Battery Power - July 31: Braves 8, Brewers 1Your one stop shop for everything Atlanta Braveshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52890/favicon-32x32..png2021-07-31T22:58:39-04:00http://www.batterypower.com/rss/stream/223682352021-07-31T22:58:39-04:002021-07-31T22:58:39-04:00Dansby Swanson explodes to back up another strong start from Kyle Muller
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<figcaption>Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="0NXNz6">The Braves have been stuck in constant oscillation between winning and losing every other game in the thirteen games since the all-star break, but after a loss last night, they entered Saturday hoping for that streak to continue for one more game. </p>
<p id="F4Db3F">The game began with a deep fly ball from Kolten Wong off of Muller to right-center, which induced a nice athletic grab by debutant Jorge Soler. Another easier flyout to Soler and a Muller strikeout ended the top of the first scoreless. Freeman managed a single in the bottom of the first, but a nice defensive play from Urias at third got Riley out to keep the Braves scoreless. Some bad BABIP luck and a hit batter got Muller in some big trouble in the second, with the bases loaded and one out. He got a potential double-play ball to Riley, but Albies bobbled it on the turn, allowing one run to score. Muller induced a soft groundout from Woodruff to end the inning with only one run scored, despite the highest xBA ball of the inning being .360. In the bottom of the second, Soler had his first hit as a Brave in a single, and Vogt hit a single of his own, but Muller struck out to end the inning. </p>
<p id="0yUkhD">Whether angry about the run conceded, his strikeout at the plate, or something else entirely, Muller did not mess around and struck out the side rapidly in the third. Woodruff silenced the Braves offense in his own right in the bottom of the frame. Muller dealt with some traffic in the fourth, with two walks and a single, but got out of it scoreless. A leadoff walk by Riley, supplemented with singles from Soler and Dansby scored Atlanta’s first run and tied the game up in the fourth and brought up Vogt, with runners on first and second with one out. Vogt and Muller were unable to bring any more runs home, however, so the game headed into the fifth tied. </p>
<p id="Ndl8fm">Muller worked around a Wong one out single to work a scoreless fifth with two strikeouts. Joc Pederson got on base with a HBP to lead off the bottom of the fifth and Ozzie followed him with a double, advancing to third on the relay home as Pederson attempted to score, but was thrown out on a nice relay by Milwaukee (although the catcher appeared to be blocking the plate). Freddie and Austin were unable to bring Ozzie home from third, so the game stayed tied at 1-1. Jesse Chavez came in after five strong innings from Muller and ran into some trouble, partially due to an error of his own, but escaped the inning unscathed. Adam Duvall singled in the bottom sixth and Dansby came through, homering off of Woodruff’s 100th pitch and giving Atlanta a 3-1 lead (after what was almost certainly a missed strike three call by CB Bucknor). </p>
<p id="L4qtFP">Matzek came in and shut it down in the seventh, working around a walk. Singles from Ozzie and Freddie followed by a walk from Riley loaded the bases with one out for Duvall, who was unable to deliver. Soler came up to the plate with the bases still loaded and hit an infield single to score Albies. Dansby then came up to the plate and hit a grand slam as his second homer of the night. Vogt lined out to end the inning, but the damage had been done. </p>
<p id="g8NgDP">Deadline acquisition Richard Rodriguez came in to pitch the eighth and gave up a leadoff single. Rodriguez got a flyout but then gave up another single to Lorenzo Cain. Fortunately, he got a perfect double-play ball from Urias that was turned to end the inning. Joc hit a weak double with a .110 xBA before Ozzie lined out with a .660 xBA because #baseball, and Freddie reached on a fielding error that advanced Pederson to third, giving Atlanta runners on the corners for Riley, who flew out. </p>
<p id="BmfQ5l">Will Smith came in to finish out the game, despite a seven run lead, and worked around a single and an Austin Riley error for a scoreless inning to finish out the Braves win. </p>
<p id="YESOMm">We’ll be back for the rubber-match of the series tomorrow at 1:20 pm ET.</p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2021/7/31/22603865/atlanta-braves-recap-dansby-swanson-explodes-to-back-up-another-strong-start-from-kyle-mullerDaniel Hutchinson-Kausch2021-07-31T21:01:31-04:002021-07-31T21:01:31-04:00Sean Kazmar Breaks Atlanta Braves Triple-A Hits Record
