<img alt="Atlanta Braves v Los Angeles Angels" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8rAj7JJfWnwLAp0XI-X63nqZ1CI=/0x0:6141x4094/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73529368/2166661488.0.jpg">
Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images
The offense had horrible luck (again), but the pitching was more than up to the task on Sunday afternoon in Anaheim Another game, another set of undeservedly poor offensive results. The difference on Sunday afternoon for the Braves, though? They got some decent fortune on the run prevention side, that, when combined with just how good the pitching was, led to what ended up being a fairly breezy 3-1 win. Charlie Morton, Dylan Lee, Joe Jimenez, and Raisel Iglesias combined to post a 14/2 K/BB ratio (albeit with two hit-by-pitches), which made the fact that the bats only plated three runs despite a collective 4/4 K/BB ratio, and homer allowed, by the Angels pitching, result in a victory.
Jack Kochanowicz was the Anaheim starter today, and he had pitched pretty poorly so far over his first three starts, something he also “achieved” today. After a walk to Michael Harris II to start the game, he plunked Austin Riley, something that eventually caused the Braves’ third baseman to leave the game. (No updates yet, at the time of writing, sorry.) Kochanowicz then benefited from something the Braves have done to an absurd degree over the last month, getting a double play ball from Marcell Ozuna, but nonetheless fell behind when Matt Olson softly slapped a sinker running in on him the other way for a single that scored Harris.
A single by Whit Merrifield, a steal of second, and then another walk to Harris seemed like a prime scoring chance, even as the Braves tried to mess things up by asking Luke Williams, Riley’s replacement, to drop down a sacrifice bunt (which he did successfully). After an intentional walk to Ozuna, Olson smashed an 0-2 sinker running away from him at over 101 mph... only to have it be cut down on a diving stop and turn into an inning-ending double play.
That sort of thing happened a lot in this game. The Braves got a massive Ramon Laureano tank job off Kochanowicz to start the fourth, which made it a 2-0 game, but after two singles later in the inning, Merrifield hit into another double play (the third in four frames). Two more singles (including one by Williams, sigh) were stranded in the fifth when Matt Olson barreled a ball to deep center that was caught on a jump, and the Braves gave Kochanowicz a reprieve by going down in order in the sixth.
Meanwhile, Charlie Morton cruised early. He struck out the first four batters greeting him, and faced just one over the minimum through four. In the fifth, though, he kind of foundered. Brandon Drury started the frame with a barreled single because of how well Harris played the carom off the wall; Morton responded to the first Angels hit by walking Matt Thaiss (who also walked earlier as the only Anaheim baserunner through four frames). Jo Adell followed by swinging at a 2-1 fastball off the plate and poking it softly to right to load the bases, and though the Braves are clinging to a one-game playoff lead, there was no sense of urgency. Or perhaps extreme confidence in Morton. Or both.
In any case, while this same situation has absolutely torched Atlanta over and over this season and in years past, it didn’t this time, though it really seemed like it would. Morton jumped ahead of Mickey Moniak 1-2, and then pulled a patented Charlie Morton Curveball Plunking of a Lefty Batter’s Foot (CMCPLBF) to drive in the first (and only) Anaheim run. Still, the Braves left him in, and this time, it paid off. Michael Stefanic took an awkward swing at an inside curveball and fouled out to first, and then, mercifully/miraculously, Taylor Ward swung at two pitches outside the zone to fall into a 2-2 count, and then weakly bounced an in-zone curve to Orlando Arcia at short, who combined with Merrifield for a nice double play. I didn’t know that Ward was really slow, but he is, and that’s how the Braves preserved the lead.
Things got kind of weird after that, because the Braves let Morton get one more out, and then pulled him in favor of Dylan Lee with just 82 pitches on his ledger. I’m not complaining about the removal, but it’s just weird: they let him face a lefty batter with the bases loaded and none out, but then pulled him ahead of a lefty batter with the bases empty and one out. Trying to figure out their heuristic here feels like madness; maybe we can just be happy that it didn’t doom the Braves for once.
Also not dooming the Braves; Dylan Lee. He has no options in my heart, and after allowing a leadoff single to the lefty batter he was brought in to face (haha), he then retired the next five he faced, including four strikeouts in a row to end his outing. Joe Jimenez worked the eighth and got two punchouts of his own after starting the frame with a hit-by-pitch; a weak groundout ended that inning. Lastly, Raisel Iglesias came on and threw a very easy 12-pitch inning: strikeout, soft tapper back to the mound, weak grounder to short.
The Braves added a third run to their total in the eighth, as a leadoff double by Ozuna, an intentional walk to Olson, a plunking of Laureano, and a sacrifice fly by Jarred Kelenic did the damage. Sean Murphy ended that inning with a 108 mph liner that was, obviously and naturally, hit right at the center fielder instead of a few degrees radially anywhere else, where it would’ve done damage in the box score.
The win ended up being a productive one in the standings for the Braves: they pick up a game on pretty much everyone ahead of them, and also the Mets. They’ll now head home to face the Phillies in a series that still doesn’t seem like that big of a deal given the Braves’ inability to capitalize on the Phightins’ struggles.
