That was fun, wasn’t it?
Austin Riley hit nine miles worth of home runs, Dylan Dodd did something few if any Braves pitchers have ever done, and Travis d’Arnaud didn’t even break a sweat in being the hero we didn’t know we’d need. The Braves claimed the first of a four-game set with the Filthies, 8-5.
Riley has been warming up after a long slumber, lacing four doubles in the Dodgers series. In the bottom of the first, he hit a 1-1 pitch 459 feet into the left-center bleachers with an exit velo of 113.8. His second homer of the game came in the fifth, a 458 foot bomb that was 110.9 off the bat. Even the out he made in the bottom of the eighth was 106 mph off the bat. Sure, he was the first out in the third when the Braves had second a third with nobody out, but that was a questionable check-swing call…and the called third strike in the seventh was annoying AF, as the kids say. Is any rung up on more balls out of the zone than Riley? Anyone, it’s fun to see him coming out of it.
As for Dodd, he retired Trea Turner in three straight at bats, something no Braves pitcher has ever done (I have no statistical evidence to back-up this statement). Turner is a Braves-killer, and I confess to an excessive amount of schadenfreude in this one because it seems like Turner is always 2-3 with a BB and three runs scored against the good guys. Dodd was serviceable in this one, the only real issue being the 445-foot bomb he gave up to another arch-nemesis from Filthadelphia, Bryce Harper. Sure, Alec Bohm hit a 433-foot homer in the top of the second (did he touch home?), but Dodd worked five innings, spared the ‘pen some work, and was either good enough to earn another crack at it or to be sent down so Michael Soroka can make his debut in Oakland on Monday.
While I’m not sure Bohm touched home or not, I know Nick Castellanos did not, thanks to Sean Murphy‘s effort and a good relay from Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies. Trailing 5-4 in the top of the seventh, Brian Snitker turned to AJ Minter…sigh! After getting the first two hitters, he gave up a bunt single to Harper – I don’t like him but he is talented – a single to Castellanos, and then hung a cutter to Kyle Schwarber who laced it into the right-field corner. Minter’s metrics aren’t horrible, but his results are, and thankfully he left the game with the score tied 5-5 thanks to a successful challenge on a play at the plate that gunned down Castellanos.
All of this set the stage for the aforementioned d’Arnaud, who pinch-hit for Michael Harris II in the bottom of the eighth. I was thrilled to see the Filthies turn to a left-handed reliever! Albies singled with one out, Marcell OHzuna hit a ground rule double, and Orlando Arcia walked to load the bases. Snitker turned to d’Arnaud, who laced a 2-0 pitch 110.8 mph thru the hole to plate Albies and the belly-flopping OHzuna, giving the Braves the lead for good. Matt Olson hit a sac fly to provide the 8-5 final.
The Braves will turn to Jared Shuster Friday night against the former Mets righty, Taijuan Walker, who the good guys seem to mash. What could make for a better Friday night than beating the Filthies who are throwing a former Met? First pitch is slated for 7:20 ET.
Christian,
First, thank you.
And, I concur that no Braves pitcher has ever gotten Trea Turner out on three straight plate appearances. So, Dodd will always have that.
What a banger of a recap! Good job Christian!
Thanks, Boss!
Trea Turner in fact has 9 games (including last night) against the Braves with 4 or more plate appearances and an on-base percentage of 0.000 and didn’t score a run. https://stathead.com/tiny/N44I0 He went 0-7 in this game https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ATL/ATL201806020.shtml in which Brandon McCarthy got him out three times in a row. Drew Smyly got him three times in this game: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WAS/WAS202105060.shtml Kevin Gausman got him 3 times in this game: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ATL/ATL201907210.shtml
It’s pretty remarkable…
I know that’s what the game records say, JonathanF, but I’m with Christian. I’ve watched an awful lot of Braves games against Trea Turner, and in my memory he never had an 0-fer. So who you gonna trust, the historical record or my aging memory?
I just posted a comment awaiting moderation because it had too many links. Trea Turner has 9 games (including last night) against Atlanta with four or more plate appearances, an on-base percentage of .000 and no runs scored. https://stathead.com/tiny/N44I0
Approved!
9 games out of 7 million must be why it feels like his OPS+ against us is like 220. 🙂
Thanks for digging, JonathanF…and my memory ages like Tfloyd’s…at least I was honest I had no statistical evidence.
I think the play at the plate was a relay from Acuña to Arcia, not Ozzie Albies. Minor nitpick of a great recap.
Yeah, it was Arcia who threw out Castellanos at home. Orlando has been great for us this year.
Yep, my bad on the recap of the relay…Arcia has been studly…
For those who want to torture themselves with Trea Turner’s 447 Plate Appearances against the Braves. Actually, I’m surprised the OPS is under 1.000.
https://stathead.com/tiny/JkEnu
And Matt Olsen for his eighth career stolen base.
The baserunning tonight leaves something to be desired.
Another good start for Shuster.
I’m so happy for Mike Harris, particularly seeing him drive it the opposite way. But has he always stood that far from the plate?
Good that Shuster can’t take the loss, at least. Wish there were better options than Jimenez, but this is the pickle in which we find ourselves.
This bloody bullpen.
Can we have Malloy back? Jimenez sucks.
If anybody consistently pulls the wrong strings in the bullpen more than Snitker I would be completely surprised. He needs to go with the George Costanza opposite philosophy
That’s unfair, given the last few years we all watched. But Jimenez has not been great. A lot of gaspails out in the pen this year.
Snitker doesn’t have much to work with right now, in his defense. Although the unshaken trust in Minter is baffling. After a while, struggles cease to be “bad luck.”
Still, Shuster at 89 pitches vs. any bullpen arm not named Anderson or Iglesias … I think I’d have to go with the former right now.
And Luetge has removed all doubt.
Worst part of this is that being behind, Snitker will send out the B bullpen. Which is somehow even worse than the A bullpen.
True at times but he hasn’t been good this year. Minter and Jimenez give up runs like they are supposed to.
Well, that was a rough night for the bullpen. Jimenez and Luetge really struggled with their command. The bullpen still collectively has an 88 FIP- and a 93 xFIP- on the season, so in spite of meltdowns like the one we witnessed last night, they’ve largely been very good.
It wasn’t just the bullpen, though. The base running was absolutely atrocious. Ozuna’s blunder looms large. Also, Eddie Rosario is slow and should not be trying to steal under any circumstances.
Recapped: https://bravesjournal.com/2023/05/27/other-than-the-6th-and-7th-braves-win-again-but-counting-those-innings-phils-6-braves-4/