Battery Power - May 6: Braves 3, Nationals 2Your one stop shop for everything Atlanta Braveshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52890/favicon-32x32..png2021-05-06T19:26:27-04:00http://www.batterypower.com/rss/stream/221881252021-05-06T19:26:27-04:002021-05-06T19:26:27-04:00Bullpen walks late-inning tightrope as Braves sweep Nationals, 3-2
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<figcaption>Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Luke Jackson, Grant Dayton and Will Smith all picked up crucial high-leverage outs in this one as the Braves managed to pull off the road sweep of their divisional rivals. </p> <p id="PdpQoL">After getting six good innings from Drew Smyly and just enough offense to get out in front, the Braves bullpen managed to get the job done in the final three innings as Atlanta held on to beat the Nationals, 3-2.</p>
<p id="lWmiBe">Just like everybody predicted, the first three innings of this game turned into a pitcher’s duel, as Drew Smyly and Jon Lester traded zeroes to start off the game. In fact, Lester went through Atlanta’s lineup without giving up a hit his first time through. That changed as soon as Lester began his second trip through the lineup, as Ronald Acuña Jr. led off the fourth inning with a liner. After a stolen base and a throwing error, Acuña found himself at third base and was joined on the basepaths by Ozzie Albies after he took a walk. Marcell Ozuna picked up where he left off yesterday and delivered a big RBI knock to put the Braves on the board, then Ehire Adrianza came through with two outs as he ambushed Lester on the first pitch and hit a looper to center to plate Ozzie and Ozuna.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Have a day, Ehire <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForTheA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForTheA</a>: <a href="https://t.co/MtrJpFYtge">https://t.co/MtrJpFYtge</a> <a href="https://t.co/h9sZukcJAV">pic.twitter.com/h9sZukcJAV</a></p>— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) <a href="https://twitter.com/Braves/status/1390413458173214731?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2021</a>
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<p id="mbaRad">The Nationals responded in the fourth inning, but Drew Smyly was extremely unfortunate to give up the run that he did. After Smyly picked up a one-out walk, Kyle Schwarber came up with two outs and smacked a double to right. This should’ve been just a double with runners on second and third — however, Ronald Acuña made an uncharacteristic gaffe in collecting the ball from the ground and as it rolled past Acuña’s grasp, Schwarber made it to second base and Josh Bell’s walk was cashed in. Fortunately, Smyly picked up the third out by taking care of business against Jon Lester to end the inning after an intentional walk.</p>
<p id="UnlYgw">The seventh inning was a crucial one for the Braves, as we ended up getting everybody’s favorite part of any Braves game: A high-leverage outing for Luke Jackson. Drew Smyly’s good day ended when he walked Kyle Schwarber to lead off the inning, then Jackson entered the game and immediately gave up a single to Victor Robles. That meant that Luke Jackson would have to face both Juan Soto and Trea Turner with two men on, the lead on the line and nobody out at that point.</p>
<p id="jCcFYT">In typical Luke Jackson fashion, things got extremely interesting but he ultimately found a way to get the job done. Juan Soto put some good wood on a fastball, but Marcell Ozuna was able to track it down and snag it in left field for out number one. Jackson then induced a grounder out of Trea Turner to get the runner at second for out number two. With Washington’s two dangerous hitters out of the way, Jackson coaxed another grounder out of Yadiel Hernandez to end the scoring chance for the Nationals and keep the Braves ahead by two. </p>
<p id="dHKPE6">The eighth inning ended up being even more dramatic. After Edgar Santana gave up a leadoff double to Josh Harrison (which was really, really close to being a home run), a walk and a one-out RBI single that made it 3-2, he gave way for Grant Dayton to clean up the second mess in as many innings for this bullpen. Dayton dominated Kyle Schwarber on a three-pitch strikeout, then things got <em>really</em> interesting for the Victor Robles at-bat. </p>
