Game 1
The Atlanta Braves defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 10-3 in Game 1 of the doubleheader. The Phillies got out to an early 2-0 lead, but it was all downhill from there as the Braves scored 9 unanswered runs to take control and grab Game 1.
Braves starter Ervin Santana had a very solid outing going 6.2 innings allowing only 2 runs on 7 hits while striking out 5. He had great control of his sinker, which led to half of his outs via the groundball. Santana has been having trouble getting outs with his changeup, but it was working well on Saturday. After establishing the changeup early, Santana was able to throw in his wipe away slider late which kept the batters off balanced.
Roberto Hernandez of the Phillies kept his teammates in the ballgame. He went 7 innings allowing 4 runs, 2 of them earned. Hernandez’s problem was the fact that he walked 3 batters while only striking out 2. In addition, his defense did him no favors today. To be specific, Ryan Howard had two fielding errors in the 4th inning that allowed the Braves to tie the game at 2. The Braves took the lead in the 6th inning on a Justin Upton 2-run double.
The fallout for the Phillies came in the 8th inning when the Philly manager Ryne Sandberg went to left hander Antonio Bastardo. Bastardo gave up 3 hits and 2 walks that led to 5 runs. It all started with a 1-out walk to Freddie Freeman. Justin Upton followed with a single and then Jason Heyward loaded the bases with a walk. Chris Johnson singled to left to drive in Freddie Freeman, but the big blow came when Tommy La Stella drilled a 1-2 fastball to the right field gap for a 3-run triple.
The Braves tacked on 2 more runs when La Stella scored on a wild pitched and when Chris Johnson doubled to center in the 9th to make the score 10-3. The Braves bullpen closed the game out without much drama; this only helped the Braves going into Game 2, as they didn’t have any taxing efforts on their bullpen.
Game 2
It was more of the same for the Braves in Game 2. Great pitching and timely hitting helped the Braves come out victorious 5-1.
Princeton graduate David Hale spot started for the Braves in the night game. He did all you could ask from a guy coming out of the bullpen. Hale pitched 5 strong innings allowing only 1 run on 4 hits, while striking out 3. Hale was able to get strike one on 11 of the 20 batters he faced, which led to aggressive hitting by the Phillies. Luckily, Hale had a great mix of fly ball and ground ball outs. This mixture shows that Hale was able to attack the entire zone with all of his pitches.
Journeyman pitcher Sean O’Sullivan started for the Phillies. He came up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley and did a solid job. He went 5.2 innings allowing 4 runs on 8 hits, while striking out 3. O’Sullivan held the Braves lineup in check until the 6th inning.
It started off very promising for O’Sullivan in the 6th as he grabbed to 2-outs on 2 pitches. Then Justin Upton singled after a 9 pitch at-bat. Ryan Doumit followed suit with a single guided threw the right side. Then Chris Johnson ambushed the first pitch fastball for a single down the right field line to give the Braves a 2-1 lead. After a pitching change, Tommy La Stella guided a 3-2 fastball in the left field gap for a 2-run double. After struggling at the top of the order, La Stella was moved back to the 7th spot in the lineup. It seems to be the perfect spot for La Stella as he's gone 3 for 8 with 3 extra base hits and 5 RBI's.
Atlanta came out of the 6th inning with a 4-1 lead. Reserve outfielder Ryan Doumit added another run with a solo shot in the 8th inning. The Braves bullpen once again sealed the deal in Game 2 of the doubleheader by throwing 4 shutout innings.
The biggest positive the Braves came away with, aside from the two victories, was the timely offense the Braves lineup showed. Coming into the game the Braves were one of the bottom third teams in MLB hitting with runners in scoring position (RISP). When you combine both games, the Braves went a total of 8 for 23 with RISP. That shows the Bravers ability to drive in runs and the more impressive thing was the Braves didn’t rely on the long ball. They only scored one run via the homerun and that was a solo shot by Ryan Doumit in the 8th inning of Game 2. This could be a turning point series for the Braves heading into the All-Star break. That is good news for Braves Country.
More good news for the Braves was getting their first look at Braves top prospect, catcher Christian Bethancourt. He was able to get his first Major League hit, and it was an infield single. It was a hard hit ball but it counted just the same. Bethancourt’s calling card is not his offense; it’s what he does with the glove.He had a real grasp and understanding of how to call an effective game. Ben Revere did steal a base off of him but that had more to do with the jump he got off of Hale. It is hard to predict what the future holds at the catcher position for the Braves, but it’s a good problem to have deciding between Evan Gattis and Bethancourt.
The Braves go for a 4-game sweep tomorrow against the Phillies. Aaron Harang is going on the mound looking for his 7th win of the season. His counterpart is rookie starter David Buchanan who holds a 4-3 record. It looks like the Braves have the upper hand and the momentum, but when you play a team four games in a row both teams have a good idea how to come away with a victory. The Braves are going to have to be greedy if they want to get a 4-game sweep on the road.