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Atlanta Braves Morning Chop: a playoff atmosphere is forming

By Alan Carpenter

ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 14: Left fielder Ronald Acuna, Jr. #13 (right) and second baseman Ozzie Albies #1 of the Atlanta Braves celebrate after the game against the Washington Nationals at SunTrust Park on September 14, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 14: Left fielder Ronald Acuna, Jr. #13 (right) and second baseman Ozzie Albies #1 of the Atlanta Braves celebrate after the game against the Washington Nationals at SunTrust Park on September 14, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images) /
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ATLANTA, GA – SEPTEMBER 14: Pitcher Max Scherzer #31 of the Washington Nationals wipes his forehead in the second inning during the game against the Atlanta Braves at SunTrust Park on September 14, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – SEPTEMBER 14: Pitcher Max Scherzer #31 of the Washington Nationals wipes his forehead in the second inning during the game against the Atlanta Braves at SunTrust Park on September 14, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images) /

You can see the confidence growing with every game.  This team belongs in the post-season, and they know it.

The Atlanta Braves represent not just a collection of baseball players that happen to wear the same uniform.  If you want to see what that dysfunction looks like, check the other dugout this weekend.  No, these Braves are a team and that distinction is becoming more clear day by day.

In a game on Friday that matched up squads of “what should have been” and “what is emerging”, the Braves faced a pitcher in Max Scherzer who represents exactly the type of challenge that they will face in October:  a Cy Young-caliber pitcher that battles every AB with every pitch in his arsenal.

But on Friday night Atlanta made him look merely average en route to their 6th-straight victory.

This is almost stunning:

  • 4 innings, 102 pitches
  • 6K, 3BB, 7 hits
  • 6 runs… all earned

Only twice this season had Scherzer been tagged with as many as 4 earned runs… never any more than that.  Only once had even 5 runs been scored on his watch… that happened courtesy of the Braves… way back on April 4th.

Before this game, Scherzer was 17-6 with an ERA of 2.31.  In one night, the Braves raised that by over 1/5th of a run to 2.525… in mid-September with over 200 innings already in the books!

Ronald Acuña went 4 for 5, Ozzie Albies was 2 for 4, Nick Markakis 2 for 3, Ender Inciarte 3 for 5… it was offense scattered along much of the lineup.  Exactly as you’d want to see it.

Jacob deGrom should probably send a thank-you note to SunTrust Park in recognition of Atlanta’s role is securing the Cy Young plaque that will be delivered to him this Winter.  You’re welcome.

Gifts that Keep on Giving

The Braves are going to reap additional benefits this weekend as a direct result of this beating that they put onto Scherzer’s Nationals:  6 Nats relievers had to be employed over 4 innings on Friday.

This is after they used 6 bullpen arms on Thursday over 5 innings in a loss to the Cubs, but 2 in 2 innings on Wednesday, but eight relievers on Tuesday in another extra-inning affair at the Phillies.

Meanwhile, the Braves’ pen is loaded (20 pitchers are now on the 37-strong expanded roster) and rested after none worked on Tuesday, 3 on Wednesday, none again on the Thursday off-day.

There was some Houdini-escapery at work at times on Friday night (thanks to walks), but 5 of that crew combined to yield just 1 run while the bats blew the game open late.

The lead stands at 7.5 over Philly… the magic number is in single digits:  9.  Next team to be eliminated:  the Mets (anti-magic number of 2).

This is what playoff baseball will be about:  enough offense – patient offense against tough pitching – combined with a pitching staff that can get enough rest in between outings.

That’s what the Atlanta coaching staff is trying to engineer between now and the end of the regular season.  That should put the Braves in a good place to be able to compete in October.

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