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<figcaption>Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>A historic minor league career has reached its pinnacle moment</p> <p id="2FClQ0">It’s been a season to remember for Sean Kazmar Jr., and with a second inning single against the Memphis Redbirds he is now the all-time leader in hits in <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Atlanta Braves</a> Triple-A history. Kazmar has been a mainstay in Gwinnett lineups for nearly a decade, coming into the organization at age 28 back in 2013. Since then he’s seen the team take a new name, seen the minor leagues be realigned, and played with a majority of the current Atlanta Braves lineup. He holds nearly every Gwinnett Braves/Stripers franchise record and now holds the hits records for all Braves franchises breaking a 36 year old record set by Larry Whisenton of the Richmond Braves.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"> SEAN KAZMAR JR. HAS DONE IT <br><br>Kazmar Jr. now has the most hits in <a href="https://twitter.com/Braves?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Braves</a> Triple-A history!!! Congrats Sean! <a href="https://t.co/f5kIjF6Pax">pic.twitter.com/f5kIjF6Pax</a></p>— Gwinnett Stripers (@GoStripers) <a href="https://twitter.com/GoStripers/status/1421628844004495364?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2021</a>
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<p id="acgOne">2021 has been a season to remember already for Kazmar, as on April 17th of this season he was <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/2021/4/17/22389233/sean-kazmar-call-up-atlanta-braves-ozzie-albies-ender-inciarte">called up to the Major Leagues for the first time since 2008</a>. While Kazmar could not add to his career hit total while a member of the Atlanta Braves, he has gone back down to Gwinnett and filled the role he has for so long. Kazmar has always been the player willing to fill any role he can to help the team, and in his 724 career games with Gwinnett he has played five different positions and even pitched three shutout innings and earned a win. As a longtime fan of the Gwinnett Braves and Stripers and as a minor league baseball fan, I tip my hat to Sean Kazmar for his dedication. He’s had a wonderful career and he deserves this moment of recognition.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here is <a href="https://twitter.com/DaveLezotte?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DaveLezotte</a> on the call for Kazmar Jr.'s historic hit! <a href="https://t.co/1ujZIsKIGR">pic.twitter.com/1ujZIsKIGR</a></p>— Gwinnett Stripers (@GoStripers) <a href="https://twitter.com/GoStripers/status/1421633928910286849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2021</a>
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https://www.batterypower.com/2021/7/31/22603929/sean-kazmar-breaks-atlanta-braves-triple-a-minor-league-hits-recordGarrett Spain2021-07-31T19:00:00-04:002021-07-31T19:00:00-04:00Brewers vs Braves game thread
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<figcaption>Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Kyle Muller vs Brandon Woodruff</p> <p id="9CGyER">After dropping the opener Friday night, the Atlanta Braves will try to get back in the win column Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers at Truist Park. Kyle Muller will get the start for the Braves while the Brewers will counter with right-hander Brandon Woodruff. </p>
<p id="lLwABI">Saturday’s game is scheduled to get underway at 7:20 p.m. ET and can be seen on Bally Sports Southeast. </p>
<h3 id="AmdD0y"><strong>Series Recap</strong></h3>
<p id="D0FVDR"><a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/2021/7/30/22601826/july-30-brewers-vs-braves-preview-lineups-recap">July 30: Brewers 9, Braves 5</a></p>
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https://www.batterypower.com/2021/7/31/22603071/brewers-vs-braves-game-thread-discussionDaniel Hutchinson-Kausch2021-07-31T17:37:51-04:002021-07-31T17:37:51-04:00Soler debuts with Pederson in center
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<p id="5WcnBT">***NOTE*** The <a href="https://www.brewcrewball.com/">Brewers</a> have had two positive COVID tests today and one close contact individual. Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell has said that tonight’s game is NOT in jeopardy and WILL be played tonight.</p>
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<p id="KcWo51">The Braves will run out a new-look outfield on Saturday, with all three starting outfielders trade acquisitions of the last few weeks. Deadline acquisitions Adam Duvall and Jorge Soler will man the corners, with Soler debuting and batting sixth in right field, while Duvall bats fifth and plays left. This slides Joc Pederson into center field, which may be a defensive adventure, but provides a decent offensive outfield on paper. It will be exciting to see how this new outfield fairs for the rest of the season, starting today against the Brewers. Stephen Vogt gets the nod at catcher, batting eighth now that there are actual offensive pieces in the outfield.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">First pitch at 7:20 tonight at Truist Park!<br><br>Presented by <a href="https://twitter.com/TruistNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TruistNews</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HankAaronWeekend?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HankAaronWeekend</a> <a href="https://t.co/2ORjyYUPyu">pic.twitter.com/2ORjyYUPyu</a></p>— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) <a href="https://twitter.com/Braves/status/1421544089934307332?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2021</a>
