Battery Power - September 20: Braves 3, Nationals 2Your one stop shop for everything Atlanta Braveshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52890/favicon-32x32..png2022-09-20T22:56:00-04:00http://www.batterypower.com/rss/stream/231282052022-09-20T22:56:00-04:002022-09-20T22:56:00-04:00Braves swat away Nats in 3-2 victory
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<img alt="MLB: Washington Nationals at Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mjc3NS-ervZf9vn5FtfuPsm3Gbk=/0x0:6114x4076/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71394832/usa_today_19082950.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>In a game that never really felt too comfortable for either team, the Braves ended up taking care of business against the Nationals. </p> <p id="UF0geE">The Braves ended up facing Washington’s bullpen for all but two outs of tonight’s contest and ended up with only three runs via home runs from Travis d’Arnaud and Dansby Swanson. That somehow ended up being enough for Atlanta to take the series win, as the pitching staff tenuously held on to the lead in tonight’s game. </p>
<p id="tbyqyC">The first few innings came and went without much incident, though it absolutely has to be mentioned that the Nationals were thrown into a bit of a tough spot pretty early on. Patrick Corbin only threw 12 pitches tonight before exiting the game in the first inning due to injury. Washington was already banking on tomorrow afternoon being a bullpen game, so this meant that the bullpen game was coming a day early.</p>
<p id="uwhTjw">With that being said, Washington’s relievers stepped up to the occasion and didn’t let the game get out of hand. Still, it’s pretty difficult to keep the Braves quiet for an entire game and things did eventually get loud in the fourth inning. After Charlie Morton escaped a bases loaded jam without giving (where he ended up with the bases full following two walks and a hit batsman), the lineup rewarded Morton with a quick one-out rally. </p>
<p id="2LyD9w">Matt Olson kept things going in the right direction as he picked up a single and then Travis d’Arnaud ambushed Erasmo Ramírez by <a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/travis-d-arnaud-homers-18-on-a-fly-ball-to-center-field-matt-olson-scores?q=travis%20d%27arnaud&cp=CMS_FIRST&qt=FREETEXT&p=0">clubbing a souvenir ball out into the seats in left-center</a> for a two-run bomb. Atlanta could’ve been in trouble in the top of the fourth, but instead found themselves in the lead in the bottom of the fourth. </p>
<div id="Gvh6F0"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/m/travis-d-arnaud-homers-18-on-a-fly-ball-to-center-field-matt-olson-scores" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media;"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="ob57u3">Following a clean fifth inning, Charlie Morton got the ball to go out for the sixth inning despite having a relatively high pitch count. Morton got a strikeout to lead off the sixth but then proceeded to give up a double (to Joey Meneses, what else is new) and a single to leave runners on the corners for Collin McHugh to come in and clean up. </p>
<p id="IEYzKP">McHugh induced a ground ball out of César Hernández that was seemingly tailor-made for a double play. Instead, Vaughn Grissom <a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/collin-mchugh-in-play-run-s-to-cesar-hernandez-m3xvzw?q=ContentTags%20==%20[%22hitting%22,%22gamepk-661469%22]%20Order%20By%20Timestamp%20DESC&pt=Offensive%20Highlights&p=0">threw the ball into left field</a> and that brought in Washington’s first run on the game on the error. McHugh was able to keep the Nationals from doing further damage, so the Braves remained in the lead and then McHugh also added on a very clean seventh inning in order to hand the baton to A.J. Minter. </p>
<p id="J8CXRw">After Minter got done sitting down the Nationals in the eighth inning, the Braves were hunting for insurance heading into the ninth inning. They got it in the form of a monster moonshot from Dansby Swanson, who fouled off four pitches before <a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/dansby-swanson-homers-21-on-a-fly-ball-to-right-field?q=ContentTags%20==%20[%22hitting%22,%22gamepk-661469%22]%20Order%20By%20Timestamp%20DESC&pt=Offensive%20Highlights&p=0">absolutely smashing an opposite field moonshot</a> into the Chop House for a solo shot to restore the two-run lead for Atlanta. </p>
