Battery Power - September 14: Rockies 5, Braves 4Your one stop shop for everything Atlanta Braveshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52890/favicon-32x32..png2021-09-14T22:54:38-04:00http://www.batterypower.com/rss/stream/224392582021-09-14T22:54:38-04:002021-09-14T22:54:38-04:00Braves see comeback attempt thwarted by Rockies in 5-4 loss
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<p>The Braves went ahead early, fell behind immediately after that, and spent the rest of the night playing catch-up. </p> <p id="i7kGkh">The Braves got ahead early, but the Rockies responded quickly and were able to hold off a late charge by Atlanta in order to pick up the 5-4 win on the road. </p>
<p id="qNtjx2">In a potential signal that this was going to be a different week when compared to last week, the Braves actually got on the board first in this one! The Braves got three straight hits with one out in the first inning, as Freddie Freeman cashed in Jorge Soler’s double with an RBI single of his own to put the Braves up 1-0 after one. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Good evening, folks!<a href="https://twitter.com/FreddieFreeman5?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FreddieFreeman5</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForTheA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForTheA</a> <a href="https://t.co/bgMF2SIGsC">pic.twitter.com/bgMF2SIGsC</a></p>— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) <a href="https://twitter.com/Braves/status/1437923683364970503?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2021</a>
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<p id="jLjRQm">Unfortunately, any illusions of this being a walkover for the Braves quickly vanished once the second inning rolled around. Trevor Story sent Touki Toussaint’s second pitch of the second inning very long and very far away from home plate to tie the game at one, then the Rockies had three batters in a row reach base, with the third one being a go-ahead RBI single from Garrett Hampson. The next two batters went down in order, but at this point it seemed like the Rockies were ready to pick up where they left off in Philadelphia. </p>
<p id="Hgdrf2">Atlanta eventually responded in the fourth inning, which is when the bottom part of the lineup put in some work with two outs in order to push a run across the plate. Travis d’Arnaud hit a double with two outs to get things going, then Dansby Swanson followed that up with a double (that he sorely needed) to tie things up at two. Once the fourth inning ended in a tie, there was a feeling that this could end up being a nervy night if the starting pitchers could continue to be steady. </p>
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<cite>Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images</cite>
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<p id="kadOQ7">Touki Toussaint was unable to keep the ship going in the right direction once the fifth inning arrived, though. The Rockies jumped on Touki quickly in the fifth, as a leadoff single turned into a home run by Brendan Rodgers to put Colorado back ahead. Jacob Webb got the ball for the rest of the inning and after he was done heading into the sixth, Jesse Chavez got the ball for the next inning and things didn’t go well. Garrett Hampson smacked a triple with one out and then old friend Rio Ruiz brought him home with a pinch-hit sacrifice fly to make it 5-2 Rockies at that point. </p>
<p id="pxDIbC">The Braves were mostly dormant until the eighth inning, which is when things finally got loud for their bats. Freddie Freeman <a href="https://twitter.com/Braves/status/1437923683364970503">hit his second triple of the season</a> to wake things up, then Adam Duvall continued what’s been a fantastic return to Atlanta by completely demolishing a hanger from Jhoulys Chacin to cut the deficit to just one run. Suddenly, a comeback looked very feasible for the Braves. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Number 3️⃣5️⃣ for <a href="https://twitter.com/aduvall123?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@aduvall123</a>!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForTheA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForTheA</a> <a href="https://t.co/NGqdWsBANt">pic.twitter.com/NGqdWsBANt</a></p>— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) <a href="https://twitter.com/Braves/status/1437963079648690181?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2021</a>
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<p id="SKJPVI">Things got even more interesting once it was Atlanta’s turn to hit in the ninth inning. With an incredibly unpredictable CB Bucknor calling what he figured were balls and strikes behind the plate, Eddie Rosario somehow managed to work himself onto the base paths with a walk. He got to third base after Ozzie Albies swung at the first pitch and got on with a single. That brought Jorge Soler to the plate with two outs and he figured that he should follow Ozzie’s lead of swinging at the first pitch. Instead of tying the game, he harmlessly flew out to Hampson to end the game. </p>
