Baseball in Atlanta has finally begun. We have been staring out our windows, waiting for spring all winter, and today is the day. What a day it was! It was worth the extra day of wait. The Atlanta Braves gave up two runs in the fifth, only to have Adam Duvall tie back up in the 7th, and the Braves opened it up in the eighth for a big win at Philadelphia. It was a great game to open the season against a team they will be battling all season. Here are three knee-jerk reactions to the first game of the season.
3 Knee-jerk Reactions to the Braves Season Opener
Spencer Strider Is and Will Be The Best Pitcher in the MLB for the Next Decade
Spencer Strider showed up and performed as we expected. He threw five outstanding innings like we knew he would. The Braves ace got a little confident late in the fifth inning and gave up an HR. Strider looked sharp and ready for the season we predicted: 170 innings, 14 SO9, and a sub-three ERA. Cy Young can’t get awarded soon enough.
Strider’s curveball is everything we hoped it could be, although hitters quickly realized it’s such a nasty 12-6 curve that it won’t land in the zone. They started laying off of it by the third inning, but Strider pulled out with eight strikeouts in his first quality start of the season. The bottom line is that Strider’s curve is devastating, and he is better than expected.
Brave May Lose Star Catcher to an Oblique Injury
In the sixth, Sean Murhpy pulled up instantly after a swinging strike, grabbing his left side. He immediately walked off the field. Nothing about this looked good; there is a possibility it’s just a sprained wrist he was clutching, but a 15-day IL stint could be the best-case scenario. Travis d’Arnaud stepped in with a 1-2 count and went down swinging off the first pitch.
Murphy is a top-tell catcher, both behind and at the plate. This is a devastating loss and a big WAR shift in the lineup of .5-1 if he misses extended time.
The Bottom of the Line-up Was Tops
Orlando Arcia, Jarred Kelenic, and Adam Duvall combined for four hits, a run, and two RBI in the eight-nine hole. Constantly coming up clutch, and in the eighth, loaded the bases to get Ronald Acuna Jr. back up to extend the Brave’s lead. It’s a great takeaway that they can hold their own, especially against the Phillies.
Acuna was among the few MLB players with a +1.5 total bases O/U to start their season. Spoiler Alert: he hit the over with two hits, a walk, and a swiped bag. Also, if you haven’t read his recent Players Tribute piece, it’s a tearjerker.
Lastly, it’s still early in the season, just the beginning, but the Phillies look to have bullpen issues that the Braves will exploit in all of their ten upcoming clashes before the season ends. You can give up seven runs in a tie game in the eighth inning to your biggest divisional rival. Unless the Phillies can pull a decent trade deadline move for a few relief arms, it will be a long season in Philidelphia.
Saturday, 4:05 PM, we get game two of 2024, where the Braves will look to take the first series of the new season. Chop on, Braves, Chop on.