<div id="rd5Hpr"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/m/dansby-swanson-homers-21-on-a-fly-ball-to-right-field" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media;"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="cEiEfd">The Braves took that two-run lead into the ninth inning and it was up to Kenley Jansen to close things out. The Nationals then rudely welcomed Jansen to the game by getting both of their first two batters on base via bunt — the second batter getting on due to an error on Matt Olson. Jansen then proceeded to rack up two straight strikeouts while the Nationals continued to test their luck with the power of the bunt. </p>
<p id="IOuH26">Luis García then made things even more uncomfortable as he picked up a single to make it 3-2 while moving the tying run to third base and eventually stealing second base, himself. With the go-ahead run in scoring position, Jansen had to make it happen and after an intentional walk of Joey Meneses, Jansen eventually made it happen. Luke Voit harmlessly hit a fly ball out into the glove of Michael Harris II to end the game and give the Braves the series win. </p>
<p id="RQhFjq">It definitely got a little nervy at the end, but Kenley Jansen was able to get the save and preserve the victory for the Braves. As of the time that this article was published, the Mets were leading the Brewers by two runs in the late stages of their game, so while the Braves may not gain any ground in the division, they could end up celebrating a postseason berth by the end of the night. They may not want to celebrate too much, though (and not because of any wet blanket reasons like “they’ve got bigger things to go for”) — tomorrow’s game starts at 12:20 PM E.T. </p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2022/9/20/23364369/atlanta-braves-washington-nationals-final-score-game-recap-highlights-travis-darnaud-dansby-swansonDemetrius Bell2022-09-20T18:30:00-04:002022-09-20T18:30:00-04:00Braves vs. Nationals Game Thread: 9/20/22
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<img alt="MLB: Washington Nationals at Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VDyggFwBrVqQRbmyZ-og07BogP8=/0x0:5184x3456/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71394091/usa_today_19079506.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Maybe it’s Postseason clinch night? Do we even really want that tonight?</p> <p id="Ahqrlb">Tonight’s a weird night. As I’ve mentioned earlier, the Braves could be celebrating a return trip to the Postseason by the end of the night. However, they could also be celebrating pulling into a tie with New York at the top of the division if they slip. A Braves win and Brewers win wouldn’t put Atlanta into the Postseason but it would take them to the top of the East. Baseball is weird. Math is weird. </p>
<p id="sYn33v">Anyways, this still isn’t a foregone conclusion. The Nationals are chomping at the bit to play spoiler, so hopefully the Braves will be ready to take care of business against Washington this evening. </p>
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<cite>baseballsavant.com</cite>
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https://www.batterypower.com/2022/9/20/23363964/atlanta-braves-washington-nationals-game-thread-chat-discussionDemetrius Bell2022-09-20T17:05:01-04:002022-09-20T17:05:01-04:00Robbie Grossman enters the lineup for second game of Braves-Nationals series
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<img alt="Philadelphia Phillies v Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KT9Wr4mQOOLJHb2p-8zMibQMqpQ=/0x0:3000x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71393661/1243338824.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The platoon is at work, as Robbie Grossman enters the lineup while Eddie Rosario exits.</p> <p id="UwjgeX">The Braves will be trying to rattle off their tenth-straight home victory as they take on the Nationals tonight. There’s also a chance that they could clinch a spot in the Postseason if the Brewers lose tonight. Nobody really wants the Brewers to lose on this particular night, so it’s a bit of a weird situation. Either way, the Braves are very close to officially punching their ticket to October baseball. </p>
<p id="WcpS5C">Here’s the lineup for Atlanta tonight:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Charlie Morton takes the mound tonight at <a href="https://twitter.com/TruistPark?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TruistPark</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForTheA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForTheA</a> <a href="https://t.co/r3Fn14giF1">pic.twitter.com/r3Fn14giF1</a></p>— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) <a href="https://twitter.com/Braves/status/1572283717430964224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2022</a>
