The Atlanta Braves continued their high-scoring ways in Colorado as they tallied 14 of them on Monday night in a 14-4 win. It was a game full of excitement with stolen bases, homers, good pitching, and two fans rushing Ronald Acuna Jr. on the field.
Luckily, everyone was okay after that incident and things continued like normal. Atlanta will seek a win tonight in game two in hopes of taking the series.
Charlie Morton will start tonight looking to continue the success from his previous outing. He is currently 13-10 on the season with a 3.37 ERA and 157 strikeouts.
His most recent start was against the New York Mets at Truist Park and he tossed 7 scoreless innings allowing just 2 hits. Morton walked just one batter while striking out 11 batters which is a season high for him.
The man they call "Uncle Charlie" has pitched 3 scoreless outings in a row dating back to August 11th. That's 18 innings of allowing 0 runs, 9 hits, 9 walks, and 25 strikeouts. Now, he did have 7 walks in his start on August 11th, which is concerning. But, that number dropped drastically in the next two starts.
Most impressively, Charlie has a 2.01 ERA in the month of August through 22.1 innings pitched allowing a total of 5 runs on 13 hits with 13 walks and 29 strikeouts. Opponents are batting just .167 against him during the month as well.
Coors Field is a tough place to pitch but if anyone can do well at this park, it's the veteran right-hander. His career ERA of 5.35 isn't the best through 38.2 innings pitched there but that's something you'd expect from most pitchers in a hitter-friendly ball park.
Morton will be opposed by Peter Lambert who is 3-4 on the season with a 4.92 ERA across 71.1 innings of work. Lambert most recently pitched against Tampa Bay and allowed 2 runs on 4 hits through 5 innings. He walked one batter while striking out six of them.
He will be tasked with holding an explosive offense at bay in a very good place to hit baseballs. Ronald Acuna Jr. is on the cusp of history so you know not allowing his 30th home run of the season will be in the back of Lambert's mind.
Four homers away from setting the single-season franchise record.
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) August 29, 2023
Truist is donating $755 to the Atlanta Braves Foundation’s Henry Louis Aaron Fund for every home run the team hits for the next three seasons.@TruistNews | #HomersForHank | #Truist pic.twitter.com/Mqahu4I0nZ
Speaking of history, the Braves are closing in on breaking the franchise record for home runs in a single season which was set by the 2019 Braves. The 2019 team hit 249 of them and the 2023 Braves currently have 246 of them. I'd say they'll reach that milestone in the next few days but they could easily do it tonight.
Make sure to tune in tonight for a potentially historic night!
Game Information
Time and Location: 8:40 PM EST at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado
Watch: Bally Sports South
Listen: 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan