The Braves had little trouble with the Pirates on Friday, taking an early lead and cruising to a 8-2 win at Truist Park.
Here are five observations:
1. Pirates All-Star starter Mitch Keller has been marvelous lately – except when the Braves have brought him back to earth. In Keller’s last six starts, he’s allowed three or more runs twice: in both his starts against the Braves’ imposing offense.
This time, the Braves didn’t use power to build a lead, but rather hit balls into the right places. The Braves struck Keller for four runs on six hits – all singles – in just the third inning. Keller hadn’t allowed four runs in an outing since Aug. 3. He allowed eight in five frames against the Braves, giving up homers to outfielders Ronald Acuña and Eddie Rosario.
“It’s a testament to where we’ve come as a team,” manager Brian Snitker said of the Braves’ all-singles inning. “Last year, we would’ve struck out three times. You put the ball in play, something good can happen. A lot of teams have done that to us. Even though we’re a power team, if you’re not striking out and putting the ball in play, then something good can happen. That just shows the maturity and growth of our team overall as an offense.”
2. Acuña homered off Keller on the first pitch of the fourth inning. Acuña has homered three times over the past two nights, each coming off the first pitch of an at-bat and landing in center field. He went 3-for-4 with a walk.
Acuña’s pursuit of 40-40 – that’s 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases – is in its critical stretch. He has 35 homers and 63 stolen bases. It would be the fifth 40-40 season ever produced but the first 40-60 season. With the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts sidelined this weekend due to injury, Acuña can also continue solidifying himself as the National League MVP frontrunner.
“There’s only one word (to describe Acuña’s season): MVP,” Rosario said via team interpreter Franco Garcia. “It’s extremely impressive, may God keep blessing him and hopefully he has a great career.”
3. Braves starter Bryce Elder has quieted some concerns. After holding the Dodgers to one run over six innings in his last outing, he largely shut down Pittsburgh, allowing two runs on four hits (one homer) across seven innings. He struck out nine, coming one short of equaling his career high.
“I’m not ever going to be a strikeout guy, but I think when I can execute certain pitches, it allows me to get strikeouts when I need them,” Elder said.
Elder has allowed two or fewer runs in four of his last five starts. He’s rebounded nicely from a tough two-start stretch in early August. Friday was another encouraging night, especially with him issuing only one walk.
“The past couple weeks, I thought I’d thrown the ball well, but the walks had been there,” Elder said. “But I’ve made that pitch when I’ve needed to.”
Elder’s seven innings were valuable given the Braves’ upcoming slate. They’re summoning Dylan Dodd to start Saturday, haven’t named a starter for Sunday, then play a doubleheader in Philadelphia on Monday. So Elder sparing the bullpen will help over the next few days. Dylan Lee and Ben Heller each pitched a scoreless inning following Elder.
4. Third baseman Austin Riley missed his second consecutive game due to a stomach bug, though he was in the dugout and available. Riley had played in all the Braves’ games prior to getting sick. Travis d’Arnaud handled catching duties for the second straight day, giving Sean Murphy some rest.
5. The Braves’ victory, paired with the Phillies’ loss to the Marlins, lowered the Braves’ magic number to clinch the National League East to eight. The Braves have won five consecutive division titles, MLB’s longest active streak.
Stat to know
9 -- Elder struck out a season-high nine hitters.
Quotable
“One of the best players I’ve ever seen in my life. To me, it would be like comparing him to Roberto Clemente.” – Rosario on Acuña
Up next
The Braves will start the lefty Dodd (2-1, 7.40) on Saturday against Pirates right-hander Johan Oviedo (8-14, 4.27).
