Nothing is better than Braves baseball. Well, except maybe Braves baseball at home and with fans. This series was a fun nail-biter for the Braves to open up the season with.
Game one: Charlie Morton vs. Zach Wheeler, Braves win 8-1
Nothing better than a Braves win, with fans, for their home opener. Let me just tell you, having 14,000 fans in the stadium after not having any for such a long time, makes it sound like a sell-out crowd with 45,00+ screaming at the top of their lungs. Charlie Morton pitched very well in his second appearance as a Brave. He pitched six innings, had four hits, surrendered one run, and had seven strikeouts. He also impressed at the plate with an opposite field single. The Braves went long ball in this game. Acuña hit an absolute BOMB in the fifth inning, Ehire Adrianza hit a three-run shot off the bench in the bottom of the sixth, and Freddie Freeman finished the night out right with a home run. Every one of those homers gave the fans something to scream about, not to mention they enjoyed booing Harper every time he was up to bat! This was a great game and made everyone truly realize how much they missed fans.
Game two: Ian Anderson vs. Zac Eflin, Braves win 5-4
This game was a whirlwind and a nail biter. In the top of the first inning, the Phillies scored two runs. Then in the bottom of the first inning the Braves scored three. Acuña doubled, Ozzie doubled and scored Acuña, and then Freddie decided to hit one out of the park. Anderson still hasn’t gotten into his pitching grove yet. He threw a lot of pitches and couldn’t always find his mark and. He pitched 5.1 innings, gave up four runs, five hits, and two home runs. Anderson did strike out five and he only walked one. Let me paint the picture for you. The game was tied 4-4 in the bottom of the seventh inning. Ehire Adrianza leads off the inning with a double, he has really shown his ability to hit with power off the bench. Acuña singles, Adrianza goes to third. Ozzie gets out 😦 and then Freddie Freeman is up to bat. He grounds into a fielders choice which is fielded by the pitcher. The Phillies pitcher, Jose Alvarado, doesn’t know where to throw the baseball. No one was covering second base. He froze, and in that moment Adrianza saw an opportune moment and he scored. It was an embarrassing play for the Phillies that turned into an absolute gift run for the Braves. The Braves held on and won that game 5-4.
Game three: Drew Smyly vs. Matt Moore, Braves lost 7-6
This was a good game to watch. The end result, not so much. The Braves had such a great opportunity to win this game, and honestly they should have. Bottom of the first inning, first pitch he saw, Acuña leads off with a double. The very next pitch that Phillies pitcher Moore threw, which was to Ozzie Albies, left the ballpark and it left in a hurry. That’s my man! He has had a slow start but he’s continuing to get better and more life is coming off his bat at the plate. The Phillies took the lead in the top of the fourth inning, scoring four. The Braves weren’t gonna have that so they tied it in the bottom of that inning. Freddie Freeman hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning. He hit three home runs in this series, one in every single game. He’s starting to heat up as well! Top of the sixth inning, Bryce Harper hits a solo shot. Phillies lead 6-5… but not for long! In the bottom of the seventh inning Acuña got in the home run fun, too. Launching a solo shot, he tied the game 6-6.
Okay, this is where things get frustrating. Top of the ninth inning. Phillies third baseman, Alec Bohm leads off the inning with a double. He gets advanced to third by second baseman Jean Segura on a ground out. Now, here is when things go whack. Didi Gregorius sends a fly ball out to Braves left fielder Marcell Ozuna. Ozuna catches the ball, and Bohm tags up to try and score. Ozuna’s throw is right on the money. The baseball and runner get to home plate at the same time and Bohm is… safe? The home plate umpire says he was at least. Honestly I don’t think anyone, including the umpires, were sure about the call. It was an official review on whether Bohm was safe or not. The review took five minutes, and they still got the call wrong. Alec Bohm’s foot NEVER TOUCHED THE PLATE. You can look at review after review, and I don’t know how it wasn’t clear to the people in New York and the umpire that his foot didn’t touch the plate. Because of this horrible call, the Braves lost their chance to place some payback on the Phillies and sweep them.
Overall, it was a good game for the Braves. Except of course, the bad call at home plate. Hopefully the Braves bats will continue to come to life in the next few games and they will keep on winning.
Braves Chop Chat 