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With Zach Wheeler and Charlie Morton on the mound Tuesday night, it certainly seemed as if scoring opportunities were going to be few and far between.
And yet, when the Braves had their chance, Jorge Soler made sure they made the most of it.
Soler delivered a two-run single that ended up being the difference in a 2-1 victory over the Phillies to extend the Braves lead to 3 1⁄2 games in the NL East and shrink their magic number to three. Though the ninth inning was once again a detriment to everyone’s health (not all that much on Will Smith this time), Atlanta did what it needed to do to secure the victory.
The story of the night though was Charlie Morton. For only the second time this season, Morton went seven innings and produced 10 strikeouts and did not allow a run in the process. While the win itself was certainly satisfying, yet another reminder that Morton certainly is up to task against the best pitchers in the majors as he was tonight against Zach Wheeler is highly encouraging. With Max Fried taking the mound tomorrow night, Atlanta has to like their chances of securing a series win against the Phillies over the next two days.
Braves News
- A fun bit of history for Atlanta was Freddie Freeman becoming just the 7th player to produce 1700 hits in a Braves uniform during the Braves victory.
- Both the MLB and MLBPA agreed to extend the administrative leave of Marcell Ozuna through the end of the postseason on Tuesday. In short, as was always expected, this formally ends Ozuna’s season and likely means the conclusion of MLB’s investigation will be in the offseason. The result will likely lead to a lengthy suspension.
- Shea Langeliers and Bryce Elder were honored as the Braves’ minor league hitter and pitcher of the year in the organization. Furthermore, Spencer Strider and Langeliers will be joining Elder in Gwinnett to end their seasons at Triple-A.
- Plenty of fun reads to enjoy as the Braves continue their series against the Phillies from Talking Chop, including what advanced metrics suggest about the NL East this year, what each additional win means for the Braves to clinch the division and a playoff spot, and why the Braves need to end the division race now.
MLB NEWS
- Perhaps the most heated race to end the season is the AL Wild Card with many teams still alive. However, the Yankees put a bit of distance between them and the rest of the pack with a win over the Blue Jays Tuesday.
- The St. Louis Cardinals won their 17th game in a row and secured their spot as the second Wild Card team in the NL.
- The Cardinals opponent is still to be determined as the NL West remains a close battle between the Dodgers and Giants. MLB.com looked at the race in detail, while a major development from Tuesday was Brandon Belt of the Giants being placed on the IL due to a fractured thumb. An idea of his return remains to be seen.
- The Houston Astros could be the next team to celebrate another trip to the playoffs as their magic number is down to one.