Only two games into the season and Mother Nature is rearing her ugly head. After Thursday’s Opening Day game was postponed, the Braves and Phillies are in the midst of their first rain delay of the season. Then original 4:05 start time has been pushed back to an approximate 4:30 pm EST first pitch.
Game start time now set for 4:30 PM EST
In yesterday’s opener the Braves stormed back from in the eighth inning with a seven spot on the Phillies bullpen. Matt Olson had a historic opening day with three doubles. Strider set down eight Phillies via strikeout, and the Braves bullpen was nearly spotless in the 9-3 victory.
Rain delays are never fun, but a delay this short shouldn’t affect any of the players too much. The scheduled starters are Max Fried and Aaron Nola, both of which are veteran pitchers who should have no trouble working around this short delay.
The only transaction from Atlanta today was moving the injuried Sean Murphy to the IL, and bringing up Chadwick Tromp. However, as expected Travis d’Arnaud has been inserted in the lineup as the primary catcher. He will look to lead Max Fried against a strong Philadelphia lineup and get the Braves to a 2-0 start in 2024.
Some other notable performances from yesterday’s game include Michael Harris II and Orlando Arcia’s three hit days. Thanks to Spencer Strider the Phillies lineup was mostly quiet outside of Brandon Marsh’s two-run homer. Nick Castellanos was also surprisingly quiet with a few punch outs. Citizens Bank Park will be looking to erupt early and get behind a potent Phillies lineup, so a quick start for Max Fried is imperative. Stay tuned for more updates as soon as they are made available.
*Updates: Official start time set for 4:30 PM EST
The start of today's game will be delayed until 4:30 p.m. due to weather in the area.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 30, 2024