<p id="ItOD4E">For the Braves, it’s a frustrating loss since this was a Colorado team that spent most of this season being absolutely dreadful away from home. While the Rockies did win their most recent road series in Philadelphia, this would’ve been a golden opportunity for the Braves to send them back to earth as far as their road form is concerned. Instead, another suboptimal pitching performance was too much for Atlanta to overcome on this night and now they’ll have to win two in a row to take the series. Elsewhere, the Cubs did do the Braves a solid by beating the Phillies, but it feels more like a missed opportunity than anything else. The divisional lead stays at four-and-a-half games for Atlanta heading into tomorrow’s action. </p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2021/9/14/22674865/atlanta-braves-colorado-rockies-final-score-game-recap-adam-duvall-freddie-freemanDemetrius Bell2021-09-14T18:30:00-04:002021-09-14T18:30:00-04:00Game Thread 9/14/2021, Braves vs. Rockies
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<figcaption>Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Serving up the base. </p> <p id="6psyz3">The Braves have won their past two series and in the series before that, they split a four-game series with the Rockies in Denver. It’s time to see if the Braves can get off to a good start against these same Rockies, except this time it’s at the ballpark in Cobb County. Winning the first game is always imperative and hopefully Atlanta gets the job done tonight.</p>
<p id="rLmnms"><a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/2021/9/14/22673981/atlanta-braves-colorado-rockies-game-preview-time-tv-radio-streaming-touki-toussaint-jon-gray">PREVIEW</a> | <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/2021/9/14/22674195/atlanta-braves-colorado-rockies-preview-lineups-adam-duvall">LINEUPS</a></p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2021/9/14/22674259/atlanta-braves-colorado-rockies-game-thread-discussion-chatDemetrius Bell2021-09-14T15:31:19-04:002021-09-14T15:31:19-04:00Adam Duvall re-enters lineup for Braves as they face the Rockies
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<figcaption>Photo by Adam Hagy/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>He got Sunday off and the team got Monday off, so Duvall should be well rested coming into this one. </p> <p id="bE0CMZ">The lineups for tonight’s game between the Braves and the Rockies are out, so let’s take a look at them, shall we?</p>
<p id="43OIn3">Let’s start with the Braves, as is customary around here:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here's how the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Braves?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Braves</a> will line up tonight vs. the Rockies!<br><br>Presented by <a href="https://twitter.com/TruistNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TruistNews</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForTheA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForTheA</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZbuqWx4Q2a">pic.twitter.com/ZbuqWx4Q2a</a></p>— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) <a href="https://twitter.com/Braves/status/1437850517988941826?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2021</a>
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<p id="1Lgb0X">Adam Duvall is back in the lineup and batting fifth after sitting out in favor of Joc Pederson back on Sunday. Other than that, the usual suspects are where they’d usually be. No real surprises in this lineup at the moment. </p>
<p id="oJfaWz">Meanwhile, here’s how the Rockies will be looking:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Check out tonight's Rockies lineup and join us for pregame at 4:30pm!<a href="https://twitter.com/Rockies?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Rockies</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rockies?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Rockies</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/SouthwestAir?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SouthwestAir</a> <a href="https://t.co/Mh19u9DS5G">pic.twitter.com/Mh19u9DS5G</a></p>— AT&T SportsNet™ | RM (@ATTSportsNetRM) <a href="https://twitter.com/ATTSportsNetRM/status/1437846123838853127?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2021</a>
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<p id="BWoJSE">C.J. Cron wasn’t in their lineup for their series finale against the Phillies, but he’s back in there for tonight’s game in Cobb County. Other than exchanging Colton Welker for Cron, that appears to be the only change compared to Sunday’s lineup for Colorado. It’s a different look from the lineup that Touki Toussaint saw when he ran into them in Denver, so maybe both the change in scenery and the lineup changes could result in something different for Touki as he takes on the Rockies tonight. </p>
