Atlanta Braves exert dominance over Phillies, win going away 10-1
The final game in April was today and the Braves took on a Phillies club that really is looking forward to playing somebody else for a while.
The punch line of this joke is that the Atlanta Braves dismantled the Phillies by a 10-1 score this afternoon in the finale of their latest 3-game set, this one in Philadelphia.
The joke is that while both teams have played just 27 total games apiece, the schedule makers have seen fit to make fully one-third of those against one another. The Braves have now bested the Phils 2-1 in each series played thus far; 6-3 overall.
Actually, the other part of the joke might be the notion that the Phillies are that good of a team. They do have a 13-5 record without the Braves being involved, but that includes a 9-1 result against Miami, Cincinnati, and the Pirates. Arizona and the Mets are 4-1 over them.
Time will tell as May brings more variety to the docket for both clubs.
Sunday Smackdown
As for today, the Braves beat up the Phils on all sides of the ball – offense, pitching, and even defensively. Poor Phanatic… it was his birthday and everything.
Brandon McCarthy pitched into the 6th inning and probably could have gone a bit longer, but with a 5-1 lead at that point, Brian Snitker opted to keep him under 100 pitches. The bullpen followed without yielding any hits – albeit with 2 walks worked around.
For the day, McCarthy lowered his ERA to 3.09 by scattering 5 hits (Aaron Altherr had 3 of them), striking out 6 and walking 3. The run allowed came after a double, groundout and a second grounder in which the Braves conceded the run. Johan Camargo threw the ball away, which foiled the ploy of trading the run for an out, further damage was avoided with a later double play.
Atlanta turned 2 double plays in the game, giving them 71 on the season – good enough for 3rd in the National League and 5th overall.
On the offensive side, this is getting to be a remarkable lineup. Snitker something different today – Ozzie Albies hit in the leadoff position, Ronald Acuña Jr. followed him, and Ender Inciarte was moved to the 9-hole while the pitcher’s spot went 8th.
It’s a ploy we’ve seen occasionally in the majors and one that might pay a dividend for the Braves if today was any indication. At least it didn’t hurt anything.
More from Tomahawk Take
- Atlanta Braves 2023 Preseason Top 30 Prospects List: 1-5
- Braves News: Braves acquire Diaz, moves around the division, more
- Atlanta Braves 2012 Top Prospects Review: J.R. Graham
- Atlanta Braves Acquire Lewin Diaz from the Orioles
- Atlanta Braves 2023 Preseason Top 30 Prospects List: 6-10
That trio of 9-1-2 batters went a combined 7 for 12 (plus 4 walks) with 5 of the 10 runs accounted for:
- Albies: 12th double of the year and 9th home run.
- Inciarte: triple
- Acuña: double… after falling down between 2nd and 3rd bases. His shot hit high off the left-center field wall, narrowly missing a home run. So he’s hitting a cool .421 with a .500 OBP
But it feels like a lineup with parts that can explode from just about anywhere (such as Johan Camargo’s 3-run homer)… and survive other parts that aren’t working on a given day.
To that point, Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson went a combined 0 for 9 today, but they weren’t missed as the rest picked up that slack with bursts of 5 and 3 runs in the 5th and 8th innings.
More Changes Coming?
The Braves are not yet certain of whether Julio Teheran will make his next start – so much so that Mike Soroka was scratched from his scheduled outing with Gwinnett today.
Such a move essentially declares the team’s intention to use him in New York this week against the Mets – Paul Byrd suggested a Wednesday matchup, which would be against Jacob DeGrom as currently scheduled.
Next: Anthopoulos and His Drafts
We’ll now see how well this offense holds up in their second turn against the Mets this year in a battle between the first and second place teams in the NL East.