<img alt="Pittsburgh Pirates v Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AlO6riAgsJ4Bx4NdoIUaIWsPrDo=/0x1:5781x3855/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73434580/2159110986.0.jpg">
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
The Braves scored five of their six runs as they batted around in the third inning. Charlie Morton threw 6.1 innings of three-hit, no-run baseball and the Atlanta offense showed some much-needed life in a 6-1 victory in Friday’s series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates. With the win, the Braves improved to 45-35 on the year, and Morton officially earned at least one W against every team in Major League Baseball with a final line of 6.1 innings pitched, 3 hits, 0 runs, and 1 walk with 7 strikeouts. The Pirates moved to 39-42.
Morton had a relatively smooth first inning, with the only blip being a one-out HBP of Bryan Reynolds. That said, Reynolds was erased shortly thereafter thanks to a wild effort from Orlando Arcia and Ozzie Albies.
Name a better duo, we'll wait. pic.twitter.com/LBwwDZyQIq— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) June 28, 2024
Morton would go on to keep the Pirates hitless through 4.1 innings and scoreless through 6.1. He tallied seven strikeouts, four of them looking, including this complete freezing of Jack Suwinski to end the second inning.
Charlie Morton, Filthy Back Door 3,300 RPM Curveball. ️ pic.twitter.com/zfMUPFcnxG— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 28, 2024
In the bottom of the second, Austin Riley notched the Braves’ first run against Martin Pérez—who was making his first start since a groin injury suffered against the Braves in late May—with a 423-foot solo blast into Chattahoochee Falls.
Austin Riley crushes his 9th home run of the season to give the @Braves the lead! pic.twitter.com/NCW0JajkLP— MLB (@MLB) June 28, 2024
The momentum amplified in the bottom of the third, as Luke Williams led off with a single, Jarred Kelenic walked, and Ozzie Albies singled to load the bases with no outs. Marcell Ozuna then ripped a bases-clearing double into left field, and Matt Olson followed it up with an RBI single. Riley traded places with Olson on a fielder’s choice and advanced to second on a Sean Murphy groundout, and then Adam Duvall brought him home with an RBI double down the left field line to bring the score to 6-0 at the end of the frame.
The Braves went fairly quietly for the next few innings aside from some heads-up baserunning that resulted in an Albies double in the fourth and an Arcia walk and Kelenic single that put runners on the corners with two outs in the sixth.
Baserunning masterclass with Professor Albies pic.twitter.com/cGsQ6iy1uX— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) June 29, 2024
Meanwhile, Morton was spinning a gem. As mentioned earlier, he didn’t allow a hit until the fifth inning and only allowed three all outing. The second was an infield single off the bat of Andrew McCutchen in the sixth that Arcia nearly fielded, and Morton would go on record two of his seven strikeouts after that hit.
Charlie Morton's 6th and 7th Ks. pic.twitter.com/QU4UzJnGQv— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 29, 2024
Since Morton was looking good, Brian Snitker allowed him to stay in the game into the seventh inning. He did give up a ground rule double to Nick Gonzales to lead off the frame that might have yielded a run, but Kelenic made a nice play to turn a hard-hit ball towards the left-center gap into a flyout. With Morton then at 104 pitches, Jesse Chavez entered the game in relief and struck out Ke’Bryan Hayes and induced a Suwinski groundout.
The Braves threatened to add to their lead in the seventh, with an Ozuna HBP and Olson single putting runners on first and second with no outs, but they were stranded there. The eighth wasn’t much better, as a Williams walk was the only traffic on the basepaths.
In the Pittsburgh offensive highlight of the evening, Reynolds extended his hitting streak to 24 games with a two-strike, two-out single up the middle off Chavez in the eighth inning. Dylan Lee then came into the game and struck out Oneil Cruz to end the frame.
Aaron Bummer entered the game in the ninth and promptly gave up a double off the chalk of the right field line to Connor Joe, who was pinch hitting for Rowdy Tellez. Bummer nearly got out of the inning unscathed, recording back-to-back strikeouts of Gonzales and Edward Olivares, but Hayes doubled to deep center to bring Joe home for the Pirates’ lone run. Bummer rebounded to struck out pinch-hitter Joe Triolo and seal the Atlanta victory.
The series continues Saturday at 4:10PM with a must-see pitching matchup in Max Fried vs. Paul Skenes.