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<cite>baseballsavant.com</cite>
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https://www.batterypower.com/2021/9/14/22674195/atlanta-braves-colorado-rockies-preview-lineups-adam-duvallDemetrius Bell2021-09-14T14:26:38-04:002021-09-14T14:26:38-04:00Braves look to continue productive homestand in series opener against Rockies
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<figcaption>Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Braves have been getting the job done and it’s time to keep things rolling in the right direction. </p> <p id="u6fEIi">After winning both of the first two series in their penultimate homestand of the 2021 season, the Braves are set to take on the Rockies for the first of three games this week. </p>
<p id="5lM1Yq">While the Rockies still have a very bad road record — one that sees them currently 30 games under .500 away from Coors Field — they actually proved last week that they have the potential to embarrass someone on a road trip. They knocked off the <a href="https://www.thegoodphight.com/">Phillies</a> three times in four games and while us Braves fans are very grateful for their help, it would be great if the Braves took care of business this week and made short work out of the Rockies and did so starting tonight.</p>
<p id="2Aa8w2">With that being said, I certainly don’t anticipate this being an easy night or easy series, in general. The Braves may have gotten the job done against the Nationals and the Marlins but it certainly wasn’t a cake walk for the home team. They may be in for another tough matchup as the Rockies will be sending Jon Gray to the mound as their starter for this evening. As usual, you have to take a look at the home/away splits for Colorado pitchers and Gray is very interesting in that regard. </p>
<p id="GQF2JG">At home, he’s currently sitting on a 3.79 ERA and a 4.28 FIP, while on the road it shakes out to a 4.68 ERA and a 3.63 FIP. His peripherals bear out the fact that his Coors Field production probably isn’t his real representation. Most importantly in my opinion, his HR/9 and BB percentage are much lower on the road (0.78 road HR/9 and 8.2 percent walk rate) than they are at home (1.22, 10.1 percent, respectively). He’s not exactly a shut down pitcher when he leaves Coors Field, but he’s one that can keep the damage at a minimum while he’s on the mound so that his offense can eventually come to life. </p>
<p id="0n9pAo">The man that’s being tasked with keeping Colorado’s offense from doing any damage is Touki Toussaint. For Touki, the past two months have been defined by some pretty beautiful peaks in August and some very disappointing valleys in September. Touki had a two-start run in mid-August where he looked every bit like the type of pitcher that sticks around in a rotation. He sandwiched a scoreless relief stint against the Giants with two starts where he either got completely shelled or it took all he could muster just to get to the fourth inning. The former inning where he got bopped was in Colorado against these Rockies — hopefully the change in scenery results in a change in outcome for Touki as he gets another crack at the Rockies, </p>
<p id="exbjOg">While the Phillies may not be playing good baseball at the moment, Colorado taking three out of four in Philadelphia could be dangerous as far as the Braves are concerned. The Rockies have had a terrible go of it away from Coors Field this season but now they could finally have some confidence that they can do well on the road. They now have an opportunity to throw a wrench in another playoff hopeful’s season and I’d imagine the Braves are going to have a massive task on their hands as they attempt to thwart Colorado’s efforts and keep on taking care of business, themselves. The March to October continues!</p>
<h3 id="Nq1yNE"><strong>Game Info</strong></h3>
<p id="NHiujY"><strong>Game Date/Time:</strong> Tuesday, September 14, 7:20 p.m. ET</p>
<p id="sP45Yo"><strong>Location:</strong> Truist Park, Atlanta, Georgia</p>
<p id="EjbCBl"><strong>TV:</strong> Bally Sports South</p>
<p id="Tvt8Lc"><strong>Streaming:</strong> MLB.tv</p>
<p id="F7AiPW"><strong>Radio:</strong> 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan, WNNX 100.5, Braves Radio Network</p>
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https://www.batterypower.com/2021/9/14/22673981/atlanta-braves-colorado-rockies-game-preview-time-tv-radio-streaming-touki-toussaint-jon-grayDemetrius Bell2021-09-14T12:06:30-04:002021-09-14T12:06:30-04:00Will Smith is the Braves’ 2021 Roberto Clemente Award nominee
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<p>All 30 nominees were revealed by Major League Baseball Tuesday. </p> <p id="YN5V5z">Major League Baseball announced the nominees <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBNetwork/status/1437798460883931138/photo/1">for the 2021 Roberto Clemente Award</a> Tuesday. The award is given to the player who “best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.”</p>
