The Braves lost to the Phillies, 2-1, on Sunday. It was the second time in three seasons they opened by getting swept in Philadelphia. In 2019, the Braves went on to win 97 games and the National League East title, so they’ll hope history repeats itself in 2021.
Here are five takeaways from Sunday:
1. The Braves’ offense had a rough series. They repeatedly hit the ball hard – a good indicator for future offensive success – but couldn’t find the right spots. The Phillies, meanwhile, often put the ball just where it needed to be. It was the difference in the series, in which the Braves were outscored 9-3.
“We’re going to go through this again,” manager Brian Snitker said. “We’re going to go through this in July, August, everything else. We faced good pitching. I’d rather play a team like us early than once the weather gets hot and these guys get going and get at-bats, because I’m going to trust the consistency and past performance of these guys. They’re going to hit.”
2. Travis d’Arnaud hit the Braves’ second homer of the season with two outs in the seventh. Phillies starter Zach Eflin left a pitch down the middle and d’Arnaud slammed it into the left-field seats. It snapped an 18-2/3 innings scoreless streak for the offense.
D’Arnaud was the only Braves player to have any offensive success in the past three games, outside pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval, who belted a homer on opening day. D’Arnaud was the only Brave who recorded a hit in Saturday’s 4-0 loss. He was the only one with an RBI and run scored Sunday.
“Everyone has their own approach, you just run into these games throughout the 162-game season where the pitchers on the other side are executing,” d’Arnaud said. “We were able to do that, too. It’s just part of baseball that their batted balls were finding holes and there’s nothing you can do about it but tip the cap and try to get the next guy out. From an offensive standpoint, we’ll talk, communicate, tell each other what we saw and try to fix it as quickly as possible.”
3. Right-hander Chris Martin left during the eighth inning with what Snitker said was a fingers issue. Snitker didn’t have a further update following the game. The Braves are counting on Martin, who assumed increased responsibility after Mark Melancon, Shane Greene and Darren O’Day weren’t retained over the winter.
4. There were concerns with the Braves’ bullpen after it lost those key veterans, but other than Martin’s blemish, the most important relievers on the team have impressed thus far. Tyler Matzek was outstanding Sunday, striking out the side. He sat in the high 90s and hit 100 mph on his final pitch, which struck out Didi Gregorius.
A.J. Minter followed Matzek and overcame his throwing error to record his second scoreless outing. Will Smith pitched opening day and struck out the side.
5 Ian Anderson, who allowed one run over five innings, doubled in his first major-league bat. He even slid headfirst into second.
“I hit it and I saw it might drop,” Anderson said. “I felt like I could get to second. I wasn’t sure if EY (first base coach Eric Young Sr.) was telling me to stay or go. It was a good first hit, I can say.”
The thrill wasn’t enough to change Anderson’s mind on the universal designated hitter, however. He later added: “I think I’m team DH going forward, even if I didn’t show that today.”
Stat of the game
23-11 vs. 9-3 (The Braves were outscored 23-11 when they were swept in Philadelphia to open the 2019 campaign. They were outscored 9-3 this time, with both teams exhibiting much better pitching.)
Quotable
“It’s three games in April. They’re going to hit.” – Snitker on the Braves’ offense
Next up
The Braves are scheduled to face Washington in a three-game series. The Nationals’ first series against the Mets was canceled due to COVID issues, so this would be their home opener. The series opener was postponed, but the Braves traveled to Washington after the game.