<img alt="Pittsburgh Pirates v Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AlO6riAgsJ4Bx4NdoIUaIWsPrDo=/0x1:5781x3855/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73434580/2159110986.0.jpg">
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
The Braves scored five of their six runs as they batted around in the third inning. Charlie Morton threw 6.1 innings of three-hit, no-run baseball and the Atlanta offense showed some much-needed life in a 6-1 victory in Friday’s series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates. With the win, the Braves improved to 45-35 on the year, and Morton officially earned at least one W against every team in Major League Baseball with a final line of 6.1 innings pitched, 3 hits, 0 runs, and 1 walk with 7 strikeouts. The Pirates moved to 39-42.
Morton had a relatively smooth first inning, with the only blip being a one-out HBP of Bryan Reynolds. That said, Reynolds was erased shortly thereafter thanks to a wild effort from Orlando Arcia and Ozzie Albies.
Name a better duo, we'll wait. pic.twitter.com/LBwwDZyQIq— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) June 28, 2024
Morton would go on to keep the Pirates hitless through 4.1 innings and scoreless through 6.1. He tallied seven strikeouts, four of them looking, including this complete freezing of Jack Suwinski to end the second inning.
Charlie Morton, Filthy Back Door 3,300 RPM Curveball. ️ pic.twitter.com/zfMUPFcnxG— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 28, 2024
In the bottom of the second, Austin Riley notched the Braves’ first run against Martin Pérez—who was making his first start since a groin injury suffered against the Braves in late May—with a 423-foot solo blast into Chattahoochee Falls.
Austin Riley crushes his 9th home run of the season to give the @Braves the lead! pic.twitter.com/NCW0JajkLP— MLB (@MLB) June 28, 2024
The momentum amplified in the bottom of the third, as Luke Williams led off with a single, Jarred Kelenic walked, and Ozzie Albies singled to load the bases with no outs. Marcell Ozuna then ripped a bases-clearing double into left field, and Matt Olson followed it up with an RBI single. Riley traded places with Olson on a fielder’s choice and advanced to second on a Sean Murphy groundout, and then Adam Duvall brought him home with an RBI double down the left field line to bring the score to 6-0 at the end of the frame.
The Braves went fairly quietly for the next few innings aside from some heads-up baserunning that resulted in an Albies double in the fourth and an Arcia walk and Kelenic single that put runners on the corners with two outs in the sixth.
Baserunning masterclass with Professor Albies pic.twitter.com/cGsQ6iy1uX— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) June 29, 2024
Meanwhile, Morton was spinning a gem. As mentioned earlier, he didn’t allow a hit until the fifth inning and only allowed three all outing. The second was an infield single off the bat of Andrew McCutchen in the sixth that Arcia nearly fielded, and Morton would go on record two of his seven strikeouts after that hit.
Charlie Morton's 6th and 7th Ks. pic.twitter.com/QU4UzJnGQv— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 29, 2024
Since Morton was looking good, Brian Snitker allowed him to stay in the game into the seventh inning. He did give up a ground rule double to Nick Gonzales to lead off the frame that might have yielded a run, but Kelenic made a nice play to turn a hard-hit ball towards the left-center gap into a flyout. With Morton then at 104 pitches, Jesse Chavez entered the game in relief and struck out Ke’Bryan Hayes and induced a Suwinski groundout.
The Braves threatened to add to their lead in the seventh, with an Ozuna HBP and Olson single putting runners on first and second with no outs, but they were stranded there. The eighth wasn’t much better, as a Williams walk was the only traffic on the basepaths.
In the Pittsburgh offensive highlight of the evening, Reynolds extended his hitting streak to 24 games with a two-strike, two-out single up the middle off Chavez in the eighth inning. Dylan Lee then came into the game and struck out Oneil Cruz to end the frame.
Aaron Bummer entered the game in the ninth and promptly gave up a double off the chalk of the right field line to Connor Joe, who was pinch hitting for Rowdy Tellez. Bummer nearly got out of the inning unscathed, recording back-to-back strikeouts of Gonzales and Edward Olivares, but Hayes doubled to deep center to bring Joe home for the Pirates’ lone run. Bummer rebounded to struck out pinch-hitter Joe Triolo and seal the Atlanta victory.
The series continues Saturday at 4:10PM with a must-see pitching matchup in Max Fried vs. Paul Skenes.
Link to original article
