Baseball is back! The Atlanta Braves got their season underway this afternoon with a divisional clash against the New York Mets in Citi Field. Julio Teheran got the start for the Braves while Noah Syndergaard pitched for the Mets.
Atlanta Braves 2017 Opening Day Recap
Today’s game was a classic pitchers duel until both starters left after the sixth inning. Freddie Freeman hit a one-out triple in the top of the fourth inning. Unfortunately, Syndergaard struck out Matt Kemp and Nick Markakis to retire the side. Then, in the sixth, Atlanta had runners on first and third with only one out. Once again they could not bring a run home. On the day, the Braves were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Taking advantage of key opportunities is a must during the course of a 162-game season. The Braves will need to hit better in clutch situations moving forward.
Seventh Inning
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Asdrubal Cabrera singled to center field and Ender Inciarte fired home in an attempt to throw out Wilmer Flores. After a replay review, Flores was ruled safe by inches to give the Mets a one to nothing lead. That run would open the flood gates. After four pitchers, two wild pitches, five walks, and a long double by Lucas Duda, the Mets poured on five more runs to extend their lead to six. Manager Brian Snitker must do a better job of managing the bullpen and finding the right mix of players. Four pitchers in one inning is just absurd given the fact that Atlanta is only carrying seven relief pitchers to start the season.
Takeaways
There are some positive takeaways from the game such as Freeman’s three hits and Teheran’s masterful six innings of no runs and six strikeouts. On the other hand, knowing how to use the bullpen effectively and hitting with runners in scoring position are areas that must improve if Atlanta is going to compete this year. There is still plenty of time to iron out the issues, but the fan base would love to see a victory sooner rather than later.
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