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<p id="jOOTQs">Meanwhile, the Brewers run out somewhat of a new lineup, with recent trade acquisition Eduardo Escobar starting at first base. Brandon Woodruff takes the mound. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Trying to win another series!<br><br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/BallySportWI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BallySportWI</a> <br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/620wtmj?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@620wtmj</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThisIsMyCrew?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThisIsMyCrew</a> <a href="https://t.co/DR3euwWbY0">pic.twitter.com/DR3euwWbY0</a></p>— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Brewers/status/1421584036468756499?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2021</a>
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https://www.batterypower.com/2021/7/31/22603635/atlanta-braves-lineup-soler-debuts-with-pederson-in-centerDaniel Hutchinson-Kausch2021-07-31T14:00:00-04:002021-07-31T14:00:00-04:00Braves look to break out of doldrums behind Kyle Muller against Brewers
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<img alt="Atlanta Braves v New York Mets - Game One" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/g1YIP_EI1fWvYnqomcJhWKPSVX8=/0x0:2170x1447/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69661181/1331245341.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Atlanta dropped Friday’s series opener 9-5</p> <p id="tJTddq">The <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Atlanta Braves</a> have amazingly gone fourteen straight games alternating between wins and losses since the all-star break. This remains the case after a frustrating loss on Friday against the <a href="https://www.brewcrewball.com/">Brewers</a> in which Atlanta tagged Cy Young candidate Corbin Burnes for four runs in the first inning for perhaps Burnes’ worst start of the season, but lost the game 9-5. The Braves have hovered just below .500 for essentially the entire season and have not been above .500, despite still being only 4.0 games out of first place in the division. </p>
<p id="KJxUar">Atlanta will look to even up the series against the Brewers and start to dig back towards .500 on Saturday behind rookie Kyle Muller, who will face off against another high-caliber Milwaukee starter in Brandon Woodruff. </p>
<p id="H8cRbt">Muller has been quite good for Atlanta in five starts as a rookie, good for a 2.55 ERA. Obviously five starts is a pretty small sample, but Muller’s more predictive metrics are interesting. He is outproducing all predictive metrics, but the metrics vary wildly on how good he has actually been, ranging from a still-very-good 3.16 FIP to a not-so-good 4.80 FIP. His batted ball data with xERA and xwOBA allowed lean closer to the FIP side of things, while floating in the middle of the two. As the massive xFIP jump would indicate, Muller is riding a miniscule HR/FB rate, which is worth keeping an eye on as he pitches more. </p>
<p id="vZETW5">While he has not been as dominant as his teammate Burnes, Woodruff has been great in his own right this season, ranking 6th in pitcher fWAR among all pitchers and second in ERA among qualified pitchers. Woodruff has been consistently very good to great over the past four seasons, but this season has been his best yet. Boasting an upper-90s fastball that he throws over 60% of the time with a curve, change, and slider that he mixes in, Woodruff strikes out over 10 batters per 9 innings, and has a low walk rate. Woodruff will be a tough matchup, for the Braves, although reinforcements are likely on the way in the form of Jorge <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/2021/7/30/22602536/braves-trade-for-jorge-soler-right-at-the-trade-deadline">Soler, who should be available to play after being traded to Atlanta at the deadline on Friday</a>. Adam Duvall may also feature again after he was also t<a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/2021/7/30/22602184/braves-trade-rumors-adam-duvall-marlins-alex-jackson">raded to Atlanta on Friday</a>. <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/2021/7/30/22602563/braves-trade-pirates-richard-rodriguez-bryse-wilson-ricky-devito">Richard Rodriguez</a> and <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/2021/7/30/22602167/mlb-trade-rumors-eddie-rosario-traded-atlanta-braves-pablo-sandoval-cleveland-indians">Eddie Rosario</a> were also added by Atlanta at the deadline. Rodriguez may be available out of the bullpen, but Rosario is not expected to be available Saturday due to injury rehabilitation. </p>
<p id="3qBUbg"><strong>Game Info</strong></p>
<p id="ehfPOk">Game Date/Time: Saturday, July 31, 7:20 pm EDT</p>
<p id="Y1XHZV">Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA</p>
<p id="6ximtK">TV: Bally Sports Southeast</p>
<p id="YRhupL">Radio: 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan, WNNX 100.5, Braves Radio Network, La Mejor 1600/1460/1130 AM</p>
<p id="ouuqpW">XM Radio: Ch. 187</p>
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https://www.batterypower.com/2021/7/31/22603057/brewers-vs-braves-preview-time-tv-streaming-radio-kyle-muller-brandon-woodruffDaniel Hutchinson-Kausch