Tag: Sweeps

Eleven in a Row! And Three Sweeps!!

Wow! This has been an amazing run for the Atlanta Braves. Yes, they got off to a slow start this season, and it seemed like they couldn’t get things going on a consistent basis, but now, they are untouchable. Everything is clicking on all cylinders where and when it needs too! With these eleven wins in a row, they have moved from 10 games out of first to now only 5.5 games out of first, behind the New York Mets.

Some may scoff and say that they have swept three teams who aren’t considered the best, but sometimes it has been hard for Atlanta to win against the “easier” teams. They proved in this series that they are still the World Series-caliber team that they were last year.

There were SO MANY positives that came from these eleven games, here are some that stood out to me:

SOLID STARTING PITCHING:

In order to win ballgames, your starting pitchers need to go deep into them. Some of the Braves starters have struggled with pitching deep into games earlier in the season. However, over the past week and a half, they were looking very sharp. Even Charlie Morton, who still has not gotten back to the Charlie Morton we saw last season, pitched 6 innings on Saturday. He did not get the win, but it was nice to see him pitch deeper than four or five innings; plus he had 12 strikeouts over those 6 innings.

The three starting performances that stood out were:

  • Max Fried’s 8 scoreless innings pitched on June 3 against the Colorado Rockies. Everything was going for Fried that night. He was untouchable! In those eight scoreless innings, he only allowed two hits, one walk, and he only had four strikeouts. He was dominant on the mound and got those ground ball outs that he’s known for getting. It was a shame he didn’t get the win. (In this game the Braves and Rockies went into extras with a scoreless tie.)
  • Kyle Wright’s 8 innings against the Oakland Athletics on June seventh. In those eight innings, Wright only allowed five hits, two runs, zero walks, and had seven strikeouts. He showed a lot of dominance on the mound and proved that he can pitch late into ballgames and have the same amount of sharpness (if not more) than he started the game with. Kyle Wright is a good young pitcher, and the Braves are lucky to have him.
  • Spencer Striders scoreless performance on June tenth against the Pittsburg Pirates. For Spencer Strider to have started the season in the bullpen, he is a great starter. He can throw 101 MPH and make it look easy as can be. He has a great slider and a really good fastball. He has come through huge for the Braves and has made a good impact in the starting rotation. In this start against the Pirates, he pitched 5.2 innings, allowed four hits, zero runs, one walk, and he had eight strikeouts. Overall it was a very good performance.

RELIEF PITCHING:

Alongside the Braves starting pitching, the relief core has been lights-out as well. They have kept us in close ball games and preserved late inning leads when they mattered most. Kenley Jansen, who at first made us all nervous every time he came out to pitch, has finally found his groove and is closing games like we saw him close for the Dodgers. No drama, he just comes in and gets the job done.

Will Smith is the same way. He started off the season very similarly to how he did last year where he got into a lot of high-stress situations. But Today (June 12th), he came into the game against the Pirates in the seventh inning and shut down the side while only throwing nine pitches. Hopefully he, along with everyone else in the bullpen, can keep up the good work.

CONSISTANT HITTING:

Getting hits, timely ones at that, was often time hard to come by for the Braves’ hitters early on in the season. But in these past eleven games, it’s been hard to get them out!! Lately, Atlanta has found all kinds of ways to get on base — hit, walk, hit-by-pitch, error, etc. But all that matters is they are getting on base and scoring!

In these eleven games, the Atlanta offense hit 22 home runs. Two of which were grand slams…one was by Braves’ catcher Travis d’Arnaud and the other by second baseman Ozzie Albies. d’Arnaud’s came on Thursday, June 2nd in Colorado when the Braves won 13-6, and Ozzie’s came against the Pirates on Saturday when they won 10-4. In the final game of the series against the Pittsburg Pirates, Adam Duvall, who had been struggling a little at the plate, hit two home runs. One he pulled, and the other he smoked to opposite field in the Chop House. Both were huge, and it was so good to see him hit the ball out of the ballpark again…he definitely needed it!

This Atlanta Braves hitting core has been SO fun to watch! They have been so active on the base-pads, and you can see it in how they play. Their faces show that they are enjoying playing ball just as much- if not more- than us fans who are watching them!

MICHAEL HARRIS JR.:

This kid!!! He has impressed me and the Braves organization on so many levels. For him to have skipped Triple-A and come straight from Double-A to the Majors is remarkable. But, you can see why the Braves brought him up when they did. He is HOT right now. Not to mention Harris Jr. is a very good outfielder! He has made multiple plays in center field that have left me in awe of how he even got to the baseball, let alone make the catch. Harris has definitely bolstered the outfield and the bottom of the lineup. All in all, he has been a great addition to this red-hot Atlanta Braves team.

