WATCH: Matt Olson hits ball to the Moon, stakes Braves to early lead

Atlanta jumps ahead of the Red Sox 4-0 in the first partly on the strength of a mighty tater

Mash Olson indeed. On a day that began with foreboding news regarding ace Max Fried, the game tonight began on a much, much, much brighter note.

MATT OLSON LAUNCH MODE 🚀 pic.twitter.com/rerS6a1VHt

— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) May 9, 2023

Former Phillie Nick Pivetta was initially greeted by a roped single to center from Ronald Acuña, Jr, which was followed by Olson's 11th homer of the young season, a majestic bomb deep into the Chop House in right. 426 feet was the initial Statcast estimate, but even that seems low.

The inning didn't get better from there for Pivetta and the visiting BoSox, as the Braves batted around, ultimately plating four runs, with an Ozzie Albies single and Marcell Ozuna grounder each knocking in a run. Charlie Morton now goes back to the hill with a 4-0 lead to protect.

Pitching Matchup

Starting for the Braves tonight is Charlie Morton. The veteran righty is 3-3 this season with a 3.38 ERA in his six starts on the season. He has quite a history against Boston, having faced them 13 times in his career with a 7-1 record and a 4.03 ERA. In two starts against the Red Sox since he joined Atlanta, "Uncle Charlie" is 1-0 with a 4.15 ERA.

Opposing Atlanta is Nick Pivetta. The veteran is 2-2 with a 4.99 ERA in his six starts on the season. He's 6-3 lifetime against Atlanta in 17 appearances against Atlanta, most dating back to his time with the Phillies. With the Red Sox he's 2-1 with a 4.24 ERA in three starts, dating back to 2020. DH Marcell Ozuna has hit the best against Pivetta out of current Braves, facing his 20 times with five hits (four home runs) and nine RBIs. 3B Austin Riley has two home runs in four at-bats, while C Travis d'Arnaud has one home run and three RBIs in four at-bats.

How to Watch

First pitch is at 7:00 PM ET, and the broadcast setup is interesting: The telecast is a national broadcast...kind of.

Inside the Braves market, it'll be with Voice of the Braves Brandon Gaudin on Bally Sports South, but the rest of the country will get Bob Costas and Ron Darling calling the game on TBS. The radio call, with Ben Ingram, is available locally on WIFN 1340 AM/103.7FM or outside the Atlanta market on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network or MLB.com.

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