All of Braves Country is asking the same question: “Where are the paper bags?”
After dropping game one of the NLDS to Philadelphia – and being shutout for the first time at home in 2023 – all of the hyperventilating is understandable. Philadelphia was gifted the first run in Saturday’s opener. Nemesis Bryce Harper hit a laser to make it 2-0. Holding the lead, Philly added a final insurance run late, giving the Philthies a philthy 3-0 win.
The Wheel(er)s on the bus go round and round
Understandably, Atlanta’s fan base is going into Game Two with bated breath. Zach Wheeler is one of the best in the game, and Rob Thompson hands Wheeler the ball tonight. Thankfully, Max Fried will be on the bump for Atlanta and lives for these situations.
Wheeler has a lifetime ERA of 3.18 against the Braves. He has made 27 starts, thrown 170 innings, and is big-time starting pitcher. Oh, how I wish we had landed him a few years ago. He has a career ERA of 2.55 in the post-season and has dominated most of the Braves lineup in head-to-head matchups. In three starts in 2023, he has been just a tick worse. He has a 3.32 ERA in those three starts. The worst of the three was the middle one, where the Braves scored six runs and chased Wheeler after five innings of work.
Ronald Acuña Jr. has enjoyed the most success. He is 12-for-46 with four HRs, four doubles, and seven RBIs. Acuña carries a .900 OPS, as well. Austin Riley is 11-for-40 with a homer, five doubles, and four RBIs. Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson have each homered twice, and Travis d’Arnaud has slashed .381/.435/.571 in 21 ABs. Look for d’Arnaud to be in tonight’s lineup.
Happy Frieday, y’all!
Whereas the Wheels on the bus have gone round and round, Fried has been fry-ed by the Phils in his career. The Philly bats have been philthy against Max, slashing .299/.349/.495 in 194 ABs . In addition to walking 16 times, the the Phightins (as old friend Chip Caray would say) have belted eight homers and 12 doubles, as well.
I’m sure this will not surprise y’all, but Harper, JT Realmuto, and Trea Turner have feasted on Fried food in head-to-head battles. Realmuto has hit three home runs, hit .350, and has an OPS of 1.024 in four career ABS off Fried. Turner slashes .400/.462/.543 for a 1.005 OPS, and Harper has been almost as successful. Harper bats left-handed, and still crushes Fried (.300/.400/.567). In addition to the big three, I’d keep my eye on Nick Castellanos if I was Fried. The Philthies right-fielder is 8-for-13 with a homer run against Max.
In one start against Philly this summer, Fried allowed four hits and one run in five innings of work. He struck out six and walked two in a no-decision. When I take that into account, and the way that Fried shoved in the ’21 post-season, there is reason for the Braves to be optimistic today. But if you are more inclined to doom and gloom, I’d be sure I could answer the question, “Where are the paper bags?”
The Wheels on the bus are falling off
Here’s tonight’s lineup. Accordingly, the Braves intend to make the Wheel(er)s on the bus fall off. First pitch at Truist Park will happen at 6:07 ET/5:07 CT. Let’s chat it up again tonight!
As Nick Cave might sing, “The time is nigh…”
Let’s go get ’em, Braves.
I decided to wear the same shirt tonight that I wore on Saturday: Aaron number 44. Just like the team as a whole, I see no need to panic and change things up just because of one loss. I’m confident the Braves are stronger overall than the Phils, and I’m confident about tonight.
Wearing my same City Connect jersey tonight, too, tfloyd.
It’s go time!
I blame Trea Turner
Yeah, he’s a nuisance, for sure. And stampton‘s boy, Bohm, contributing is frustrating.
Whew. That first inning could have been a lot worse
If Acuna doesn’t get on base, we can forget about the game.
They’re chasing everything up.
I hope Bethany’s watching.
Ozuna just laid off a heater at the top of the zone, and the ump called it a strike.
Acuna better get it going. We don’t need an A-Rod on our hands.