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It has been so enjoyable to finally see all of the Braves’ handwork pay off and for them to start playing like we know they are very capable of doing. Hopefully they can keep it up as they head to Washington D.C. to play the Nationals tomorrow!

Always and forever, GO BRAVES!

Braves vs. Orioles Series Wrap

Wow. Another sweep! The Atlanta Braves have swept three teams in a row. That’s insane! Yes, this sweep was against another “easier” team, but every game is important no matter what team you are playing. Hopefully they can keep this up.

Game One: Max Fried va. Keegan Akin, Braves won 3-0

What a game for Max Fried! He pitched ALL nine innings. Not only did he pitch the entire game…he pitched a shutout!!! He only allowed four hits, and did not walk a single batter. And, he only threw 90 pitches. This was an extremely impressive outing for Fried, and I’m sure it was one he’ll never forget.

All of the Braves runs came via the home run ball. In the top of the second inning, Dansby Swanson led off with a first-pitch single. Travis d’Arnaud followed his single with a two-run homer. That got Atlanta on the board and made it a 2-0 game.

They scored their other run in the top of the third inning. Jorge Soler hit a solo home run that made it a 3-0 Braves lead. That was the final run scored in the game. For the Atlanta Braves and Max Fried, three runs was all they needed.

Game Two: Drew Smyly vs. Matt Harvey, Braves won 5-4

Drew Smyly pitched well for Atlanta. He went five innings, allowed five hits, three runs, zero walks, and he had eight strikeouts. He gave up a solo home run in the top of the first inning to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead, but was able to limit the damage that inning.

After the Orioles took a 1-0 lead, the Braves started their scoring. In the top of the third, Ozzie Albies started the inning with a strikeout. Jorge Soler followed him with a walk, and then Freddie Freeman was hit by a pitch. With two runners on base, Austin Riley struck out to make the second out. On the very next pitch, Dansby Swanson hit a two-RBI double making it a 2-1 game, giving Atlanta the lead.

Joc Pederson extended the Braves lead in the top of the fourth inning. He crushed a solo home run into straightaway center, making it a 3-1 game.

Although the Braves had a two run lead, Smyly’s home run problem got the best of him. He gave up two solo home runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to tie the game at three apiece.

However, that 3-3 tie didn’t last long! In the top of the fifth inning, Austin Riley hit a solo shot. The Braves added one more run in the top of the ninth inning. It came on a sac fly by Jorge Soler. His sac fly scored Stephen Vogt from third base. He reached base earlier that inning and then was advanced to third when my man Ozzie had a single.

It was a good thing that the Braves added on that extra run in the top of the ninth inning. Will Smith – who hasn’t been lights out for Atlanta at all this season – struggled to win this game. He gave up a solo home run to Anthony Santander who had already homered off of Smyly today. His home run made it a 5-4 game. That made it an uncomfortable lead for the Atlanta Braves, but thankfully Smith was able to limit the damage and preserve a one nothing lead to allow the Braves to win 5-4.

Game Three: Touki Toussaint vs. John Means, Braves won 3-1

Touki Toussaint pitched a good game for the Braves. He went 5.1 innings, allowed five hits, one run, three walks, and he had five strikeouts. The one run he allowed came in the fourth inning, but other than that he was lights out. I really feel like Toussaint could’ve pitched a complete six innings. After he had already gotten one out, he gave up a single. Brian Snitker took him out of the game. This is something that continues to bother me. I feel like Snitker should give his starting pitchers a chance in a situation like that instead of just taking them out.

The Braves scored all of their runs in the fourth inning. The first one came on a solo home run by Jorge Soler to make it 1-0. Freddie Freeman doubled and after Riley struck out, Dansby Swanson walked. Adam Duvall had a two-RBI double top score both freeman and Swanson to make it a 3-0 game.

The Orioles scored their one and only run in the bottom of the fourth, but other than that they couldn’t conjure up any more offense. That allowed the Braves to win 3-1. This series was their third series sweep in a row, and their ninth game in a row. Wow!

Braves vs. Nationals Series Wrap

Woohoo another sweep! The Atlanta Braves are on a roll. It has been so great to see the Braves finally get into a consistent wining groove…and get rewarded for it.

Game One: Charlie Morton vs. Josiah Gray, Braves won 4-2

After a three plus hour rain delay, this game was finally underway.

