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    Takeaways from Atlanta's series-opening 7-0 win against the New York Mets on Friday night

    Charlie Morton was effectively wild in this one, walking seven but allowing no runs in his five innings as the Braves run away with this one

    The Atlanta Braves kicked off their four-game set in New York against the Mets with a 7-0 shutout win on Friday night. Here's what you need to know about the contest: 

    Charlie Morton didn't have his command but still made it work

    Aug 11, 2023; New York City, New York, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Charlie Morton (50) pitches in the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field.

    Braves starter Charlie Morton had a weird game - he went five scoreless innings with only three hits and four strikeouts, but walked SEVEN batters. Navigating through traffic in four of the five innings, Morton somehow got out of the outing unscathed, stranding ten Mets runners on base. 

    There's times when it takes a little veteran guile to figure out how to make it work, and Uncle Charlie was deep in his bag of tricks to make it out of this one unscathed. He induced two double plays and struck out Mets DH Daniel Vogelbach three times in his five innings, with the final inning starting while Morton was already over 100 pitches in an attempt to save the bullpen. 

    Austin Riley apparently LOVES playing in New York

    Aug 11, 2023; New York City, New York, USA; Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley (27) points to the sky after hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field.

    Third baseman Austin Riley continues to rake - he went 3-4 with two runs and two RBIs, including a solo home run, his 27th of the season. His two RBIs now give him 72 on the season. 

    Riley's move into the #3 spot in the batting order when manager Brian Snitker shook up the order was overlooked by Ozzie Albies batting 2nd and Matt Olson batting 4th, but Riley's batted .273/.333/.499 in the #3 spot. His 26 HRs from the third spot in the order have been one of the catalysts for Atlanta's offensive surge over the summer, with nine of them coming in July. 

    What more can we say about Michael Harris II?

    Aug 11, 2023; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets second baseman Danny Mendick (15) saves the ball from getting past him as Atlanta Braves center fielder Michael Harris II (23) steals second base in the fifth inning at Citi Field.

    What can't Michael Harris II do? The centerfielder went 1-4 with a run and a stolen base, as well as robbing Jeff McNeil of a base hit in the 5th inning with a picturesque diving catch in shallow centerfield. 

    It's hard to believe that Atlanta's centerfielder could somehow be better than last year's NL Rookie of the Year campaign, but Money Mike has been absolutely electric from the bottom of the order and his .291/.338/.465 slash line establishes him as the best #9 hitter in the game. 

    Atlanta wasn't able to get into New York's bullpen

    Aug 11, 2023; New York City, New York, USA; Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Brad Hand (45) pitches in the seventh inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field.

    The Braves used five pitchers in this one, with Pierce Johnson, Brad Hand, Kirby Yates, and AJ Minter all taking an inning after Morton's night was over. The reliever deployment worked, but it has to potential to compound a hairy situation: Atlanta's bullpen was already overworked in the four game series against the Pirates and is facing the prospect of three games in two days, with a doubleheader slated for Saturday. 

    The Mets, by comparison, are sitting pretty. After yesterday's off day, they used only two pitchers in this one: Tylor Megill went 5.1 inning with nine hits and six runs (five earned), with reliever Jimmy Yacabonis coming in and throwing 3.2 innings of relief to save New York's pen. 

    The sad part is, most teams will option that long reliever in Yacabonis's place back to the minors before they face a doubleheader, so that they can bring up a fresh arm for the extra innings they'll have to cover. 

    Atlanta's not announced their 27th man for tomorrow's doubleheader, but even if that's a starter for the 2nd game (my money's on Soroka) it feels almost inevitable that they try to bring a fresh arm in for the bullpen, as well. 

    Tomorrow's matchup

    The Braves and Mets are playing two tomorrow in a day/night format - game one, scheduled for 1:10 PM ET, is a makeup of a rainout on 4/29, with the broadcast being carried on Bally Sports Southeast. Game two is at its regularly scheduled time, 7:15 PM ET, and will be carried as a national broadcast by Fox. 

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    Charlie Morton

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