Three takeaways as Atlanta Braves blast Giants behind Max Fried and homers

The Braves broke Jeff Samardzija

The entire top of the second inning on Wednesday night felt like a ticking time bomb that could go off at any moment.

And boy, did it go off.

The San Francisco pitching and defense just couldn’t get out of its own way, and after Jeff Samardzija threw some 30-plus pitches in the frame, the Braves finally took advantage with a couple of daggers to the heart.

The Braves have been lauded this year for their more patient approach at the plate – the team’s walk rate of 9.7% is good for sixth in the National League – and that selective, disciplined work paid huge dividends in the second when they finally broke the Giants’ starter.

Here’s a quick sequence of the notable plate appearances and the number of pitches that accumulated.

• Austin Riley reached on a HBP – six-pitch at-bat.
• Ozzie Albies reached on a throwing error – five-pitch at-bat.
• Matt Joyce singled – five-pitch at-bat.
• Max Fried raced to reach on a fielder’s choice and got his first career RBI – five-pitch at-bat.
• Ronald Acuna, Jr. reached on a wild pitch – seven-pitch at-bat.

By this point, Samardzija was gassed, laboring, and desperate for a quick out.

The Braves, like they’ve done so often this year, made a pitcher pay dearly for getting himself into trouble.

Enter Dansby Swanson, hungry for a first pitch in the strike zone. The result? Crushed for a three-run bomb.

Followed by Freddie Freeman, likewise looking to do damage early. The result? Tomahawked for a solo shot.

The Giants starter was blank in his emotions as he watched the back-to-back jacks go into the outfield seats, seemingly flummoxed by how quickly the game had gotten out of hand, as the Braves took a commanding 6-0 lead that they never surrendered.

This wasn’t the first time that this Braves lineup has bewildered an opposing pitcher with its lethal patience + power combination. In addition to an NL-top six walk rate, Atlanta is also sixth in the league in homers.

What does that say? This continues to be an offense that makes pitchers work, work, and work…and then breaks them.