<img alt="Atlanta Braves v Los Angeles Angels" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8rAj7JJfWnwLAp0XI-X63nqZ1CI=/0x0:6141x4094/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73529368/2166661488.0.jpg">
Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images
The offense had horrible luck (again), but the pitching was more than up to the task on Sunday afternoon in Anaheim Another game, another set of undeservedly poor offensive results. The difference on Sunday afternoon for the Braves, though? They got some decent fortune on the run prevention side, that, when combined with just how good the pitching was, led to what ended up being a fairly breezy 3-1 win. Charlie Morton, Dylan Lee, Joe Jimenez, and Raisel Iglesias combined to post a 14/2 K/BB ratio (albeit with two hit-by-pitches), which made the fact that the bats only plated three runs despite a collective 4/4 K/BB ratio, and homer allowed, by the Angels pitching, result in a victory.
Jack Kochanowicz was the Anaheim starter today, and he had pitched pretty poorly so far over his first three starts, something he also “achieved” today. After a walk to Michael Harris II to start the game, he plunked Austin Riley, something that eventually caused the Braves’ third baseman to leave the game. (No updates yet, at the time of writing, sorry.) Kochanowicz then benefited from something the Braves have done to an absurd degree over the last month, getting a double play ball from Marcell Ozuna, but nonetheless fell behind when Matt Olson softly slapped a sinker running in on him the other way for a single that scored Harris.
A single by Whit Merrifield, a steal of second, and then another walk to Harris seemed like a prime scoring chance, even as the Braves tried to mess things up by asking Luke Williams, Riley’s replacement, to drop down a sacrifice bunt (which he did successfully). After an intentional walk to Ozuna, Olson smashed an 0-2 sinker running away from him at over 101 mph... only to have it be cut down on a diving stop and turn into an inning-ending double play.
That sort of thing happened a lot in this game. The Braves got a massive Ramon Laureano tank job off Kochanowicz to start the fourth, which made it a 2-0 game, but after two singles later in the inning, Merrifield hit into another double play (the third in four frames). Two more singles (including one by Williams, sigh) were stranded in the fifth when Matt Olson barreled a ball to deep center that was caught on a jump, and the Braves gave Kochanowicz a reprieve by going down in order in the sixth.
Meanwhile, Charlie Morton cruised early. He struck out the first four batters greeting him, and faced just one over the minimum through four. In the fifth, though, he kind of foundered. Brandon Drury started the frame with a barreled single because of how well Harris played the carom off the wall; Morton responded to the first Angels hit by walking Matt Thaiss (who also walked earlier as the only Anaheim baserunner through four frames). Jo Adell followed by swinging at a 2-1 fastball off the plate and poking it softly to right to load the bases, and though the Braves are clinging to a one-game playoff lead, there was no sense of urgency. Or perhaps extreme confidence in Morton. Or both.
In any case, while this same situation has absolutely torched Atlanta over and over this season and in years past, it didn’t this time, though it really seemed like it would. Morton jumped ahead of Mickey Moniak 1-2, and then pulled a patented Charlie Morton Curveball Plunking of a Lefty Batter’s Foot (CMCPLBF) to drive in the first (and only) Anaheim run. Still, the Braves left him in, and this time, it paid off. Michael Stefanic took an awkward swing at an inside curveball and fouled out to first, and then, mercifully/miraculously, Taylor Ward swung at two pitches outside the zone to fall into a 2-2 count, and then weakly bounced an in-zone curve to Orlando Arcia at short, who combined with Merrifield for a nice double play. I didn’t know that Ward was really slow, but he is, and that’s how the Braves preserved the lead.
Things got kind of weird after that, because the Braves let Morton get one more out, and then pulled him in favor of Dylan Lee with just 82 pitches on his ledger. I’m not complaining about the removal, but it’s just weird: they let him face a lefty batter with the bases loaded and none out, but then pulled him ahead of a lefty batter with the bases empty and one out. Trying to figure out their heuristic here feels like madness; maybe we can just be happy that it didn’t doom the Braves for once.
Also not dooming the Braves; Dylan Lee. He has no options in my heart, and after allowing a leadoff single to the lefty batter he was brought in to face (haha), he then retired the next five he faced, including four strikeouts in a row to end his outing. Joe Jimenez worked the eighth and got two punchouts of his own after starting the frame with a hit-by-pitch; a weak groundout ended that inning. Lastly, Raisel Iglesias came on and threw a very easy 12-pitch inning: strikeout, soft tapper back to the mound, weak grounder to short.
The Braves added a third run to their total in the eighth, as a leadoff double by Ozuna, an intentional walk to Olson, a plunking of Laureano, and a sacrifice fly by Jarred Kelenic did the damage. Sean Murphy ended that inning with a 108 mph liner that was, obviously and naturally, hit right at the center fielder instead of a few degrees radially anywhere else, where it would’ve done damage in the box score.
The win ended up being a productive one in the standings for the Braves: they pick up a game on pretty much everyone ahead of them, and also the Mets. They’ll now head home to face the Phillies in a series that still doesn’t seem like that big of a deal given the Braves’ inability to capitalize on the Phightins’ struggles.
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