For the second day in a row, the Atlanta offense showed that it has not emerged from a longer than expected hibernation. As Mike Soroka flourished on Friday, Max Fried, along with a few glimpses of pure dirt, faltered after a good start to his departure on Saturday.
Both Fried and Steven Matz did a quick job of their opponents in the first, as Matz solved an error early to get the Braves out in order and Fried only needed eight pitches to silence the Mets. Fried included a beautiful voice actor in his show with Pete Alonso. Both pitchers obviously had good things to start.
In the upper part of the second inning, Adam Duvall decided that enough time had passed without the Braves showing up on the scoreboard. As a result, he threw a Matz-breaking ball into the right field seats, unintentionally nailing a cutout of Jeff McNeil’s cub in the process. Fortunately, the only damage done was to Matz’s ERA, and the Braves took the lead, 1-0. At the end of the second, Fried found life a little more turbulent. Although he retired Yoenis Céspedes and Robinson Cano in order, he walked with Wilson Ramos on four consecutive pitches and then allowed Michael Conforto to also hit a free pass. Fortunately, after a necessary visit to the mound, Fried refocused and ended the inning with a strikeout from Amed Rosario.
Both Fried and Matz settled in and quickly managed to pass the third and fourth innings, respectively. The only stain was walking to Freddie Freeman. Although Johan Camargo singled with one out in the top of the fifth, Matz generated a double play through Duvall to keep Atlanta’s offense quiet. Fried took the mound to the end of the fifth with a no-hitter in the works; Unfortunately, that success quickly evaporated. After making Ramos fly, Fried allowed a double for Conforto, a triple for Rosario and a sacrifice for McNeil. This sequence also included Brandon Nimmo being hit by a pitch. Once the fifth inning finally ended, Fried’s day ended and the Mets had a 2-1 lead.
Overall, Fried had a decent start to 2020. Over 67 pitches, he launched 39 strikes, including 20 in his last 29 pitches. He also only walked two batters, and generated five strikeouts while producing three innings in which he retired the Mets in order with 10 or fewer pitches. However, Fried had a bit of a wild streak in the second inning (without the referee’s help), and then he hesitated to end his day in the fifth inning. Most days, Fried’s performance would have been good, and another entry could probably have worked. However, with the Braves’ offense off to a slow start, Fried came out with Atlanta behind.
Matz ended his day by keeping the Braves quiet in the top of the sixth. Despite Duvall’s home run, Matz allowed just one walk, one run and two hits while striking out seven while once again puzzling the Braves. Josh Tomlin replaced Fried in the bottom of the sixth inning and did a quick job in the middle of the Mets’ order. Unfortunately, the Braves were again unable to capitalize on the top of the seventh, as for the fifth time in the game, the Braves retired in order.
The Mets’ offense found early success in the bottom of the seventh, with singles by Ramos and Conforto by Tomlin and his replacement, AJ Minter. Rosario overtook Ramos to third, but Minter recovered by hitting Nimmo and McNeil to end the threat. It was a much-needed debut for Minter as he seeks to overcome a forgettable 2019 campaign.
The Braves finally showed a bit of life in the top of the eighth inning. Although Dansby Swanson went on strike after missing two inches and Camargo missed, the Braves found a bit of magic. Austin Riley connected with Dellin Betances, and after the Mets replaced Betances with Justin Wilson to face pinch hitter Matt Adams, Adams connected for another single that prepared runners in first and third for Ronald Acuna Jr. against a left-hander. . Unfortunately, Acuña Jr. was unable to get the Mets to pay as his strikeout ended with the Braves scoring threat.
Darren O’Day made his season debut in the bottom of the eighth, and worked around a single by Cespedes for a successful inning, including strikeouts by JD Davis and Pete Alonso. Edwin Diaz entered the game in the ninth and did a quick job of Ozzie Albies and Freeman. After three balls in a row to Marcell Ozuna, Diaz worked the full count and sought to drive Ozuna away with his devastating fastbal …..
BUT NO LORD, NOT TODAY!
Ozuna went with the outside heater and placed it on the right center fielder’s wall, tying the game on the Braves’ last shot. Although it took much longer than anyone preferred, the Braves found the right shot they had been missing at the right time. Plus, Ozuna appears to be quite comfortable in the Braves’ cleanup spot, with something good at bats and hard contact in his first two games as Bravo.
Never hiding from the drama, the Braves handed the ball to Luke Jackson to extend the game beyond the ninth. Immediately Jackson made sure to keep his brand strong, as after retiring Ramos through a noisy line, he allowed singles for Conforto and Rosario. Fortunately, Jackson followed the successes with consecutive outs as Nimmo and McNeil flew and landed, respectively.
The story was made at the top of the tenth as Adam Duvall became the first Brave to receive a second baseman to start an inning simply because he is a good guy (with the good help of some new rules). Swanson took the lead. and he decided to waste little time celebrating Duvall’s success, sending a single to center and giving the Braves a 3-2 lead. Camargo kept the lead with another single to the left, allowing Swanson to advance to third. Ender Inciarte, who had entered the game as a pinch runner for Riley in eighth place, lost the ball but brought Swanson home to make the score 4-2.
As mentioned before the game, Alex Jackson’s career start without success had reached historic levels. Many hoped that an answer to that would be a Braves catcher getting his first career hit today. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be for Alex Jackson. However, a Braves receiver got the first hit of his career. William Contreras, the surprising beneficiary of a major league debut earlier than expected due to the health of Tyler Flowers and Travis D ‘Arnaud, delivered a double RBI in his first major league at bat, scoring Camargo. Although Jackson’s time will finally come, Contreras could not have found a better time to continue delivering the buzz he has created in Atlanta in recent weeks. Despite a strikeout in Acuña Jr. and the Albies finished, the Braves finally experienced their necessary breakup, going into the end of the tenth until 5-2.
Of course, the Mets also started their tenth with a runner in second place, and while Jackson has shown tremendous success with runners on base, he decided to once again raise his heart rate nationwide Braves. Jake Marisnick and Alonso singles loaded the bases after McNeil began the inning in the second. However, it was all just for the show, as Jackson retired Eduardo Nunez and Dominic Smith with flyouts (though Smith scored McNeil) and Ramos with a base to end the game. The drama’s disciple once again lived up to his name, and the Braves escaped with a 5-3 victory.
Entering the seventh inning, #Braves has 3 walks and 1 hit from the first three points in his order – Acuña, Albies, Freeman – during the first 15 innings of the season, with Freeman’s three bases.
– David O’Brien (@DOBrienATL) July 25, 2020
None of this should surprise Braves fans. One ran through his first 53 outs of the season along with 27 strikeouts in his first two games, and yet Atlanta finally has his offensive revival in additional innings to get his first win of the year. The Braves accomplished this despite previous proof that the Braves’ top hitters have certainly struggled to start the season (they went 0-5 with three more strikeouts for the remainder of the game). However, overall, this should make many feel good on this Saturday night. The Braves pitching has been phenomenal with the defense to call, and although they were one hit from a significantly negative start to the season, they have a chance to win a series tomorrow.
While there are obviously much more preferred methods to enjoy, today’s game should remind many that Atlanta remains one of the most talented teams in the majors. And, in most cases, talent can only be maintained for so long.
