MLB
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ATLANTA (AP) — That is Bryce Harper’s favourite time of 12 months.
Ranger Suárez and a parade of hard-throwing Philadelphia relievers are having fun with themselves, too.
Harper hit his twelfth profession postseason homer, Suárez and a half-dozen teammates mixed on a five-hitter, and the Phillies stifled baseball’s most prolific offense for a 3-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves in Sport 1 of the NL Division Sequence on Saturday evening.
In a playoff rematch between division rivals, the 104-win Braves discover themselves in precisely the identical place as a 12 months in the past: trailing the Phillies after the opener at Truist Park.
“This staff, to a person, has this innate toughness to them,” Philadelphia supervisor Rob Thomson mentioned. “They’re actually resilient, they usually simply preserve preventing. So it’s an ideal mixture of expertise and make-up that we now have on this membership.”
In 2022, the Phillies knocked off the Braves 3-1 on the best way to an unbelievable World Sequence look. Now, they’re up once more heading to Sport 2 of the best-of-five collection Monday evening in Atlanta.
As normal, Harper was proper in the course of issues. He reached base in all 4 at-bats and gave the Phillies some respiratory room with a liner into the right-field seats off 20-game winner Spencer Strider within the sixth inning.
“That is his time of 12 months,” Thomson mentioned. “That is the place he sort of shines.”
The Braves’ offense had been shining all season, tying the main league report with 307 homers whereas averaging greater than 5.8 runs per recreation.
They got here up empty to begin the postseason, enduring their first shutout since Might 12 — and their first all season at Truist Park. They grew to become the primary staff to steer the majors in runs and get shut out of their postseason opener for the reason that 2001 Mariners.
“I feel it was extra their pitching than our hitting,” Braves supervisor Brian Snitker mentioned.
Wild-card collection hero Bryson Stott broke a scoreless tie with a run-scoring single within the fourth, driving in Harper with an unearned run after a wild pickoff throw by Strider.
Harper padded the lead all by himself by going deep off Spencer, who’s 8-0 with 1.90 ERA towards the Phillies within the common season however dropped to 0-2 towards them within the postseason.
“Strider, man, he’s the most effective within the recreation,” Harper mentioned. “You already know he’s going to come back at you and throw his finest at you. So simply attempting to get a pitch over and was capable of get the slider up and do some harm.”
Strider went seven innings, permitting one earned run on 5 hits with eight strikeouts.
The temper turned ugly within the eighth when the Phillies tacked on their closing run courtesy of catcher interference towards Sean Murphy. J.T. Realmuto fouled off a pitch with the bases loaded, however his bat barely nicked Murphy’s mitt to pressure in a run.
After the decision was reviewed and upheld, there was a quick delay when a handful of followers threw trash on the sphere.
Snitker and Murphy had no complaints concerning the name, and the Braves supervisor ripped the followers who littered the outfield.
“There’s no excuse for that,” Snitker mentioned. “It’s scary as a result of these water bottles, once they come, they’re like grenades. It might actually significantly injure one in all our gamers.”
Many within the crowd of 43,689 — the biggest turnout in Truist Park’s seven-year historical past — headed for the exits after Trea Turner’s diving cease on Ozzie Albies’ sharp grounder changed into an inning-ending double play within the backside half of the inning.
Suárez allowed only one hit in 3 2/3 innings. Nonetheless, with an off day between the primary and second video games, the Phillies rapidly turned to their bullpen on the first signal of bother.
Suárez walked slowly off the mound, clearly upset at being lifted so rapidly, however Thomson mentioned the lefty calmed down when he defined Philadelphia’s technique.
“He’s a competitor, and he needs to remain in, and he knew how nicely he was pitching,” Thomson mentioned. “I get it. I’m OK with him being upset.”
Jeff Hoffman escaped a bases-loaded jam within the fourth by putting out Michael Harris II to earn the win. Seranthony Dominguez labored round two hits within the fifth by fanning the facet — together with a referred to as third strike on MVP favourite Ronald Acuña Jr. with runners at first and third.
Jose Alvarado, rookie Orion Kerkering, Matt Strahm and Craig Kimbrel shut down the Braves the remainder of the best way, with Kimbrel incomes a save towards his first large league staff.
Apart from chants of “MVP! MVP!” from the house crowd, it was a quiet evening for the primary participant in baseball historical past to put up 40 homers and 70 stolen bases in a season.
Acuña went hitless in his first three at-bats, together with the essential strikeout towards Dominguez on an ideal fastball on the within nook. The Braves star lastly reached with a stroll main off the eighth, however it didn’t spark the Atlanta offense.
OVERTURNED CALLS
Video evaluations led to a pair of overturned calls that benefitted every staff.
Atlanta’s Ozzie Albies was initially referred to as protected on an tried steal within the second inning. He was dominated out when the replay confirmed a tag on his mitted hand simply earlier than it acquired to the bag.
Within the fourth, Matt Olson was initially referred to as out on a pressure play at second. The Braves challenged, and the replay clearly confirmed the runner acquired to the bag forward of the ball.
WRIGHT’S DONE
After leaving Kyle Wright off the playoff roster, the Braves introduced the injury-plagued right-hander will bear surgical procedure and certain miss the whole 2024 season.
Wright, a 21-game winner in 2022, missed greater than 4 months this season with lingering shoulder points. He had returned late within the season, however struggled in two begins and was moved to the bullpen for the ultimate week.
Wright was despatched for an MRI on Friday, which confirmed a extra critical challenge with the shoulder. He completed this season 1-3 with a 6.97 ERA in simply 9 appearances.
UP NEXT
Left-hander Max Fried (8-1, 2.55 ERA) will get the beginning for the Braves in Sport 2 after coping with a recurring blister challenge late within the season. “Simply one thing you gotta monitor and simply sort of pitch by way of,” Fried mentioned.
The Phillies will counter with right-hander Zack Wheeler (13-6, 3.61 ERA), who acquired the win in Sport 1 of the wild-card collection towards Miami by permitting only one run over 6 1/3 innings. Wheeler is a local of Smyrna — not removed from the Braves’ stadium. “It’s undoubtedly going to be enjoyable to pitch right here in entrance of family and friends and hopefully we get a win,” he mentioned.
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