Atlanta Braves keep on rolling as Spencer Strider shows progress

Everything seems to be going well for the Atlanta Braves right now

In front of over 41,000 fans at Truist Park, the Atlanta Braves kept up their winning ways by defeating the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 Friday night. A combination of great pitching and timely hits were the story of this game.

Spencer Strider took the mound for his third start of the season and faced fellow rookie Roansy Contreras (no relation to Willson or William).  The 22-year-old Contreras entered the game with a 1.93 ERA in three starts this year.

Strider set the tone with a 1-2-3 first inning that saw him strikeout two batters. He would get some run support by the Atlanta offense in the bottom of the third inning when Dansby Swanson hit a 3-2 pitch off the foul pole in left field to score he and Michael Harris II.

Swanson is now hitting .286 with an .800 OPS. Rookie Michael Harris II finished this game 2-for-3, scoring two runs and walking once.

Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson brought in some runs in the fourth and fifth inning to give the Braves a 4-0. Olson has an .865 OPS with 14 RBIs in his last 15 games.

Spencer Strider would continue to dominate the Pirates. He finished the game with a line of 5.2 innings, 4 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, and 8 strikeouts. His ERA is down to 2.35.

Dylan Lee and Darren O’Day did not allow a run in their appearances. Jackson Stephens ran into some trouble in the eight inning and ended up allowing two runs, but AJ Minter would put out the rally with two quick fly outs.

Kenley Jansen entered the game in the ninth and worked a 1-2-3 inning to earn his 17th save on the season. His 17 saves are the third most in the majors this year, and he is just two saves away from surpassing Jonathan Papelbon to enter the top 10 all-time save leaders list.

The Braves will play the Pirates tomorrow at 4:00 pm, with Charlie Morton set to face the team he played seven seasons with.