Whipping Post
Wouldn’t be surprised to find out later that the Phillies clubhouse had an impromptu Allman Brothers Band concert while their clothes dried from the in-game rain:
“Sometimes I feel, sometimes I feel,
Like I've been tied to the whippin' post.
Tied to the whippin' post, tied to the whippin' post.
Good Lord, I feel like I'm dyin'”
The Braves wasted no time putting on full display just how large the gap is between themselves & the rest of the division, specifically the Phillies; who’ve been the popular pick from baseball’s corporate conglomerate of talking heads to usurp Atlanta from their perch atop the division. In the wee hours of the 2024 baseball season, the chalk is righteous.
Max Fried didn’t even make it out of the first inning, only recording two outs. He struggled to consistently find the strikezone for the entirety of his abbreviated start. In his defense though, he threw strike 3 to Nick Castellanos on a full count with the bases loaded, but it was called a ball. The pitch was right down the middle and should’ve ended the inning with no runs surrendered, but if frogs had wings their butt wouldn’t touch the ground when they jumped.
Pictured below is the strike/ball, numbered 6 on the graphic.
See what I mean?
But nonetheless, the Braves absorbed the early-game punishment, only to dish out punishment of their own.
That punishment came in the form of 19 hits, 0 errors, & 12 runs.
Compared to Philadelphia’s 8 hits, 0 errors, & 4 runs.
Five Braves hitters logged three hits apiece: Acuña, Ozzie, Harris II, Arcia, & Kelenic.
Atlanta batters with a homerun: Ozzie, Ozuna, & Harris II.
2-out RBI, which are demoralizing for opponents, were logged by Kelenic (1) & Ozuna (3).
Atlanta was 6-for-15 with runners in scoring position, only leaving 6 onbase. While Philly left 6 men on, but were a measly 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
Four Phillies pitchers needed the day with ERA’s over 10: Nola (14.54), Ortiz (27.00), Domínguez (18.00), & Brogdon (20.25).
Meanwhile, of the six pitchers who threw for Atlanta, only two surrendered runs at all, Fried gave up 3 in his 2/3 inning & Chavez surrendered a lone run in his three innings of work on his way to earning the win. Matzek notched his first hold of the season, throwing 1.1 innings of two-hit baseball.
Atlanta has Chris Sale on the bump for the series finale against Ranger Suárez at 1:35 eastern.
Of note: with Sean Murphy being put on the IL with an oblique strain, Chadwick Tromp has been selected by Atlanta for the backup backstop role. With d’Arnaud’s advanced age for a catcher, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Chadwick see a decent amount of innings behind the plate.