I have very much enjoyed the brand of baseball played by Atlanta over the past few days. Last night’s come from behind victory was the third of its kind in as many games going back to the get away game in Phoenix. This is the style of play that everyone has been waiting on and it’s been incredibly fun to watch. Hopefully the magic continues tonight as the Braves try to complete a three game sweep of the Mets in Truist Park.
Business as usual for Atlanta coming into Thursday night. Sean Murphy gets the night off and Travis d’Arnaud will handle the catching duties. Michael Harris II will look to build on a three hit night on Wednesday topped off with an eighth inning go ahead two run shot. Spencer Strider takes the mound with hopes of lowering his 2.97 ERA on the season. He’s also looking to pick up his seventh win and build on his MLB leading strikeout total (113). The at bats have looked much better since coming back to Atlanta. Timely hitting has been front and center. Strider always gives this team a chance and tonight would be a great night for a top shelf outing. Let’s hand the Mets a clean sweep tonight and create a little distance in the standings from the *checks notes* Miami Marlins?
Buck Showalter has elected to press a few different buttons going into the series finale. Mark Canha and Daniel Vogelbach are absent. The nod has gone to rookies Mark Vientos at first and Francisco Alvarez manning the DH role. Pete Alonso will sit after taking a 96 MPH fastball off the wrist courtesy of Charlie Morton on Wednesday night. X-rays came back negative and clubhouse interviews seem to reveal no malicious intent. I would still throw on and extra pad or two if I was Ronald Acuna. We’ll get a look at reigning AL Cy Young winner Justin Verlander to wrap up the series. Justin been a little slow out of the gate. He’s 2-3 with a 4.25 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 36 innings pitched. Even if Verlander gives the Braves fits, I like our chances for some more late inning magic against this Mets bullpen. Some pretty glaring holes have surfaced with the absence of Edwin Diaz and Atlanta has done a great job of exploiting those in games one and two.
Thats the tale of the tape. A series win is always good. A sweep of the Mets would really kick the weekend off right. First pitch is at 7:20 ET and can be seen on Bally Sports South and MLB network.
Thanks for the coverage, Cade! Great piece. Looking forward to screaming “throw it again” more tonight.
Can we do a Pete Alonso game thread?
Pete Alonso asks teammate Justin Verlander every day if they can swap wives, then says “just kidding”.
I’m really enjoying this broadcast but Smoltz needs to talk much less.
Until the other night, I actually kinda liked Pete Alonso (even though he is a Gator & a Met).
But now, I guess I better like the idea that the Mets’ best player put himself out there to be hated & ridiculed. Makes the rivalry a little more testy (& tasty). Bring it.
Nice start, fellas…
EDIT: Looks like Timmy Lupus is playing RF tonight.
Those 3 straight hits against Strider would’ve been outs 1, 2, & 3 last year. The shift ban is so noticeable. It’s June and my brain still hasn’t adjusted. I see these grounders off the bat and expect a fielder to be there.
Strider’s numbers against the Mets are pretty lousy. They’ve got him figured out.
Well that went poorly.
I haven’t exactly loved Strider this year, even with all the strikeouts….feel like he’s another degrom situation waiting to happen, even with his thunder thighs.
An 8.80 ERA and a 2.022 WHIP in Strider’s starts vs. the Mets is concerning. Patient batters that work counts are his kryptonite.
Those are eye-popping numbers. No wonder it always feels bad when he pitches against them.
Tough night for Strider, but he’s still gutting out some situations. That last inning could’ve been a helluva lot worse.
OK, that was a productive inning. Stay in it long enough & maybe we’ll break their hearts again…
Verlander-Strider so why wouldn’t it be 6-5 after 3 innings?
Tonkin’s smoke and mirrors aren’t working anymore.
This is like one of those APBA games where you just keep rolling 11s or 66s… the pitcher’s grade doesn’t matter.
That’s the best inning Jimenez has thrown all season.
Did Strider get hit hard, or did they just hit em where they ain’t?
By any definition, he got hit hard. The grand slam was 96 right down the middle and got out in a hurry.
Pinch-running for your only truly viable 1B is a choice.
Who’s your daddy Mets?
Wow, what a frustratingly awful but awesome game!
Greetings from somewhere off the coast of Goteborg Sweden at 5 am. That was fun.
Those early morning CET-time games are fun, right JonathanF. Hope you’re having the best time.
Last night in Colorado for me, got to the airport hotel just on time to watch the comeback and the walk-off. What.a.game.! What went wrong with Strider today? What a comeback. This team is so much fun. Go Braves!
I was a bit distracted in the early innings, but one of the broadcasters (Smoltz or Glavine) talked about Strider’s pitches not having good movement, which was kinda my layman opinion, as well. But everybody has off nights, so I’m not ready to write off his career just yet. 😉
Really great to pump these flogs and their obnoxious fans.
What a game, indeed. Strider had seven Ks thru three innings, but he had also given up six runs. It was a head-scratching outing from him.
You said it, Timo!
Gosh, Orlando Arcia is having some kind of year, isn’t he?
And Harris was 2-4 with a walk, too. When those two guys are going, our lineup can threaten double digit runs any night of the week.
After scoring 10 runs, I sure thought the Mets had conquered the jinx but WOW what a finish for the home team. What a fun way to end it. I thought it was a great broadcast team. I know I’m missing something but who was “doggie”? I was watching on the phone in the car and couldn’t read the titles. I’m guessing either Jason Schmidt or Kevin Millwood?
Doggie was Greg Maddux, who called in. First I’d heard that nickname, too.
I thought that at first but during the blooper reel he said that was his “first start” when Chipper ran over him. Of course, Maddux was Mad Dog, but it was weird when he said it was his first start…. Was that Chipper’s first start maybe? I had trouble separating the voices at times.
Yes, it was Chipper’s first start at third after Pendleton left.
The lede on SportsNight on SNY (the Mets TV network): “Well, that… was a gut-punch.”
Yes, that… was spectacular.
Another chapter in the ongoing story.
“Doggie” was Mad Dog Maddux on the 90s-aughts dynasty Braves.
That was a game where you will remember where you were. My entire family, sitting around a small table at a resort on Table Rock Lake near Branson, MO. Streaming the game on a laptop, playing some game, and losing our minds when Ozzie walked it off.
I lost my mind when Ozuna was called out on a pitch six inches inside before Arcia tied it at 10, and was elated when Ozzie barreled that one up.
Game recap coming in the morning!
Looking forward to that recap.
That’s really awesome.
that sweep was just awesome, thanks for talking smack Alonso!
Tell me this isn’t the most fun org to follow in all of baseball! What a game. And what a fun night listening to the booth.
Suck it, Mets! Wow, was that something to wake up and see! We’re on vacation, and I retired to um, be with the wife, when we were down 10-9 and Chavez had 2 on with 1 out. Certainly didn’t expect 2 strikeouts to escape the jam, followed by a homer to tie, and another homer to win in extras. Although the way that game had gone, that’s probably just what I should have expected.
Recap is up: