The Braves largely stood pat ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline, believing the team with the major-league’s best record needs no substantial improvement.
On Tuesday night at Truist Park, starting less than an hour and a half after that deadline, the Braves went out and played like a team that needs no improvement. The Braves beat the Angels, 5-1, behind a strong outing from Spencer Strider, two homers from Michael Harris II and contributions from the bottom half of the lineup. They’ve won four of their last five.
Here are five observations:
1. Strider entered the game one strikeout away from 200. He didn’t make fans wait long – and he took down the best player in baseball to hit the mark.
Strider struck out Shohei Ohtani, the second batter of the game, for his 200th strikeout. With the punchout, Strider broke the major-league record for being the fastest to 200 strikeouts.
The previous record? Spencer Strider, 2022.
“It’s neat,” Strider said. “The goal is just to win the games. That kind of stuff is neat. But you know, breaking records isn’t always a formula to win a game.”
Strider made sure to do the second part, too. He went on to throw 6-2/3 innings, allowing one run on five hits. He struck out nine and earned the win. He also tied his career-high with 110 pitches.
“I think I’ve made it pretty clear to the coaching staff that they can let me go out there as long as they want if they think I can continue to be effective,” Strider said. " … If I can go out there and try to get some more outs then it saves the ‘pen, and that’s really my job as a starter, just get as many outs as possible.”
As for Ohtani, Strider struck him out twice, first on a changeup and then on a slider. He said he struggled with offspeed command, but feels confident in all his pitches against anyone, even Ohtani.
“I don’t want to disrespect the guy here, but you go up there and you start shaking in your boots a little bit, you’re gonna end up giving him one,” Strider said. " … I don’t have a huge arsenal of pitches like Bryce (Elder), but all my pitches are capable of producing swings and misses and producing favorable outcomes. Otherwise, I wouldn’t throw them.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
2. After a fielding mistake brought the Braves a run in the first, they struggled to get much going against Angels left-hander Patrick Sandoval.
In the fifth, Harris changed that.
Harris swung at a high 0-2 slider and crushed it, hitting it 445 feet and into the right-center field bleachers. The solo shot, Harris’s 10th of the season, put the Braves up 2-1.
“I was just sitting back and seeing if he would give me a pitch to hit in a pitcher’s count,” Harris said. “He left it up and I guess I just took advantage of it.”
Harris became the ninth Brave to hit 10 or more home runs this season, tying a franchise record (2007, 2018, 2019, 2022). Travis d’Arnaud is the next closest to that mark, needing one more.
3. The Braves broke it open in the seventh. Eddie Rosario, pinch-hitting for Kevin Pillar, opened the inning with an opposite-field single to left. Orlando Arcia followed with a two-run home run to left-center. On the next pitch, Harris launched a solo shot to dead center field to put the Braves ahead 5-1.
Four of the Braves’ five runs were scored by the bottom three spots in the lineup.
“Key to our success is everybody contributing, and they have, to a man,” manager Brian Snitker said. “It’s been really good. This lineup’s really deep. It’s powerful.”
4. The Braves bullpen pitched 2-1/3 clean innings to close out the win. Joe Jimenez stranded two runners in relief of Strider. AJ Minter, in his second outing since returning from the injured list, allowed only a soft single to C.J. Cron. Raisel Iglesias pitched a clean ninth inning, needing just six pitches to retire the side.
The only deadline-day acquisition the Braves made was to strengthen the bullpen, trading for Brad Hand. They’ll have more than enough options to fill out an eight-man bullpen for October.
5. Snitker said he was confident in his team before the trade deadline, and he’s just as confident now.
“It’s great when we go out and add guys, but I said that last week or two weeks ago, I really liked that team that’s in there now,” Snitker said. " … I like our team the way it was and I really like it now.”
The Braves looked at adding a starting pitcher, but Strider is happy with the current rotation.
“I think that if you look at our record, it speaks for itself,” Strider said.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Quotable
“I get to see it from center (field), and it’s pretty nasty. I’m just glad I’m behind him instead of in the box when he’s pitching” - Harris, on Strider
Stat to know:
200+ Strider is the fifth pitcher since 1893 to strike out 200 or more in his first two full major-league seasons, joining Herb Score, Dwight Gooden, Hideo Nomo and Yu Darvish. He’s the fourth Braves pitcher with consecutive 200+ strikeout seasons, matching Charlie Morton, John Smoltz and Phil Niekro.
Up next
Yonny Chirinos (4-4, 4.34 ERA) faces Lucas Giolito (6-6, 3.79) in the finale of the three-game series Wednesday at 12:20 p.m.
