Battery Power - August 14: Braves 6, Mets 4Your one stop shop for everything Atlanta Braveshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52890/favicon-32x32..png2019-08-15T00:17:54-04:00http://www.batterypower.com/rss/stream/205720712019-08-15T00:17:54-04:002019-08-15T00:17:54-04:00Braves somehow survive more late-inning adventures, beat Mets 6-4
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<img alt="MLB: New York Mets at Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hfLLMqW3pZByZl1gNNvQRDYgPqg=/0x0:2629x1753/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65021917/usa_today_13210050.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Adam C. Hagy-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>They won a bloop battle, and outlasted their own porous defense to take the series.</p> <p id="XAe4rA">If you like absolutely insane baseball games after hour-long rain delays where the <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Braves</a> ultimately come up victorious, but not before taking years off your life — well, I’ve got the game for you. The Braves prevailed 6-4, but the late innings were filled with nothing but drama: they fell behind on a two-run bloop single, took the lead on a deluge of bloops of their own, and then nearly threw it all away on what might be the context-adjusted worst defensive play of the year by Johan Camargo. In the end, <span>Jerry Blevins</span> came on with the bases loaded and two outs and struck out <span>Michael Conforto</span> on three pitches to preserve the game and deliver unto Atlanta its 72nd victory of 2019.</p>
<p id="XGenFk">While this game ended in rancor, it was very, very quiet in the early and middle innings. <span>Dallas Keuchel</span> got the start opposite <span>Steven Matz</span>, and both southpaws mostly just cruised. <span>Keuchel</span> scattered five hits and two walks over six frames, striking out seven and keeping the <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a> entirely off the board. <span>Matz</span> allowed just three baserunners (two hits, one walk) of his own with five strikeouts, but the Braves plated a second-inning run off of him on a single-walk-forceout-double sequence, with <span>Ender Inciarte</span>’s slicer down the left-field line scoring <span>Josh Donaldson</span>.</p>
<p id="0wxgGl">Keuchel, who has had a miserable experience this year trying to navigate the lineup a third time (8.80 FIP, 5.16 xFIP), had himself a familiar scare in the sixth, but worked out of it. After allowing a leadoff single to <span>J.D. Davis</span> and hitting <span>Pete Alonso</span>, the Braves’ one-run lead appeared imperiled. But, Keuchel got <span>Wilson Ramos</span> to hit into a 1-6-3 double play, and after a walk to <span>Conforto</span>, got <span>Todd Frazier</span> to pop out on a nice over-the-shoulder grab by <span>Freddie Freeman</span> behind the first-base bag. It was a great bounceback start for Keuchel after his absolute shelling in Miami and arguably his best start of the season (that 12-strikeout <a href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Royals</a> game deserves mention here as well).</p>
<p id="cbdHa6">So, onto the seventh, then, where things got wild. <span>Sean Newcomb</span> was the first man out of the Atlanta bullpen despite two righties and the pitcher’s spot due up. He retired said righties, but then <span>Matz</span>, who was already 1-for-2 in the game, notched a broken-bat single to right. Apparently that was <span>Newcomb</span>’s limit in this game, as he gave way to Chris Martin. Martin got a groundball from subsequent batter <span>Amed Rosario</span> that could have ended the inning with the lead intact, but Camargo completely whiffed on flagging it down, and <span>Adam Duvall</span> compounded the defensive woes in left field by throwing to third base instead of second, allowing <span>Rosario</span> to scoot up a base as the go-ahead run. <span>J.D. Davis</span> then blooped a paydirt-finding wounded duck into shallow center at a sub-70 mph exit velocity, and just like that, the Braves were down 2-1. Martin got Alonso to fly out to center to end the frame, but the Braves were now trailing for the first time in the game.</p>