<p id="7h5Wj4">You see, the home plate umpire had been having a bit of an adventure all day when it came to balls and strikes, and this at-bat ended up being the climax. On the seventh pitch of a tense battle between Dayton and Robles on a full count, Dayton tossed a curveball that was pretty low. Robles tossed the bat as he took off for first base, only to end up heading to the dugout after the umpire called it strike three. Dayton cleaned up the mess and the Braves somehow held on to their one-run lead. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Victor Robles was rung up on this pitch to end the Nationals threat in the 8th. <a href="https://t.co/U9O9eraxxW">pic.twitter.com/U9O9eraxxW</a></p>— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBONFOX/status/1390438557773443076?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2021</a>
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<p id="Auj918">The drama continued into the ninth inning. For the third straight frame, the Nationals got the leadoff man on and for the second straight inning, it was a double. This time, Ryan Zimmerman came off the bench, smacked the double into left field, and then promptly exited the game. After Trea Turner hit a productive flyout to move pinch-runner Andrew Stevenson to third base, the pressure was really on for Will Smith to keep that runner at third base. </p>
<p id="nTXct1">It helped that Jeff Mathis was making some solid saves behind the plate in order to make sure that a wild pitch didn’t turn into a game-tying run for Washington. It also helped that when Smith had his pitches under control, he picked up a strikeout against Yadiel Hernandez for the second out and then got Josh Harrison to hit a fly ball to right field. Ronald Acuña made the easy catch and the bullpen had pulled off the magic trick of preserving the lead and the victory for the Braves. </p>
<p id="Zh5urq">It’s always nice to pick up a win over a divisional rival. It’s even better to sweep them, and it’s just plain wonderful to do it in their home stadium. That’s exactly what the Braves just got done doing, and now they’re one win away from wiping out their four-game losing streak with another four-game winning streak. The Braves will now be heading back to Cobb County after turning what could’ve been a disastrous road trip into an acceptable .500 six-game venture away from home. </p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2021/5/6/22423795/atlanta-braves-washington-nationals-final-score-drew-smyly-luke-jackson-will-smith-grant-daytonDemetrius Bell2021-05-06T15:00:00-04:002021-05-06T15:00:00-04:00Braves at Nationals 5/6/2021 Game Thread
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<figcaption>Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Are the brooms coming out soon?</p> <p id="gyHSJW">Alright, it’s time for some afternoon baseball being beamed to us live and direct from the internet! The Braves are looking to pick up a big sweep against their divisional rivals, while the Nationals are looking to spoil some of the fun that Atlanta has been having at their expense over the past couple of days. It’s pretty obvious what we’re all rooting for here on this website, so let’s see how the game plays out on another website.</p>
<p id="I7JKYA"><a href="https://www.sbnation.com/e/22186524">PREVIEW</a> | <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/2021/5/6/22423234/atlanta-braves-washington-nationals-lineups-freddie-freeman-on-the-bench">LINEUPS</a> | <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6n8NAJQKao">LINK TO THE GAME</a></p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2021/5/6/22422517/atlanta-braves-washington-nationals-game-thread-and-discussion-chatDemetrius Bell2021-05-06T13:30:00-04:002021-05-06T13:30:00-04:00Freddie Freeman gets a day off for for final game of Braves series against Nationals
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<figcaption>Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The 2020 NL MVP has been mired in a major slump for the past week or so, and he’s been given a day to hang out in the dugout.</p> <p id="iVgxW3">Back on April 28, Freddie Freeman went 4-for-5 with a double and a home run. Ever since that game ended, he’s been a bit of a slump where he’s only gone 1 for his last 26 with only a couple of walks sprinkled in there. It’s rare to see Freddie Freeman start a game on the bench for anything other than injury, but today is one of those rare days.</p>
<p id="1XDDu5">Here’s the lineup for the Braves:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here is how the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Braves?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Braves</a> will line up for this afternoon's series finale in DC.<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/tzmeqaeZLI">pic.twitter.com/tzmeqaeZLI</a></p>— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) <a href="https://twitter.com/Braves/status/1390328878779019266?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2021</a>
