Wild Card Round IGT - Phils at Braves

[Frayed Knot]

Game 1, Tuesday 9/29, 2:00 EDT, NBC & Peacock

Jesus Luzardo vs Chris Sale

You figure the Braves would have the edge in most games with Sale going, but more than usual in this case as the Philly pitching, which was great though top-heavy to start with, now has less depth to it. They used Wheeler on Sunday just to make sure they'd even get to playing meaningful October baseball. Plus Nola pitched (badly and briefly) on Saturday, and Sanchez pitched Friday (well, but not well enough because Philly's offense is also feast of famine). So what about Luzardo? Well he also pitched Sunday though just one inning in relief. The bigger problem is that that inning was his first appearance since September 7th. He pitched a CG 2-hit shutout that day but then when on the IL with left shoulder inflammation.

Not exactly coming in on a roll in other words.

[Frayed Knot]

Game 1: 

- Ozzie Albies triples in the 6th to give the Braves a 2 - 1 lead

- JT Realmuto's 2-out/2-RBI triple in the 7th flips the lead to Philly 3 - 2

- Austin Riley's two-run 3R HR oin the 8th ff closer Duran gives Atlanta a two-run lead

- Phils get the leadoff runner on in the 9th but that's followed by a GiDP

- fly to LF and the Braves win!!

[Gwreck]

Duran was brought in in the seventh inning after the Phillies took the lead.  Pitched a 1-2-3 seventh but things unraveled in the eighth.

[Frayed Knot]

Yup. They wanted at least six out from him and he got the first five straight. But then, with two outs/bases empty, came IF single, HBP, then a first-pitch 3R HR. So it's not like they smacked him all over the park, but he was undone by that one pitch.

Raisel Iglesias then countered with a quick/clean 1-2-3 top 9th for the save.

[Gwreck]

The paid attendance for this game was 30,127 — meaning there were more than 10,000 empty seats in Atlanta/whatever suburb that park is located in yesterday.

It’s almost as if selling tickets with no gametime and not announcing it until 48 hours in advance is not fan-friendly. 

 

[Frayed Knot]

Game 2: Bottom 7th w/one out/runner on 1st, 1B Alex Bohm makes a bad decision for the lead runner on a Sac Bunt attempt putting runners on 1st & 2nd. Next AB saw Harper misplaying a fly to RF turning it into an RBI 2B. An IW loads the bases which was followed by a Sac Fly and the end of C. Sanchez's day.  3 - 1 Braves, end of 7

 

But then while I was typing the above, Schwarber leads off the 8th with a HR, followed by Harper doing the same (both were rockets!!) and suddenly it's 3 - 3. Lefty Dylan Lee -- no HRs to a LHB this season prior to today -- was the victim.

[Frayed Knot]

And they're going to extras .... without the Clown Car rules!!!!

[Frayed Knot]

Alex Bohm HRs w/2 out in top 10, 4 - 3 Phils

But can their pen hold on?!? Andrew Painter (mostly a starter) who pitched a scoreless 9th will give the 10th a try.

[Frayed Knot]

'And we'll see you in Game Three'

 

OK, so that doesn't have quite the ring as Jack Buck's call back in '91, but no sweep in this series anyway.

Game ended on a K/ABS challenge with two on. Realmuto had about an 80% successful challenge rate over the season and this one justnipped the zone. Francisco Alvarez, of course, would have run out of challenges six innings earlier.

[Fman99]

So the Phillies are done.   I don't like the Braves either but at this point I'm only rooting against teams, not for them.  

So I am rooting for the Padres or Brewers to knock off the ATL/LAD series winner, and for anyone to beat the stupid Yankees, starting with Tampa.

[seawolf17]

Agree. I want something like a Brewers/Rays WS, but we're going to get something like Dodgers/Yanks again. Barf.

[Gwreck]

11 minutes ago, seawolf17 said:

Agree. I want something like a Brewers/Rays WS, but we're going to get something like Dodgers/Yanks again. Barf.

I’m not ready to rule out Tampa or Milwaukee before they play a single game.  

[metirish]

Apparently Mattingly will not return as Phillies manager,  a mutual parting of the ways