If Wheeler strikes out 3 per inning it won’t matter what Ronald does. But I think the Braves will adjust the second time through the order.
No adjustments from batter to batter, but hopefully there will be an adjustment the second go around. So far this is brutal.
I think I’d go get Max here pretty quick. Pitch count is thru the roof and he is not hitting many spots.
I should’ve worn a different shirt
Me too, brother!
Not too late to change. I’m changing mine.
It was a hell of a season. But this team has been allergic to the NLDS since Y2K. And Tonkin warming up? Cripes. Game over, man.
It really doesn’t matter how many the Phillies score if the Braves score zero,.
Just keep trying to win three games with one swing, guys! No problem! Let ‘er rip!
Almost time for everyone to make comments about how this post season bonus tournament doesn’t matter, and the regular season is what really matters and aren’t those grapes sour anyway?
I’ve been trying to remind myself about how I want to handle this situation – and I am not doing very well. I do not want to go to doom and gloom, but this goose looks cooked, y’all. Fried, even, if you will!
It is. We may get no hit.
I’m already thinking about how we can win 3 in a row. I think the change of scenery will be good going to Philly. We can’t play worse. We are good enough to come back from 0-2
Somebody brought up 1998 as the comparison for this, and that’s exactly right. Dick around and lose Game 1…oh well, it’s a long series and we’re the better team. Except starting Game 2 is a guy we can’t hit with a guitar (Kevin Brown started Game 2 for the Padres in that series) and…whoops, suddenly we’re in an unrecoverable hole and it doesn’t matter that we’re the better team.
That was me. 1998 was the best team we ever had and our lineup of mashers came out of our shoes swinging at sterling hitchcock’s junk 6 inches off the plate.
I don’t think we’re the better team. Their starters are better, their pen is way better, and their lineup puts up good at bats. Watching this in person is just awful.
This is what happens when you put it in cruise control the last week of the season. The Braves have failed to wake up from their snooze.
13 scoreless, punchless playoff innings thus far from the league’s best offense. Man, what a stinker of a start. Come on boys.
Wow, that’s terrible for Kyle Wright.
https://www.al.com/sports/2023/10/atlanta-braves-get-terrible-news-on-pitcher-kyle-wright.html
This is not new news. I was afraid it was something we didn’t know when I saw the headline.
Wheeler did give up five runs in the fifth inning of his last start against the Braves in September. What are the odds that happens again?
I’m using my paper bag to huff glue.
Comment of the night 😆
Not a bad idea…
There is a ship on the horizon.
For awhile, we on the shore are not sure if it’s approaching or passing us by, far off as it is. But as the third inning gives way to the fourth, then the fifth, then the sixth, it’s clear that the smudge of its presence at the hinge of sea and sky is incrementally, but unmistakably, growing larger, and larger still. In a similar way, at first, we’re not sure if we hear it out loud, or if it’s coming from someplace deep inside of ourselves, but as it approaches, we are gradually aware of the faintest trickle of music in the wind: there’s an upbeat 1980’s top-40 synth-pop rhythm section, with a strange—but familiar—drive to the beat, and regular, joyful splashes of horns on top. Twitching subconsciously to the beat, we look to each other— do you hear it, too? Is there— is there a girl that’s on your mind? All the time? And she doesn’t even know our names? But then how do we know hers?? Could it be— we have sang this song before?
I think TDA’s last hit was in July
I’m glad we gave “forest wall” all those at bats in September. That really helped our starting line up get dialed in! Pulling all of our starters for the last month and making no attempt to win games was a great idea.
Let’s go, Braves!
Wheeler may throw a no-hitter!
You’re welcome! But adding on would mean Riley needs to get a two-out hit with someone on base.
It’s a couple of innings later, but RILEY!!!!!!!
No no-hitter or shutout! Huzzah!
Nice to see Acuna alive on the bases there…
Thanks, ump! It’s not like we’re fighting for our lives here or anything! It’s all good!
