Atlanta Braves News: The Morning Chop, Box Score/Recap, Brandon Phillips Update
By Jeff Schafer
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: Following an off-day on Monday and a rainout on Tuesday, the Atlanta Braves were ready to get back on the field. They proved that in the 1st inning of Wednesday night’s contest against the New York Mets at Citi Field.
Atlanta’s offense put up five runs in the 1st inning, another run in the 5th and two more in the 7th inning. It’s great to see them continue to battle throughout the game because at times over the years they’ve got complacent when scoring early.
Braves starter Julio Teheran went 6.1 innings, giving up four hits, two runs, four walks and four strikeouts. Not the best start from our ace, but surely good enough. Yes, the Mets lineup has a lot of guys injured right now, but when don’t they?
The good guys improve to 7-12 for the 2017 season while the Mets fall to 8-12.
Braves WIN 8-2
| Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | PA | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ender Inciarte CF | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | .207 | .244 | .390 | .634 |
| Brandon Phillips 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .352 | .387 | .507 | .894 |
| Jace Peterson PH-2B | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | .211 | .302 | .316 | .618 |
| Freddie Freeman 1B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | .388 | .500 | .791 | 1.291 |
| Matt Kemp LF | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .342 | .359 | .684 | 1.043 |
| Nick Markakis RF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | .292 | .370 | .417 | .787 |
| Adonis Garcia 3B | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .208 | .240 | .306 | .546 |
| Tyler Flowers C | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5 | .342 | .444 | .395 | .839 |
| Dansby Swanson SS | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .143 | .165 | .195 | .359 |
| Julio Teheran P | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .222 | .222 | .222 | .444 |
| Eric O’Flaherty P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Matt Wisler P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Team Totals | 42 | 8 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 47 | .381 | .435 | .452 | .887 |
| Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julio Teheran, W (2-1) | 6.1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3.38 |
| Eric O’Flaherty | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4.76 |
| Matt Wisler | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Team Totals | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 2.00 |
Teheran, 5-run 1st help Braves thump Mets
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: Oh, how good it feels to win! Especially against the New York Mets!!
The Braves got the bats rolling in the 1st inning as they put up five runs before Julio Teheran would even throw a pitch. A 5-0 lead heading into the bottom of the 1st inning…we never give Teheran run support!
Walks kill ever team it feels like and Wednesday night was no different…except it was the Braves benefiting. Mets starting pitcher Robert Gsellman walked Ender Inciarte to lead off the game. Brandon Phillips followed that with a single through the right side of the infield (he was later caught stealing and had to be removed from the game – see below). Gsellman then walked Freddie Freeman to put runners on first and third.
Matt Kemp came through with a huge hit to right field that scored Inciarte. Nick Markakis followed that with his own oppo single to left field which scored Freeman. Two batters later, Tyler Flowers blasted a double that scored Kemp and Markakis to give the Braves a 5-0 lead.
It was magical to see our offense finally clicking. Really hope this continues because at times this year, it’s been frustrating.
"The Braves carried a six-game losing streak into Citi Field on Wednesday, while the Mets came into the night having lost four straight. Both streaks could not remain intact.In the end, Julio Teheran‘s years-long mastery of the Mets trumped any more recent trends. The Braves starter held New York to two runs in 6 1/3 innings of an 8-2 victory, snapping Atlanta’s funk while sending the Mets to their fifth straight defeat.“We’ve kind of been waiting for that [offense],” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “It was just nice to score some runs. It’s in us. We just haven’t quite hit our stride yet.”"
Next: Athletes as Owners: A Cautionary Tale
Braves’ Brandon Phillips: Diagnosed with groin strain
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: Through 19 games in 2017, BP is slashing a cool .352/.387/.507 with two home runs, five doubles, 10 runs scored, nine RBIs and five stolen bases. DatDude has been on fire early on and if it wasn’t for Freddie Freeman, Phillips would be the team MVP at this point.
Atlanta acquired the 35-year-old on February 12, 2017 from the Cincinnati Reds for Carlos Portuondo and Andrew McKirahan. BP is being paid $14M for this season…the most he’s received in a given year. The Reds are paying $13M of that salary and the Braves are paying the other $1M. At this point, it seems like quite the steal.
The Braves second baseman had to leave the game after an awkward slide into second base. You can see the slide here. Braves manager Brian Snitker said after the game that he doesn’t think the injury is serious and Phillips might be able to pinch-hit on Thursday and play Friday. That’s good news. We’ll see how he’s feeling today.
I’m guessing we’ll see Jace Peterson at second base tonight.
"Phillips was lifted early from Wednesday’s game against the Mets with a right groin strain.Given the diagnosis, it appears Phillips sustained the injury while fielding a groundball off the bat of Michael Conforto. It’s unclear how long the 35-year-old will be sidelined, but the Braves are considering him day-to-day for now. More should be known about his status in the coming days, but Jace Peterson should see reps at second base if Phillips is forced to miss any time."