<p id="3Uyso6">That deficit did not last long. Despite <span>Matz</span> dealing, the Mets replaced him with <span>Seth Lugo</span>, and that decision curdled the Mets’ milk almost immediately. <span>Lugo</span> issued a leadoff walk to <span>Donaldson</span>. <span>Duvall</span> then tomahawked the first pitch he saw, a fastball about eye-high, for a deep single into the left field corner. Camargo stepped in and watched two strikes while attempting to bunt the runners over, but then sent a 1-2 pitch as a bloop of his own into left field, and the sacks were packed with none out. <span>Inciarte</span>, who drove in Atlanta’s first run, then came through to do the same for the second, sending a sinking liner of his own (just barely above 80 mph) into left-center. <span>Tyler Flowers</span> came up and it was New York’s turn to goof on defense. <span>Flowers</span> weakly rolled the first pitch he saw to the right side, but Alonso cut in front of the second baseman while missing the ball, and <span>Lugo</span> failed to cover first. A run scored, and <span>Flowers</span> was safe at first. The Braves then pinch-hit <span>Matt Joyce</span> (note: they did not pinch-hit a lefty for <span>Duvall</span> nor <span>Brian McCann</span> for <span>Flowers</span> earlier in the frame), and <span>Joyce</span> lashed a liner to right that scored Camargo, but went as a forceout in the scorebook because Flowers was thrown out at second. (The ball was trapped on a line by <span>Conforto</span> in right, and Flowers was caught in-between and couldn’t advance in time.) Ronald Acuña Jr. then sent his own bloop into right that made it 5-2 Braves, and against new reliever (and former Brave) <span>Luis Avilan</span>, <span>Ozzie Albies</span> rolled a hard-hit grounder through the left side that allowed <span>Joyce</span> to score from second base. <span>Freddie Freeman</span>, of all people, hit into a double play to end the very, very profitable frame.</p>
<p id="WyQbAN">On came <span>Shane Greene</span>, and for once, the drama was forestalled, at least for another inning. <span>Greene</span> worked a 1-2-3 frame with a looking strikeout, getting a routine grounder and pop-out as his other two outs. The Braves worked two walks against <span>Jeurys Familia</span> in the bottom of the eighth, but failed to score. And so, the game wound on to the fateful ninth.</p>
<p id="VcjhrU">Despite the four-run lead, the Braves summoned officially-designated (I guess?) closer <span>Mark Melancon</span> to close out the game. He did not. <span>Melancon</span> did get the first out, a grounder off the bat of <span>Ruben Tejada</span> (making his first major league appearance in exactly two years in this game, baseball is weird), but the things unraveled. <span>Juan Lagares</span> singled up the middle. Pinch-hitter <span>Joe Panik</span> blooped a double down the left-field line (shades of <span>Inciarte</span>’s hit that opened the scoring, but far more weakly hit). <span>Rosario</span> mashed the next pitch from Melancon for a run-scoring single (6-3 Braves), and pinch-hitter <span>Luis Guillorme</span> also singled to left (6-4 Braves). </p>
<p id="363XTk">The tying runs were now on base, and the go-ahead run at the plate, represented by the somewhat terrifying visage of Alonso. For a second, it seemed like things were going to be okay: despite his prodigious pop, Alonso rolled over a Melancon cutter low in the zone and hit it right to the second base bag. It was fortuitous not just in its location but also its speed, a tailor-made double play ball if there ever was one. <span>Albies</span> grabbed it, shoveled it to Camargo at shortstop... and... ugh. Camargo received the ball with his glove but bobbled the transfer as his foot was sliding across the second-base bag. Not only did he drop the ball before being able to throw on to first to end the game... but the Mets challenged his control of the baseball as he tagged second base and overturned the call on the field. The Braves got zero outs when they probably should have gotten two, and had to keep playing a game that could have very well been over.</p>
<p id="K2WYJh">Melancon, to his credit, did not continue the implosion. Four pitches later, <span>Wilson Ramos</span> was set down as the inning’s second (and game’s penultimate) out, with the first and last swinging strikes coming on knuckle curves in the dirt. And then, the Braves did something you’d probably never guess you’d see in 2019: they pulled the pricy Trade Deadline acquisition from the game, and inserted <span>Jerry Blevins</span> to face Conforto with the game on the line. I already gave away the spoiler above — fastball, foul; curveball, foul; curveball, whiff — and the game was over. </p>
<p id="4UFAKM">The Braves won a game in which they were outhit 12-8 and out-baserunnered 15-12, in which they made some ghastly defensive miscues, and in which neither team homered. They go for the sweep with <span>Julio Teheran</span> on the hill against Marcus Stroman tomorrow night. Go get some sleep, provided the adrenaline has worn off and you don’t fear that nightmares of the Braves’ recent relief pitching performances will haunt your slumber.</p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2019/8/15/20806647/atlanta-braves-new-york-mets-recap-august-14-2019-late-inning-adventures-johan-camargo-jerry-blevinsIvan the Great2019-08-14T18:45:00-04:002019-08-14T18:45:00-04:00Game Thread 8/14/19: Braves vs. Mets