Max definitely wasn’t getting those calls early…
Travis!
Ok TDA…I should have trash talked him sooner
Morpheus: HE’S BEGINNING TO BELIEVE
Who should we talk trash about now? Pillar can’t hit at all, can he? 🙂
Someone was criticizing the Braves for trying to hit home runs.
Back in the game, baby… let’s keep it rolling
As I noted in the last thread, the Phillies strategy to pull the starter in Game 1 as soon as possible (before he got tired and before Atlanta saw him the 3rd time) was brilliant. Fortunately they didn’t follow that strategy tonight.
It actually was a great strategy given a day off in between. With a game the next day, I don’t think it is so good.
Nice work, AJ…
Let’s scratch (or blast) a couple more.
Gonna need some clutchness from the top of the order.
EDIT: BANGO!
Riley!
RILEY!!!!
I told you. Acuna has to get on base to score runs.
Let the record show I never stopped believing. Someone correct the record
That’s a strong young’un.
!!!!!!!
Let’s get another run…
Gonna need another big out, AJ
Minter
Scoring 5 runs with only 6 base runners is the opposite of squandering opportunities.
I’d like to see another bomb or two.
I’d send Minter back out there to face Harper…assuming he hasn’t mentally shut it down because he was told he’s out.
Minter’s the only choice…
Iglesias vs. Harper is like tee-ball
I’d rather see Harper walk than hit a HR.
point and laugh
Wow! What an ending! Harris at the wall!
Right up there with Otis’ catch. One for the ages!
Un-fuckin-believable!
WTF, Harper!?!?!?!?!
I feel pretty good about our chances Wednesday, y’all! Two huge momentum shifting plays…
OH MY GOSH WHAT A GAME
Win, win, win.
I am still looking for the paper bag. W O W !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good lord, what a finish.
Never in doubt.
Seriously, that was just about the greatest catch I’ve ever seen, considering all the circumstances.
That is late comeback baseball that finishes on a ball that two different defenders made standout plays on. We in this series now, folks; Nola is old and doesn’t scare me anymore after this year.
We are gonna pummel that philthy mother…
Here’s mine…
business-resized
Harris’ catch was amazing.
But let it also be said that Austin Riley just came up with 2 of the most clutch moments you could ever have in a big game.
A 2-run HR w/ 2 strikes and 2 outs to put the team ahead… and then a near-Jeter-like play on the muffed relay to double up Harper to win it. Tremendous stuff.
And the over the shoulder catch by the tarp!
He struck out in the middle of the game at some point and I grumbled to myself about how it would be nice if the clutch Riley from 2020 and 2021 would bother to show up. From that point on, he absolutely balled out, as the kids say (or at least they used to).
The play-by-play announcer reminded me of Chip. Said Harris’s ball was hit deep when the LF had to come in, then seemed to think Riley’s ball might not make it out. I can live with it given the result, though.
Brian Anderson is normally really good IMO, but he’s made a lot of really weird simple mistakes in these last two games. Wrong batters and saying the go-ahead run is scoring when he means coming to the plate and a bunch of other stuff. Not sure what’s going on there, but it’s fairly bizarre.
It’s understandable he wasn’t sure Austin’s would leave the yard. He hit it with one hand!
I should say that going back and listening to Anderson’s calls of the Riley homer and the double play, both were really good, so he still got the big moments right.
That was so worth staying up. Goodnight and Go Braves!
Acuna, Ozuna, and Harris are sill hitless after 2 games. I don’t expect that to continue.
Unbelievable. Time to pummel Nola.
You guys are nailing it. Riley had an incredible second half of the game. This play doesn’t get talked about if Riley doesn’t pull off an amazing pick and bullet throw to first. Man, that’s what sports is all about and what the non-sportsers don’t understand. That got the blood pumping. Wow, this team flipped the script in a few innings. I had friends calling and texting talking trash and I just said, “Let our boys cook.”
Phil Collins. Never in doubt.