The Braves traveled to the great north country. They found much rain. Hallelujah they didn’t suspend this one or cancel it. When you are up 9 to 1 in the second inning, that is a game you really want completed.
It was a Max Fried start. (edit in Word press just tried to supplement in “chicken” after “Fried”). So, when our guys start off the game single, walk, single, home run, you kind of like our chances. 4 runs in and the other guys just getting up. This was not Maximus Fried, nor Minimus Fried. This was probably comfortably lower upper class Fried. After 5 more runs in inning 2, you had to like our chances. But the intervening force of rain emerged.
During the 86 minute rain delay Fried said he got up and pitched 2 simulated innings to try to be able to come back in. He then pitched 4 more giving up a total of 7 strikeouts and no walks.
The Twins went from Ober to Under and brought in the late arriving scapegoat, Scott Blewett. He didn’t. It was already almost blown anyway. As long as the weather and the umpires let them get this one in, it should turn out o.k.
The Twins slowly reduced the lead beginning in Inning 5. A throwing error made two runs “unearned.” Then, Grant Holmes (in 2 innings), Pierce Johnson, and Dylan Lee each bled a run. Still a victory.
Matt Olson was the hitting hero with two doubles and a home run. d’Arnaud added a home run. Total of 13 hits and 4 walks. Usually, you win games when you get that kind of performance.
Two more in Minnesota. Today is a possible rain day. Good chance in the mid morning and then again around the back side of baseball time. Wouldn’t a 5 inning rain called victory look pretty tonight?
A good sidenote is that hand hit Michael Harris, II came in as a defensive replacement and had one plate appearance (a strike out). So, maybe we won’t go down another position player.
So glad Harris seems ok and man, he made a couple of spectacular defensive plays that kept this game from getting more interesting than it needed to be.
It’s pretty incredible how well the three DFA pickups (Merrifield, Laureano, and Urshela) have performed so far:
• Merrifield has been a pleasant surprise. He’s been an on-base machine (.396 OBP since joining the Braves) and has hit well (128 wRC+), not to mention the fact that he’s turned some double plays that Ozzie frankly wouldn’t have been able to turn.
• Laureano has a 141 wRC+ and has displayed some pretty significant power, with seven HR and three HR traveling over 420 feet. His defense has been suspect at times (I hold my breath every time a ball is hit his way), but he’s still largely been okay in that regard.
• Urshela’s sample is much smaller, but he’s largely played solid 3B defense and come through with some timely singles.
Collectively, those guys have been worth 1.7 fWAR over 235 PA. That’s a 4.3 fWAR/600 PA pace! Not bad for guys that we grabbed off the scrap heap.
If it continues, they will be the miracle Braves. There just aren’t too many stories about even one such player bouncing back to career-best play after multiple replacement-level years and being cut, but to have multiple players do it when you were absolutely desperate has the makings of an all-time story. I’m not superstitious, so I don’t mind talking about the possibility.
I agree about the 3 DFAs. Strange thing is in 2020, with the As both Olson and Laureano were gold glove finalists. Laureano can make some decent plays but his route to so many balls is absolutely crazy.
apparently games that get rained out midway through are no longer fully cancelled, but rather resumed from the delayed point per DOB on twitter last night. I have to say that was my biggest worry after seeing we had put up a crooked number for the 1st time in over a week, that it’d get wiped out by the rain.