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<img alt="MLB: New York Mets at Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/APJmBNqZszcrKAj5wSGvOdzAw5g=/0x0:3970x2647/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65020714/usa_today_13204282.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>A Wednesday night divisional fight.</p> <p id="50ToCx">After picking up a win against the <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a> last night, the <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Braves</a> are right back at it again tonight. Hopefully, we’ll see the same result as last night and we’ll also see a big bounce-back from <span>Dallas Keuchel</span> as well. It would be huge if he got rolling, so why not start up a hot streak of performances right now? No time is better than the present.</p>
<p id="bw5wHA">PREVIEW | LINEUPS</p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2019/8/14/20805087/game-thread-and-discussion-august-14-2019-atlanta-braves-vs-new-york-metsDemetrius Bell2019-08-14T16:07:11-04:002019-08-14T16:07:11-04:00Camargo, Duvall and Flowers return to the lineup for Braves game against Mets
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<img alt="MLB: Detroit Tigers at Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iXK9-VBfSesZuQnBEjl2GkB5zOY=/0x0:4366x2911/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65019654/usa_today_12813913.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Remember when the Braves were loath to change their lineup from day-to-day? Yeah, here’s three changes from last night to tonight.</p> <p id="zaE6fV">The <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Braves</a> are back at it tonight against the <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a>, as they look to hopefully clinch the series win with a victory against New York this evening. The lineups for both teams are as follows:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Going for the series win tonight at <a href="https://twitter.com/SunTrustPark?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SunTrustPark</a>!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChopOn?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChopOn</a> <a href="https://t.co/HTop9oW0Nl">pic.twitter.com/HTop9oW0Nl</a></p>— Atlañta Braves (@Braves) <a href="https://twitter.com/Braves/status/1161686696242688000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 14, 2019</a>
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<p id="zIdvzb">The top four is what you’d expect, and the onus is clearly going to be on them tonight to continue heating up like they have over recent times. <span>Adam Duvall</span>, <span>Johan Camargo</span> and <span>Tyler Flowers</span> are the newcomers. If you’re wondering why Camargo’s getting the start, it’s probably because <span>Charlie Culberson</span> hasn’t been playing the best in his most recent starts and also Camargo is 3-for-7 with a home run against Steven Matz. That’s an extremely short sample size, but if Brian Snitker really thinks that Camargo is going to get going soon, then giving him a shot against a pitcher he’s succeeded against could help a little bit. </p>
<p id="4prp14">Meanwhile, here’s New York’s lineup:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mets at Braves<br><br>SS Amed Rosario<br>LF J.D. Davis<br>1B Pete Alonso<br>C Wilson Ramos<br>RF Michael Conforto<br>3B Todd Frazier<br>2B Ruben Tejada<br>CF Juan Lagares<br>LHP Steven Matz</p>— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYPost_Mets/status/1161726409414500353?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 14, 2019</a>
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<p id="9qnYbE"><span>Jeff McNeil</span> went on the 10-day IL with <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/2019/8/14/20805761/mets-injury-jeff-mcneil-minor-hamstring-strain-ruben-tejada?utm_campaign=amazinavenue&utm_content=chorus&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter">a mild hamstring strain</a>, so obviously they’re going to have to go without their primary leadoff hitter. <span>Amed Rosario</span> moves up to the leadoff spot and McNeil’s replacement at second base is none other than Ruben Tejada. You might remember him as being the victim of a dirty slide from <span>Chase Utley</span> back in the 2015 NLDS. After a few seasons bouncing from team to team (and not even playing in the bigs at any point during last season), Tejada is back with the Mets and he’s back in the lineup for tonight. He’ll probably receive a warm welcome from the Mets fans who happen to be in attendance tonight.</p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2019/8/14/20806031/atlanta-braves-new-york-mets-august-14-2019-lineups-johan-camargo-tyler-flowers-adam-duvallDemetrius Bell2019-08-14T14:00:00-04:002019-08-14T14:00:00-04:00Keuchel looks to rebound from rock bottom as Braves face Mets