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<p id="Lj2enl">As usual, there aren’t too many changes going on for the Braves when it comes to their lineup. William Contreras and Michael Harris II swapped spots and Robbie Grossman will be playing left field and batting eighth in place of Eddie Rosario. The obvious reasoning for Grossman getting the start tonight is that Patrick Corbin is a left-hander and Grossman was brought here to hit left-handed pitchers. </p>
<p id="2HPEBr">Over 41 plate appearances against lefties since his arrival in Atlanta, Grossman has a .748 OPS and has been hitting at a 121 wRC+ clip, so he’s been getting the job done against left-handers since being traded. He hit a homer back on Sunday so maybe he’ll bring some of that power stroke to the ballpark here on Tuesday.</p>
<p id="Bjmdlq">Here’s how Washington will be lining up for tonight’s contest:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">TNB: Tuesday Night Baseball<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NATITUDE?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NATITUDE</a> <a href="https://t.co/iOJErqsGSp">pic.twitter.com/iOJErqsGSp</a></p>— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Nationals/status/1572325015395373056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2022</a>
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<p id="2lCNPG">Joey Meneses made his presence felt last night, as he paid tribute to Wendy’s by going 4-for-4 at the plate in last night’s loss to the Braves. He’s moved up to third in tonight’s lineup and here’s hoping that we don’t see a repeat of what happened last night.</p>
<p id="8LHuom">Lane Thomas is still the leadoff hitter, Luis García and Luke Voit have also moved up in the lineup while CJ Abrams, Ildemaro Vargas, Victor Robles and Riley Adams are making up the bottom of the lineup. The only swap is César Hernández replacing Alex Call in left field while batting fifth. Hernández will be bringing a .250/.313/.323 slash line to the lineup, which is good for 81 wRC+. </p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2022/9/20/23363902/atlanta-braves-washington-nationals-lineups-robbie-grossman-eddie-rosario-platoonDemetrius Bell2022-09-20T16:42:06-04:002022-09-20T16:42:06-04:00Elder to start Wednesday, Strider’s next turn to be skipped
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<img alt="Miami Marlins v Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VITILwlWwn5eZ0MhNkP8aWYMUNc=/0x0:3000x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71393512/1421361513.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Adam Hagy/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Braves reshuffle their rotation a bit</p> <p id="AKeqR4">The Braves are reshuffling their rotation ahead of tomorrow’s season finale, as divulged by Brian Snitker ahead of Tuesday night’s game against the Nationals:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Snitker says that Bryce Elder will start Wednesday. Fried will move back to Thursday. They will skip Spencer Strider the next time. He is dealing with some oblique soreness</p>— Kris Willis (@Kris_Willis) <a href="https://twitter.com/Kris_Willis/status/1572320253807403015?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2022</a>
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<p id="gvhUNw">Strider was apparently insistent on making his next start, but will get a bit of a breather for himself and his oblique. </p>
<p id="Wqbnny">Bryce Elder was recalled yesterday and didn’t pitch in the game, which sets him up to make Wednesday’s start. Elder has a pretty weird 88/109/117 line this year that also features a sky-high xERA. He really struggled through four starts in April, but bamboozled the Marlins in two starts (August 14, September 3), putting up a combined 16/5 K/BB ratio and just one run (no homers) in 13 innings of work. The Braves will hope that he can do the same to the Nationals tomorrow afternoon.</p>
<p id="LZEQYB">The not-so-hidden implication of giving Strider a rest is that it sets to line him up a little better to face the Mets in what could be a decisive series next weekend. Strider was set to pitch this Friday against the Phillies, and then probably again in the last game in Washington before the Mets series, so this basically skips a start and lets the Braves slot him in so that presumably he, along with Max Fried and either Kyle Wright or Charlie Morton, can help the Braves battle for the division.</p>
