.
Our shortstops ain’t exactly Ozzie Smith these days & Daniel Vogelbach definitely isn’t Jesse Owens.
Rally time…
Bruised left shoulder is the word from the Braves on Acuna.
That sounds right for Acuna. As much as it seemed to hurt and as hard as the ball was thrown, I still couldn’t imagine a broken scapula. I imagine he will either be day to day or take the obligatory 15 day IL stint.
Safe, baby…
We’re getting some big hits from Rosario this past week…
Big ABs from Murphy & Olson in the inning as well
We won a challenge. How about that? The strike zone has been terrible for both games.
Trash ‘pen strikes again.
#bullpenisbad
why did we trade for Jimenez again?
Recap is up, along with a comment thread.