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<img alt="Philadelphia Phillies v Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Bcdnea79zFsGIdmkFzQ64qVM4j4=/0x20:2658x1792/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65018244/1159698921.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Dallas Keuchel had one of the worst starts of his career during his last time on the mound. There’s nowhere to go but up, but his ceiling is still very high, </p> <p id="dopd96">After picking up a wire-to-wire victory over the <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a> last night, the <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Braves</a> will be hoping to keep things going and continue to keep their divisional rivals far behind them as <span>Dallas Keuchel</span> makes the start. </p>
<p id="MMWnPw">Keuchel will be heading into tonight’s game with redemption surely on his mind. His most recent outing was a shockingly-bad performance against the Marlins. It was easily one of the worst starts of his career and it will surely be an outlier from what you’d normally expect from him. So with that said, if Keuchel just has a normal start then that would be more of what we expect and miles better than what happened down on South Beach.</p>
<p id="V9eX7N">As usual with a lot of the National League teams, Keuchel doesn’t have much of a track record against anybody playing for the Mets tonight, so this really is just an issue of him getting back on track. He <a href="https://www.ajc.com/blog/mike-check/why-dallas-keuchel-will-have-better-results-for-braves/aiCzQouy9NlvlKqxUzzd3J/">told the AJC</a> that he was feeling confident (even after that mess of a start in Miami) and it’s just a matter of putting things together in a comfortable manner. The Mets have been doing a decent job of hitting the ball lately, but they also come into this game with a team batted ground ball Rate of around 45 percent. Granted, this stat seemed to indicate that Keuchel was going to have a field day against the Marlins (who are around 49 percent when it comes to ground balls hit) and then he ended up giving up three dingers, so who knows what could happen. Hopefully we’ll see a vintage performance tonight and his nightmare in Miami will indeed be just an outlier. </p>
<p id="gMxFsI">Meanwhile, <span>Steven Matz</span> is getting the start for the Mets and this will be the fourth time that the Braves have had to deal with him this season. The last time the Braves saw him was on June 29 and they didn’t see much of him. That was when the game in New York saw a rain delay that was long enough to end Matz’s night, but not before they got to him for three hits and two runs through just two innings. It appeared that the Braves were picking up from where they left off 10 days earlier, which is when they welcomed Matz back to Atlanta with six hits, four walks and five runs — with a couple of home runs peppered in there as well. </p>
<p id="KwuSdu">So while recent events seem to tilt this matchup in favor of the Braves, Matz has shown that he has the capability of tossing a gem. He ended July with a complete game shutout against the Pirates — only to go out and not even make it out of the fourth inning against those very same Pirates on his very next outing. So that’s saying Matz is somewhat inconsistent as a pitcher. He could go out there and mystify the Braves tonight, or he could very well get shelled again and the Braves would just continue what they had been doing earlier this summer. </p>
<p id="2XlLVj">All eyes will definitely be on Dallas Keuchel tonight. He’ll absolutely be on the road to redemption after his debacle last week. Additionally, he hasn’t really had a dazzling start against some decent competition since arriving in Atlanta. Now would be as good of a time as ever to deliver and give the team another huge boost as they look to take a series victory against New York.</p>
<h3 id="AcAnIk"><strong>Game Info</strong></h3>
<p id="IHWTLW"><strong>Game Date/Time:</strong> Wednesday, August 14, 7:20 p.m. ET</p>
<p id="8o7LuV"><strong>Location:</strong> SunTrust Park, Atlanta, GA</p>
<p id="Mst5SX"><strong>TV:</strong> Fox Sports Southeast</p>
<p id="WrY7mp"><strong>Streaming:</strong> MLB.tv</p>
<p id="Md7mHF"><strong>Radio:</strong> 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan, Rock 100.5, Braves Radio Network</p>
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https://www.batterypower.com/2019/8/14/20804964/atlanta-braves-new-york-mets-august-14-2019-game-time-tv-channel-radio-streaming-dallas-keuchelDemetrius Bell