Battery Power - August 2: Reds 5, Braves 2Your one stop shop for everything Atlanta Braveshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52890/favicon-32x32..png2019-08-02T22:30:00-04:00http://www.batterypower.com/rss/stream/205155162019-08-02T22:30:00-04:002019-08-02T22:30:00-04:00Acuña, Riley homers not enough as Braves fall to Reds, 5-2
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<figcaption>Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Braves were largely unable to solve Alex Wood. The same cannot be said with regards to Kevin Gausman and the Reds.</p> <p id="Psoul9">The <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Braves</a> were befallen by yet another bad start from <span>Kevin Gausman</span>, who is likely nearing the end of his tenure as a member of the Atlanta starting rotation. The <a href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Reds</a> jumped on <span>Gausman</span> early, as <span>Joey Votto</span> gave Cincinnati a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning. Combined with a solid outing from <span>Alex Wood</span>, the Reds outclassed the Braves, and held on for a 5-2 win to even the series.</p>
<p id="Z3pVxi">After surrendering a two-run homer in the first inning, <span>Gausman</span> worked himself into trouble before a one-out fielder’s choice by <span>Josh VanMeter</span> plated the third run of the game to give the Reds a 3-0 lead. Two more runs would score in the fourth inning on a fielder’s choice by <span>Jesse Winker</span> and a sacrifice fly by <span>Joey Votto</span> to push the lead to 5-0.</p>
<p id="lgwYMQ"><span>Gausman</span> would exit after recording two outs in the fifth inning, having allowed five runs on eight hits with two walks. Despite five strikeouts, <span>Gausman</span> was once again victimized by his lack of secondary offerings, which allowed the Reds lineup to feast on the limited repertoire. With several options in the upper minors, Gausman is certainly a candidate to be moved to the bullpen or optioned to Triple-A given his continued struggles.</p>
<p id="U6S28X">In the bottom-half of the fifth inning, <span>Austin Riley</span> homered to left-center field to plate the first Atlanta run off <span>Alex Wood</span>. The homer as the first since July 6 for Riley, who has struggled mightily for the past six weeks. The homer may have been of small consequence to the end result, but could give Riley a necessary boost as he looks to regain the form he showed in May and June.</p>
<p id="I0YLGc">In the sixth inning, Ronald Acuña touched off against <span>Wood</span> for an absolute mammoth homer that traveled 463 feet with an exit velocity of 116 MPH. The blast was the 26th of the season for the young phenom, who is churning toward a 30-30 season and has an outside shot to challenge a 40-40 campaign. His sixth inning homer brought the score to 5-2, which would hold as the Reds bullpen shut down the Atlanta offense over the final two-plus innings. </p>
<p id="ZbNxOW">The Braves will host Cincinnati for two more games, with tomorrow night’s matchup featuring newly-acquired Reds arm <span>Trevor Bauer</span> against Atlanta left-hander <span>Dallas Keuchel</span>.</p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2019/8/2/20752482/acuna-riley-homers-not-enough-as-braves-fall-to-reds-5-2Dillon Cloud2019-08-02T18:00:00-04:002019-08-02T18:00:00-04:00Game Thread 8/2/19: Braves vs. Reds
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<figcaption>Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Here we go.</p> <p id="mAx8MU">The <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Braves</a> sit atop the division with a seven-game lead entering play. Can they take another game versus the <a href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Reds</a>, and potentially extend that commanding lead? Join us here to talk it over.</p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2019/8/2/20752097/game-thread-8-2-19-braves-vs-redsDillon Cloud2019-08-02T16:00:00-04:002019-08-02T16:00:00-04:00Riley returns to starting lineup versus Wood
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<figcaption>Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Austin Riley has seen his starts become less frequent in recent weeks, but will get the nod tonight with a left-hander on the mound.</p> <p id="AThE88"><span>Austin Riley</span> and <span>Tyler Flowers</span> each join the lineup as the <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Braves</a> look to combat left-hander <span>Alex Wood</span>, who will draw the start for Cincinnati. Here is the full lineup for Atlanta:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hank Aaron Week continues 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/P0EzCdMYud">pic.twitter.com/P0EzCdMYud</a></p>— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) <a href="https://twitter.com/Braves/status/1157358549703581698?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2019</a>
