You could have almost felt sorry for Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Michael Kopech Friday night. He walked two and hit one of the three hitters he faced in the first inning to start the second part of the season.
It was against the Atlanta Braves, a team that had the best offense in baseball, averaging 5.6 runs per game. There was no way Kopech felt confident of getting out of that inning alive, not against a team that had hit a home run in a franchise-record 26 consecutive games.
Sure enough, on Kopech’s second pitch to the fourth batter, National League home run leader Matt Olson, that stretch was extended. Olson hit a long grand slam to right field to give the Braves a 4-0 lead after the first four hitters of the first inning.
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Game over. There was zero chance for the White Sox to come back in a game against baseball’s best team. And Kopech would not make it out of the first inning. He was pulled getting only two outs.
The run the Braves are on is historic. Going back to June 1 of last season, the Braves are playing .688 ball. It’s not only the best baseball the team has played since moving to Atlanta in 1966. It’s the best stretch in franchise history, dating back to 1901.
The offensive show every night is impressive. Atlanta leads the Majors in home runs, slugging percentage and OPS. The team leads the National League in runs scored, runs scored per game, hits, batting average and on base percentage.
When Ronald Acuna gets on first base with a walk, as he did Friday night, or a hit, you might as well put him on second base, as he did Friday night. And there is an inevitability that at some point a home run is coming, just like it happened Friday night.
Opposing pitchers must have nightmares about facing this team. Ask Michael Kopech.
Let’s not, however, forget the Braves’ pitching. Yes, we’re sort of burying the lead here. Along with the fact the Braves scored nine runs to win Friday, they also got great pitching – again. Charlie Morton went seven scoreless innings, and then the bullpen closed it out with two more.
Along with all of the impressive team offensive stats, the Braves are also, miraculously, leading in several pitching categories. The Braves have the best team earned run average in baseball (3.59), the best starter’s ERA (3.72) and the best bullpen ERA (3.41) in the National League through Friday’s action.
How? How in the world could a team be doing this well on the mound, all the while Max Fried, Kyle Wright and Ian Anderson, three pitchers who back in February before spring training were penciled in as 60% of the starting rotation, have combined for all of 10 starts?
Wait, the Braves are doing this without Fried, who finished second in the Cy Young voting last year and is one of the best left-handed starters in the game? And without Wright, who won 21 games last season?
Again, how?
Well, credit must be given to Morton, Spencer Strider and Bryce Elder, the three who took up the mantle to lead the rotation with Fried and Wright out with injuries. Strider and Elder were All-Stars, while Morton has a 5-0 record with a 1.82 ERA in his last six starts.
The “new” big three, Morton, Strider and Elder, are a combined 28-10 with a 3.20 ERA. So, even with Fried and Wright, who were slotted first and third in the rotation coming into the season, the Braves have survived. No, they’ve thrived.
The bullpen has also had its issues, we well. Closer Raisel Iglesias was out the first five weeks of the season. Dylan Lee, with his career 2.59 ERA, has been out two months with a shoulder issue. Jesse Chavez, who was headed to the All-Star game before his injury, has been out a month. And now, Nick Anderson, will miss two months with a shoulder strain.
We all know that as good as an offense can be, pitching usually wins out in the postseason. With all due respect to the home runs hit by Freddie Freeman, Eddie Rosario and Jorge Soler in the 2021 playoffs, the Braves would not have won the World Series if not for the huge performances of relievers Tyler Matzek (remember his big strikeout against the Dodgers ?) and Will Smith (who didn’t allow one earned run that entire month).
Fried will be back in a few weeks. Yes, the best team in baseball will get one of the best pitchers in the sport back in August. That will be like making a trade for a top starter. But don’t think general manager Alex Anthopoulos won’t still look for more rotation help. He will. That’s his job. And even with Fried back, will he be as good as he was before? Plus, Elder has never pitched this much. Will he be as strong in October as he has been the first three months?
And there is zero doubt Anthopoulos will add to the bullpen. He does it almost every year. Now, with questions remaining due to the injuries to Lee, Chavez and Anderson, he has no choice.
The game Friday showed just how dominant the Braves have been this season. Sure, they hit a big home run, exploded on offense like they have so many times. But the pitching did its job, as well. If this can continue, perhaps with a few more pitching reinforcements, this team will be hard to beat in October.
Listen to The Bill Shanks Show weekdays at 3:00 pm ET on SportsRadio 104.3 FM in Savannah and online at TheSuperStations.com. Email Bill at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Atlanta Braves will be hard to beat in October | Bill Shanks