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<p id="yqOKtf">Yep. Ozzie Albies is hitting in the second spot in the lineup, Austin Riley is playing first base, Ehire Adrianza is getting the nod at third base and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNHrxRC1bBA">Foolish Baseball legend</a> Jeff Mathis will be making his first start in a Braves uniform. With <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/2021/5/6/22423188/tyler-flowers-braves-roster-lineup-contract">the signing</a> of Tyler Flowers being announced earlier today, I’d imagine that Mathis would be the odd one out once Flowers is ready to play again. But for now, Mathis is going to be making the start here and he’ll be joined by a couple of new faces in the lineup as well. </p>
<p id="4xsKE3">Meanwhile, here’s how the Nationals look:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">OK, so here's the 4⃣1⃣1⃣...<br><br>Today marks Davey Martinez's 411th career game as manager of the Washington Nationals. <br><br>(He'll pass Manny Acta for most in team history.)<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NATITUDE?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NATITUDE</a> <a href="https://t.co/CNldI4PxWU">pic.twitter.com/CNldI4PxWU</a></p>— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Nationals/status/1390339469455278084?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2021</a>
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<p id="c5foFh">Yadiel Hernandez and Josh Bell are returning to the lineup for Washington. Other than that, these are the same faces that we’re used to seeing from the Nationals during this series. Plus, you also have to be aware of the looming presence of Juan Soto as a pinch-hitter.</p>
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<cite>baseballsavant.com</cite>
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https://www.batterypower.com/2021/5/6/22423234/atlanta-braves-washington-nationals-lineups-freddie-freeman-on-the-benchDemetrius Bell2021-05-06T12:57:31-04:002021-05-06T12:57:31-04:00Braves sign Tyler Flowers to minor league deal
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<figcaption>Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The ever-underrated Flowers returns on a minor league deal</p> <p id="ZgxneE">The Braves have signed Tyler Flowers to a minor league contract, <a href="https://twitter.com/tombaseball29/status/1390346919201808388">according to a report from MiLB Transactions</a>. The team has not yet announced or confirmed the signing.</p>
<p id="h6j1gO">Flowers, 35, was working within the Braves’ front office to begin the season after he was unable to find work during the winter. The Braves elected to roll with Travis d’Arnaud and Alex Jackson as their two catchers, but after d’Arnaud suffered a serious thumb injury and Jackson pulled a hamstring, the club suddenly had a void at catcher. Thankfully, it appears William Contreras will be able to handle daily catching duties, but with career journeyman Jeff Mathis currently serving as the backup, it made sense to reunite with Flowers.</p>
<p id="pIixUz">Flowers spent the last five seasons with the Braves. While his offensive production has steadily declined as he reaches his mid-30s, he still managed to post a respectable 86 wRC+ in 80 plate appearances last summer (0.4 WAR) and 87 wRC+ across 310 plate appearances in 2019 (2.1 WAR). Flowers has been often praised for his outstanding work with the pitching staff before games while outlining game plans and how they would attack hitters. With all due respect to Mathis, Flowers is likely an improvement both on and off the field.</p>
<p id="otaKOS">Don’t be surprised if Flowers joins the big league club in the next few weeks. He will likely spend some time at the alternate site and with Triple-A Gwinnett to get his legs underneath him before the team contemplates a roster move.</p>
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https://www.batterypower.com/2021/5/6/22423188/tyler-flowers-braves-roster-lineup-contractScott Coleman2021-05-06T10:00:00-04:002021-05-06T10:00:00-04:00Drew Smyly looks to right the ship as Braves eye sweep of Nationals
