House That Hank Built
Fansided

Atlanta Braves 2018 season review: June

By Benjamin Chase

ATLANTA, GA. - JUNE 13: Mike Soroka #40 of the Atlanta Braves throws a first inning pitch against the New York Mets at SunTrust Field on June 13, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA. - JUNE 13: Mike Soroka #40 of the Atlanta Braves throws a first inning pitch against the New York Mets at SunTrust Field on June 13, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next
Atlanta Braves
TORONTO, ON – JUNE 20: A.J. Minnter #33 of the Atlanta Braves delivers a pitch in the seventh inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on June 20, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /

With the completion of the 2018 Atlanta Braves season, we will look back at the ups and downs of the year.

The 2018 season for the Atlanta Braves was more than any fan could have expected in spring training. Even as the season did not end with a World Series title, returning to the playoffs was a huge step for the organization, and we look forward to the next few seasons with the team!

We will be reviewing each month of the season, looking at the highlights and the lowlights of each month, remembering some of the biggest games of the month as well. Check the links for each month as we progress through the year in our review:

March/April
May
June
July
August
September/October

Monthly stats

Team record: 14-11
Team slash line: .258/.315/.423/.737
Team home runs: 26
Team ERA: 3.82
Team WHIP: 1.15
Team K/9: 8.9

Biggest game of the month

After climbing back into first place the night before, the Atlanta Braves were faced with the top starter in the National League, Jacob deGrom. Taking the hill for the hometown Braves was rookie Mike Soroka.

Soroka had not pitched in a month in the major leagues, and he had only tossed 8 innings total in his rehab along the way after his last start against the Marlins. Facing him off against deGrom seemed cruel for a first game back.

The first three innings, neither pitcher allowed a hit, the only baserunner being a walk that Soroka allowed to Jay Bruce in the top of the 2nd inning, but he retired Bruce on a double play with the next hitter. At the end of the third inning, Soroka had tossed 39 pitches while deGrom had cruised to 31 pitches over 3 perfect innings.

Soroka did his thing in the top of the 4th, but he also added in really baffling two hitters with strikeouts, just his second and third whiffs of the game. In the bottom of the inning, Ozzie Albies took the first pitch and hit a lazy fly just next to the pitcher’s mound, but then the Atlanta Braves fortunes began to change.

Dansby Swanson took an 0-1 pitch to deep right-center for a double. Freddie Freeman followed, fouling off a couple pitches on a 1-2 count before slapping a sharp opposite-field single to left field that scored Swanson. Kurt Suzuki got another single after a Nick Markakis lineout, and Freddie got to third on an error in the outfield. Charlie Culberson struck out to end the inning, but the damage had been done. The invincibility around deGrom was gone.

Soroka sped through a 6-pitch top of the 5th inning to hand the ball back to a now-hungry offense. While the offense didn’t get another run, they did get two more singles off of deGrom, and now, Soroka was working on a no-hitter through 5 with just 58 pitches thrown. The Braves offense had pushed deGrom’s pitch count beyond Soroka’s, to 59 through 5, and they’d scored 4 hits off the guy who seemed untouchable the first three innings.

Both pitchers coasted through 1-2-3 6th innings. Soroka allowed his first hit to the first hitter of the 7th inning, then allowed a wild pitch. He came back to get a strikeout, but he was then replaced by A.J. Minter, who got out of the inning with a strikeout and a foul pop.

Soroka had gone 6 1/3 innings, allowing 1 hit and 1 walk, striking out 4, all in just 74 pitches.

In the bottom of the 7th inning, the Atlanta Braves offense were able to get two doubles off of deGrom, but due to a pickoff, no run was scored. Jerry Blevins would take over for the Mets in the 8th inning, and Freddie Freeman would put the game away with a loud home run to deep right-center.

Dan Winkler and Arodys Vizcaino put the game away, though Vizzy decided to get Braves fans hearts beating faster with a walk and a double to put runners on second and third with two outs before getting Jay Bruce to pop out to Swanson to finish the game.

Seeing one of the young arms the Braves would be relying on over the next few years come up and go toe-to-toe with one of the elite arms in the game – and come away with the better game of the day – was a huge thing for the Braves. Soroka would go down with shoulder issues after his next start, but this one highlight gave Atlanta Braves fans plenty of excitement!

Let’s look at the top hitter and top pitcher from the month…

Home/Braves News