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<p id="XWLEfh">Here is the <a href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Reds</a> lineup:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The former UGA Bulldog returns to his neck of the... woods.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BornToBaseball?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BornToBaseball</a> <a href="https://t.co/C2duyp13yj">pic.twitter.com/C2duyp13yj</a></p>— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) <a href="https://twitter.com/Reds/status/1157335345341640704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2019</a>
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https://www.batterypower.com/2019/8/2/20752086/riley-returns-to-starting-lineup-versus-woodDillon Cloud2019-08-02T14:00:00-04:002019-08-02T14:00:00-04:00Gausman looks to rebound against Reds
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<img alt="MLB: Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FrpZDBc3GBKSgYbPWUDyggXl2ZU=/0x0:2323x1549/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64902893/usa_today_13126741.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The right-hander could alleviate some concern with a solid outing versus Cincinnati.</p> <p id="0ksUQW">The <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Braves</a> won a rain-shortened game on Thursday, earning a victory over the <a href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Reds</a> in the first game of a four-game series. Tonight they will turn to <span>Kevin Gausman</span>, who has pitched to mixed results since his return from the injured list last week. Opposing the right-hander will be a familiar foe in former-Brave <span>Alex Wood</span>, who was drafted by Atlanta in 2012. Will the Braves be able to solve the left-hander in just his second start with the Reds?</p>
<p id="CLScyY">The Braves have seemingly exorcised the demons that haunted them a week ago, winning five-of-seven games since suffering a two-game sweep by the <a href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Royals</a>. In earning a win a night ago, Atlanta got six strong innings from <span>Max Fried</span> before rain abbreviated his outing and ended the game. The Braves hope for a similar performance from <span>Gausman</span>, who was battered by the <a href="https://www.thegoodphight.com/">Phillies</a> in his most recent outing. The right-hander was victimized by a grand slam that put the game out of reach for Atlanta, but an inconsistent strike zone throughout the game made for a difficult confluence of factors.</p>
<p id="oPVw5r"><span>Gausman</span> carries a 3-6 record with a 5.97 ERA into tonight’s game, though a 4.15/4.47 FIP/xFIP suggests that bad luck may be partly to blame for those struggles. An extremely low strand rate could be the culprit, as <span>Gausman</span> is currently allowing 15% more baserunners to score than his career average. Some positive regression over the remainder of the season may be due for the right-hander, which would be a welcome sight for a rotation that has needed stability from the back-end for much of the season.</p>
<p id="VEaiQS">As noted above, the Braves will face Reds left-hander <span>Alex Wood</span> as he returns to the town in which he made his major league debut. <span>Wood</span> was sidelined for the first four months of the season with a lower-back injury, but returned on Sunday against the <a href="https://www.purplerow.com/">Rockies</a> with two runs allowed in 4<sup>2</sup>⁄<sub>3</sub> innings of work. For those unfamiliar with <span>Wood</span>, he features a sinker, curveball, and changeup that come from a funky, deceptive delivery. Wood generally works in the low-90’s with the fastball, and relies on inducing ground balls when pitching at his best. His career ground ball rate is just under 50%, so forcing Wood to work up in the zone could be the key to solving the former Georgia Bulldog.</p>
<p id="pGroYf">The Braves are obviously familiar with Wood from his time in the organization, but the lineup is also flush with experience against the left-hander. <span>Tyler Flowers</span> (7-for-11), <span>Freddie Freeman</span> (6-for-14, HR), and <span>Nick Markakis</span> (6-for-13) each have enjoyed success in previous matchups. Only Jose Iglesias and <span>Curt Casali</span> have more that ten at-bats against <span>Gausman</span> among players on the Reds current roster, so familiarity should not be an issue in those matchups. </p>
<p id="iFWamA">The Braves now sit seven games ahead of the Phillies and <a href="https://www.federalbaseball.com/">Nationals</a>, with three games remaining against the Reds. Atlanta has an opportunity to build on some recent momentum, and will hopefully see an improved Gausman after a rough outing last weekend. </p>
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