*Photo from AP News*
We are seeing the full might of the Atlanta Braves on display. Austin Riley homered, Spencer Strider pitched a sharp game, and the Braves defeated the Cincinnati Reds with a 4-1 victory on Saturday afternoon in Cincinnati.
With the win, the Braves won their second straight game and 7th out of their last 10, sitting just 2 1/2 games back of the NL East lead. Thanks to 3 RBI's from Riley and Strider carrying a no-hitter into the 5th inning, the Braves kept on chugging in yet another win, now 13 games over .500 this season.
Strider said that "It’s hard not to know the line, but I don’t think you let it change anything. If anything, it just shows you that your stuff is good and it's working. There’s no reason to do too much. Stick to what's been working in the game and just try to go out and keep getting outs as quickly as possible."
Starting the Braves off early, it was Riley. In the second inning, he hit a solo home run out to left field, putting the Braves ahead by a 1-0 margin. With the bases loaded in the 4th inning, Michael Harris drew a walk, plating Riley as the Braves doubled their lead to a 2-0 score.
When the 5th inning came along, Nick Senzel got the Reds on the board, hitting an RBI single that scored Matt Reynolds, making it a 2-1 game. In the 7th inning, Ronald Acuna Jr scored on a groundout from Matt Olson, restoring the two run lead for the Braves. Later that inning, Riley hit an RBI double, making it a 4-1 game.
In his start, Strider picked up the win, improving to 4-2 this season. Strider lasted 6 innings, allowing one run on one hit and one walk while racking up 11 strikeouts. AJ Minter was the first man out of the bullpen, pitching a clean 7th inning, with Jesse Chavez handling the 8th, and Will Smith getting his 4th save of the year in the 9th.
Braves manager Brian Snitker said of Strider that "It’s awesome. He was free and easy today, really good. For a young guy, that’s two really good starts in a row. He's shown me his composure the whole time. How he has the ability to slow the game down, trust his stuff and have confidence in himself."
Getting the start for the Reds was Tyler Mahle, who couldn't match Strider. Mahle allowed two runs on 5 hits and 4 walks over 5 innings pitched. Art Warren allowed the other two runs in 1 1/3 innings, with Reiver Sanmartin, Dauri Moreta, and Ross Detwiler notching scoreless appearances.
Reds manager David Bell said that "Hey, there’s plenty of frustration, staff, players, myself. I know our players are doing absolutely everything in their power to turn this around. Our staff is doing the same. So I’m looking long and hard at what I need to do to help turn this around and get it going in the right direction. That’s really our only focus. Absolutely not, that had nothing to do with any sort of frustration about losing games. Completely separate."
Up next, the Braves and Reds wrap up their series on Sunday afternoon. The Braves send Charlie Morton to the mound, while Luis Castillo starts for the Reds.
Comments
Post a Comment