<p id="gts5bq">Strider is currently seventh in MLB in pitching fWAR (4.9), across 20 starts and 11 relief appearances totaling 131 <sup>2</sup>⁄<sub>3</sub> innings.</p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2022/9/20/23363880/braves-notes-bryce-elder-to-start-wednesday-spencer-strider-skipped-rotation-shuffleIvan the Great2022-09-20T14:00:00-04:002022-09-20T14:00:00-04:00Braves take on Nationals with a chance to clinch Postseason spot
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<img alt="Houston Astros v Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Fej6GBL4B45WD8xHYpzENtntnak=/0x0:3864x2576/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71392765/1417439340.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Brett Davis/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>They may not be in control of the division, but the Braves could at least assure themselves an invitation to the dance. </p> <p id="hAfMxm">The Braves will be playing tonight with a chance at clinching their fifth-consecutive trip to the Postseason as they host the Nationals in the middle game of this particular series. </p>
<p id="yOLSRD"><a href="https://www.batterypower.com/2022/9/20/23359648/mlb-standings-nl-east-race-braves-mets-wild-card-playoff-picture">The playoff scenario</a> is pretty simple: If the Braves win tonight and the Brewers lose, they will clinch a wild card spot at the very least. Now granted, we don’t particularly <em>want</em> the Brewers to lose tonight when you consider who they’re playing so it would probably just be great if the Braves just went ahead and took care of business in their home stadium tonight and let the cards fall where they may. </p>
<p id="A7CnYb">Speaking of which, the Braves could hit ten-straight wins at home if they’re victorious tonight. They may like their chances tonight since the lineup will be tasked with taking on Patrick Corbin this evening. To be quite blunt, Corbin has had an absolute nightmare against the Braves this season. Back in early April, Corbin didn’t make it out of the third inning before giving up six runs to Atlanta. He came back to face the Braves in July and went six innings while giving up four runs before seeing them again in Washington for his following start and giving up six runs (five earned) in five innings. Simply put, Patrick Corbin has not been fooling Atlanta’s hitters at all this season. </p>
<p id="e8jjqc">If we’re being completely honest, Patrick Corbin hasn’t been fooling many hitters this season as his 6.87 ERA and 4.87 FIP would seem to insinuate. With that being said, Corbin hasn’t been terrible lately as he’s picked up a 2.90 ERA and 4.46 FIP over his past five starts. This includes a start against the Mets where he held New York to one run over seven innings. While Corbin has been having a rough year, he can still get the job done on his day so if the Braves are going to keep on hitting him hard, it won’t exactly be a “gimme” for the Braves tonight. </p>
<p id="kop4Gx">The Braves are also going to need Charlie Morton to return to form tonight. While he hasn’t had much of a problem getting through five innings recently, he has given up four runs in three of his last four starts. The good news is that Morton has had some success against Washington earlier this season — he went seven innings while only giving up two runs with seven strikeouts. Two of those runs came from the bat of Juan Soto, who hit a dinger and is now currently playing in San Diego. I’m not saying that we should expect a repeat performance from Morton tonight, but it sure would be nice to see it. </p>
<p id="loIK4x">Tonight could end up being a pretty cool night for the Braves. While the goal for this team is no longer simply to make the Postseason, it’s still a great achievement to clinch a spot — especially with the topsy-turvy type of season that the Braves have had here in 2022. Hopefully Atlanta will pick up the win tonight so the accomplishment can be celebrated in style. There’s still bigger goals on the horizon, but the Braves have a shot to knock down one of those dominoes if they can pick up the win tonight against the Nationals. </p>
<h3 id="UsMFBb"><strong>Game Info</strong></h3>
<p id="6zRc5P"><strong>Game Date/Time:</strong> Tuesday, September 20, 7:20 p.m. ET</p>
<p id="AtUxC9"><strong>Location:</strong> Truist Park, Atlanta, Georgia</p>
<p id="bZLKZo"><strong>TV:</strong> Bally Sports South</p>
<p id="7L0R6t"><strong>Streaming:</strong> MLB.tv</p>
<p id="QZdf3S"><strong>Radio:</strong> 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan</p>
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https://www.batterypower.com/2022/9/20/23363254/atlanta-braves-washington-nationals-game-preview-time-tv-channel-radio-streaming-charlie-mortonDemetrius Bell