<p id="iLJjFT">The <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Atlanta Braves</a>’ nominee for the 2021 season is reliever Will Smith. Earlier this season, <a href="https://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/sports/newnan-native-will-smith-launches-online-auction-to-support-disaster-relief-in-his-hometown/article_02c6931c-9181-11eb-800f-975c6ae420cf.html">Smith put together a fundraiser to support disaster relief</a> in his hometown of Newnan which was hit hard by tornadoes in March. Newnan High School’s baseball field and locker room was damaged in the storm and the Braves hosted the team’s “Senior Night” at Truist Park on April 21. Smith has also served at a local animal shelter and has helped with homeless pet adoptions since joining the team in 2019. </p>
<p id="12NYiO">“It is an honor to be named the Braves’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award,” said Braves pitcher Will Smith. “I’m humbled to be associated with such great nominees from across the league, and proud of the work my teammates and players around Major League Baseball have done to better their communities.”</p>
<p id="sZImEb">Each team selects their nominee during the regular season and then a panel decides the winner which will be announced during the 2021 <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/world-series">World Series</a>. </p>
<p id="XrW2V1">Past Braves to win the award were Phil Niekro (1980), Dale Murphy (1988) and John Smoltz (2005). </p>
<p id="pPtLQq">Below is a list of the nominees for each league:</p>
<p id="1X6dkP"><strong>National League</strong></p>
<p id="Ai1AVh">Arizona - David Peralta<br>Atlanta - Will Smith<br>Chicago - Jason Heyward<br>Cincinnati - Joey Votto<br>Colorado - Ian Desmond<br>Los Angeles - Justin Turner<br>Miami - Miguel Rojas<br>Milwaukee - Brent Suter<br>New York - Pete Alonso<br>Philadelphia - Alec Bohm<br>Pittsburgh - Jacob Stallings<br>San Diego - Joe Musgrove<br>San Francisco - Brandon Crawford<br>St. Louis - Paul Goldschmidt<br>Washington - Max Scherzer</p>
<p id="2tvpdZ"><strong>American League</strong></p>
<p id="kBFJhf">Baltimore - Trey Mancini<br>Boston - Nathan Eovaldi<br>Chicago - Liam Hendriks<br>Cleveland - Aaron Civil<br>Detroit - Miguel Cabrera<br>Houston - Alex Bregman<br>Kansas City - Salvador Perez<br>Los Angeles - Mike Trout<br>Minnesota - Nelson Cruz<br>New York - Kyle Higashioka<br>Oakland - Tony Kemp<br>Seattle - Kyle Seager<br>Tampa Bay - Ryan Yarbrough<br>Texas - Jose Trevino<br>Toronto - Bo Bichette</p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2021/9/14/22673768/2021-roberto-clemente-award-nominees-will-smith-atlanta-bravesKris Willis2021-09-14T11:48:30-04:002021-09-14T11:48:30-04:00Chris Martin to begin rehab assignment tonight at Gwinnett
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<figcaption>Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Braves have some help for the bullpen coming back soon.</p> <p id="D4iCpz">It has been a bit of a trying year for Braves reliever Chris Martin. It wasn’t that long ago that Martin was considered by many to be among the most reliable arms in the Braves’ bullpen that seemed to avoid the drama-filled innings that other Braves’ relievers seem to encounter on the regular. However, this season has been a struggle as he has missed time first with shoulder inflammation back in April and then at the beginning of September, the Braves put him on the IL with elbow inflammation.</p>
<p id="1whO2h">Even when he has been on the mound, Martin has struggled with many of those struggles coming in the second half of the season which has seen him post a 6.50 ERA and opposing batters posting an .852 OPS against him after the All-Star break. Some of that has been due to some back luck thanks to a .400 BABIP against him and there is a chance that the new sticky stuff rules have impacted him somewhat, but the results have not been good whatever the reason may be.</p>
<p id="Rj5U3v">Hopefully after some time on the shelf, he is back to his old self and we are going to find out very soon.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">RHP Chris Martin is set to begin his major league rehabilitation assignment tonight with Triple-A Gwinnett.</p>— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) <a href="https://twitter.com/Braves/status/1437801351539576832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2021</a>
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<p id="ygwkPn">The Braves could really use Martin as some of the arms in the Braves’ bullpen have been of....questionable value and the stable of righthanders is particularly thin. Martin is certainly a guy that has struggled to stay healthy in his time with the Braves, but when he is right, he is usually among the best three or so relievers in the entire bullpen.</p>
<p id="YiYXAX">In 40 appearances this season with the Braves, Chris Martin has posted a 4.17 ERA and 1.31 WHIP with 27 strikeouts and six walks in 36.2 innings pitched.</p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2021/9/14/22673702/braves-news-chris-martin-to-begin-rehab-assignment-tonight-at-gwinnettEric Cole