Braves Mollwhop Nationals & Game 3 Preview
Bryce Elder exits last night’s game. Photo courtesy of: Miguel Martinez
The Braves flipped the script on the Nationals from Game 1, mollywhopping Washington 16-4.
After Spencer Strider & Tucker Davidson logged multiple innings in Game 1, the Braves had to turn to the farm for their Game 2 starter. Due to the expanded rosters to begin this season, teams cannot promote players from the 40-man roster to the MLB level yet. All things considered, Bryce Elder was the only option.
Bryce’s MLB debut started with one of the best bunts you’ll see this year by César Hernández, followed by a single up the middle by Juan Soto. César would come in for the first run of the game one batter later when Josh Bell grounded into a double play.
From the 2nd inning on, it was all Braves. Atlanta scored eleven runs from the 2nd inning to the 5th. They would add two in the 6th & three in the 8th to bring the final score to 16-4.
Braves Bats
Marcell Ozuna announced his return to the player Anthopoulos signed to a 4-year/$65M contract. In his six at-bats he mashed two solo home runs & would score another run in the 3rd on an Adam Duvall single.
Ozzie Albies would pace all batters with 3 RBI. Two of his three RBI would come on a double in the 2nd inning; his third came on a moonshot against Dee Strange-Gordon in the 8th.
Even Dansby had a solid night at the plate. He logged 2 hits, 2 RBI, & scored a run in 6 at-bats.
Bryce Elder
The young stud from the University of Texas wasted no time announcing his arrival. After his 1-run first inning, he settled in nicely.
His final line was 5.2 innings pitched, 6 hits, 3 runs, 4 strikeouts, & 2 HR’s for a 4.76 ERA.
The numbers don’t do his performance justice. He was clearly out of gas in the 6th when he gave up back-to-back home runs to Juan Soto & Josh Bell. Soto’s solo shot was his 100th career round-tripper.
The Nationals were making solid contact throughout the game, but they weren’t able to elevate until he wore down.
I don’t know how long the Braves plan on keeping him with the big league club, but it’s going to be hard to send him back down if he has another game like this one. It’s clear after just one game that he’s going to be a PROBLEM when he’s up for good.
Game 3 Preview
The series is up for grabs today when our ace Max Fried takes the mound against Josiah Gray. This game is a glimpse into the future of both rotations.
Fried is obviously already more accomplished than Gray, but Gray is a future ace in this league. He was the centerpiece in the Dodgers trade package for Scherzer & Turner last season.
Josiah’s two career appearances against Atlanta came last August.
He didn’t earn a decision in his first start, but the Nationals beat the Braves 3-2 that day. Gray faced 22 batters over 5 innings pitched, 4 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned run, 1 home run, 2 walks, TEN STRIKEOUTS, & 1 wild pitch.
He took the loss six days later during his second appearance when the Braves won 4-2. Gray faced 23 batters over 6 innings pitched, 5 hits, 3 runs (all earned), 3 home runs, & 6 strikeouts.
Fried vs Washington
The Braves have won 3 straight against the Nationals when Fried takes the mound.
Over those three games Fried’s only allowed 3 earned runs over 18 innings pitched, 18 hits, 5 walks, & 17 strikeouts.