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<figcaption>Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Drew Smyly is in desperate need of a good start, and if he gets it then today may be both getaway day and broom day for the Braves. </p> <p id="G1QYrn">Just a few days after they got swept in Dunedin, the Braves are looking to do some sweeping of their own in D.C. as they take on the Nationals for the final game of this six-game road trip.</p>
<p id="K7BJU2">As far as the pitching is concerned, all eyes are squarely on Drew Smyly as he’ll be taking the mound as today’s starter for the Braves. Simply put, he absolutely has to get going because he’s gone from being unlucky in his first start of the season to being just plain dreadful in his most recent start. He’s already given up seven more home runs (9 home runs allowed so far) over four starts this season than he did over seven starts (2 home runs allowed) in 2020, so obviously the key is to find a way to keep the Nationals inside of the ballpark.</p>
<p id="6JrGfv">It’s not like Smyly’s velocity has fallen off of a cliff — he’s only down one mile-per-hour on both his fastball and curveball, while his cutter has stayed in the same neighborhood of velocity where it was in 2020. Still, that’s not enough of a drop that would have people sounding the alarms and declaring that the Braves may have missed the boat when it came to one of their offseason acquisitions. At this point, Smyly’s got to do a better job of placing his pitches and it seems like he’s confident enough in himself to utilize his veteran expertise in order to figure it out. He’s going to continue getting chances to work things out, but the Braves are surely hoping that he can get back on track much sooner rather than later. </p>
<p id="guHpDl">The good news is that Drew Smyly did a decent enough job against the Nationals during his first start of the season, so he has a good example to fall back on against this same team. Back on April 6, Smyly only had two earned runs to his credit while striking out eight, walking just one batter and only surrendering one home run. He gave up four runs in total — an error from Ozzie Albies turned into two runs, and then Trea Turner hit a home run for the other two runs because what’s a Braves-Nationals game without Trea Turner doing some damage? Either way, Smyly could sure use even just a decent start like that. April was a <em>long </em>month for the veteran hurler and there’s no better time to start turning things around than now.</p>
<p id="Q63FwP">Meanwhile on the other side of things, Jon Lester will be making the start for the Nationals. He finally made his first appearance of the 2021 season last week and he’s got a good foundation to build upon — he pitched five scoreless innings while giving up five hits and two walks with just one strikeout. That’s not spectacular but you can bet that the Nationals would take another five scoreless innings if he can find a way to deliver again. </p>
<p id="gR25pH">The last time Jon Lester faced the Braves, it actually went pretty well for Lester and his former team. He tossed six good innings where he struck out seven Braves while only giving up two unearned runs. While he may no longer be the highly-effective hurler that he was in his prime, he’s still got enough left to where he can keep his team in a game and frustrate the opposition by simply working his way through a handful of innings. </p>
<p id="4adXp2">If Drew Smyly can finally get things going in his favor and Jon Lester proves that his most recent start against Miami wasn’t a one-off, then we could be in for a cagey veterans’ pitching duel. Still, I think we all know that this game has the potential to break out into a slugfest if Smyly continues to struggle and the dam breaks for Lester. The volatility of this pitching matchup should keep things interesting, which is enough reason for you to be glued to your laptop, phone, or whatever platform that you’ll be using to run YouTube for today’s game. </p>
<h3 id="31C2Kr"><strong>Game Info</strong></h3>
<p id="4Zg8Yn"><strong>Game Date/Time:</strong> Thursday, May 6th, 4:05 PM EST</p>
<p id="L9Vdnc"><strong>Location:</strong> Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.</p>
<p id="ZeBiyk"><strong>TV:</strong> None!</p>
<p id="l55TrF"><strong>Streaming:</strong> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6n8NAJQKao">YouTube</a> (Yes, seriously. That’s the link to the game.)</p>
<p id="qjqWNp"><strong>Radio:</strong> 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan, @NNX 100.5, Braves Radio Network</p>
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https://www.batterypower.com/2021/5/6/22422483/atlanta-braves-washington-nationals-game-time-tv-channel-radio-streaming-youtube-preview-drew-smylyDemetrius Bell