Charlie Morton pitched for Atlanta. His first inning got off to a very shaky start, but he was able to get himself under control and pitch a great game. He pitched six innings, allowed six hits, two runs, two walks, and he had seven strikeouts. After his first two pitches in the bottom of the first inning, it didn’t look like Charlie Morton was going to have a strong outing. However, he turned things around and was able to limit the damage to only two runs.

Washington scored their only two runs of the game in the bottom of the first inning. On the first pitch of the inning, Victor Robles, the Nats’ center fielder, led off with a double. Juan Soto scored him with a single, and then Josh Bell had a sac fly that scored another run to make it a 2-0 game, Nationals on top.

All of the Braves runs came on solo home runs. ALL of them! In the top of the fifth inning, Travis d’Arnaud hit the first solo shot. It was a line-drive laser, and his first home run since his return from the injured list. His homer made it a 2-1 game.

The second solo home run came in the top of the sixth inning. It was an absolute BOMB hit off the bat of my man, Ozzie Albies. His homer went a long way, and it tied the game up at two apiece.

In the top of the seventh inning, Austin Riley hit yet another solo home run for Atlanta. It went a long way too, and it broke the 2-2 tie, making it a 3-2 game Braves on top.

And, then, to score the fourth and final run for the Braves, Dansby Swanson hit a solo home run in the top of the ninth inning. That made a final score of 4-2, and the Braves took game one.

Game Two: Max Fried vs. Patrick Corbin, Braves won 12-2

Max Fried pitched a great game for Atlanta. Not to mention he contributed at the plate too! He went six innings, allowed five hits, two runs, ZERO walks, and he had seven strikeouts. He gave up one run in the fourth, and one in the sixth, but other than those two runs, he was lights out.

The top of the third inning is where the Braves started their scoring. Guillermo Heredia led off the inning with a strikeout, and then Max Fried reached base on a single. Ozzie Albies hit a booming triple to center field. His triple scored Max Fried from first base! Jorge Soler struck out to make the second out, and then Freeman scored Ozzie with an RBI single, making it 2-0 Braves.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Josh Bell had an RBI single that scored Victor Robles who singled to lead off that inning.

Atlanta added onto their lead in the top of the fifth inning. Guillermo Heredia led off with a single, and Max Fried advanced him to second on a sac bunt. With one out, my man Ozzie Albies hit a gigantic two-run home run! His two-run shot made it a 4-1 game, Braves on top. Soler followed Ozzie’s homer with a walk and Freddie followed him with a single. Dansby Swanson hit a two-RBI single to score Freeman and Soler, making it a 6-1 game.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Washington scored their second and final run, making the sore 6-2 Atlanta still on top.

The Braves, once again, added onto their lead. They scored three in the top of the seventh. Dansby Swanson hit a three-run homer…it went way out there! And they also scored another run in the top of the eighth inning when Soler grounded into a double play, but scored Joc Pederson while doing it. That made it a 10-2 game.

To score the final two runs of the game for the Atlanta Braves, Dansby Swanson and Adam Duvall both hit solo home runs in the top of the ninth inning. They were back-to-back bombs, and it was Dansby’s second home run of the night!

Game Three: Drew Smyly vs. Paolo Espino, Braves won 6-5

Woah. This was a suspenseful game! The Braves had a lead from the get-go, but the Nationals were relentless until the end. (I *love* these kinds of games…my mom does not!)

Drew Smyly didn’t have his strongest outing for the Braves. He only went four innings. And in those four inning, he allowed six hits, three runs, only one walk, and four strikeouts. Smyly threw 74 pitches across those four innings, and a lot of those were high-stress pitches.

Luckily, Atlanta started the scoring first. In the top of the second inning Stephen Vogt had an RBI groundout that scored Adam Duvall and made it a 1-0 game. In the top of the third inning, Dansby Swanson extended the Braves lead with a two-run home run. His homer made it a 3-0 game.

The Nats got on the board in the bottom of the third inning. Victor Robles had an RBI single that scored Luis Garcia, another runner scored on a wild pitch, and Juan Soto had a sac fly to make it a 3-3 tie game.

To break the 3-3 tie, Freddie Freeman and Austin Riley hit back-to-back solo home runs. Those two solo shots made it a 5-3 game. They also scored another run on a wild pitch, making it a 6-3 game, Atlanta on top.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Carter Kieboom for the Nationals hit a two-RBI single that scored Soto and Bell making it a 6-5 game.

Even though it was a close game, the Braves bullpen was able to preserve the lead and allow the Braves to sweep the Washington Nationals. Finally, our bullpen is doing its job. Keep it up, guys!

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This series was huge for Atlanta. Not only did they keep their winning streak alive and keep the above 50/50, they also gained solo possession of first place in the National League East. Woohoo! I knew they could do it!!!