Atlanta Braves: Takeaways from win in Game 2 against the Cardinals
By Clint Manry
With the pressure on, the Atlanta Braves answered back versus the Cardinals and its ace on Friday, evening the series, 1-1.
Whether it was the baseball gods or just some much needed luck, the Atlanta Braves were in need of a starting pitching masterpiece… and oh boy did they get it.
Let’s get straight to our impressions of this contest:
Site co-editor, Alan Carpenter, offered his three takeaways from Game 1 early Friday morning, and one of the first concerns he looked into was how the Atlanta Braves were going to tackle its pitching on Friday, in Game 2.
His first bullet point:
"“Mike Foltynewicz must pitch the game of his life… 6 innings absolute minimum; 7 better.”"
4. Folty answered the call
Well, Folty did just that, providing the Braves with some of his best work yet. We said he MUST do it… and dangit he did, going seven strong innings and allowing just 3 hits, no walks and no runs, as the Braves defeated the Cardinals, 3-0.
If you’re in to such things, Folty’s final line came out to a 78 Game Score, which would be the 5th-best start of his career, using that metric.
For those that are curious, Folty’s best start ever (by Game Score) came on June 1 of 2018 — a Game Score of 93 versus the Washington Nationals (9 IP, 2 H, BB, 11 K).
But c’mon! Friday’s gem was a postseason beauty, regardless of what the Game Score was.
3. The pressure has been released
Baseball is a beautiful thing. Braves Country was practically in shambles on Thursday night — the Atlanta Braves dropped the opening game of the NLDS — the one they were supposed to win — despite leading for the first seven innings.
Twitter universe was exploding. There was another showboating moment from young Ronald Acuna Jr., a controversial call at first base and of course the fact that the Braves lost the game… all after a classic Dallas Keuchel special, filled with weak contact, grounders and double-plays.
But Folty and the gang had other plans in Game 2. And with the win, the Atlanta Braves will receive a much needed day off as the team makes the 550-mile trip to St. Louis.
The pressure has subsided – for now – as the series resets and the Braves hold the advantage of still wielding their greatest weapon, in Mike Soroka. As we transition to Game 3 on Sunday (4:10 p.m. / TBS), all the pressure and doomsday overreactions will now be aimed at the Cardinals.
Like I said… baseball is a beautiful thing!
(Read Matthew’s Game 2 recap for more in-game details and stats.)