Braves Today

Takeaways from Atlanta's series-opening 9-3 win over the Red Sox

It was a fun night at the ballpark as the Braves dominated Boston

Will Moon

The Braves just keep rolling. Looking fresh and crisp after a day off between home games, the club came out tonight and handled business against a good team. Here are some takeaways.

The Hits Just Keep On Coming

Boston starter Nick Pivetta did not have an enjoyable evening. The long-time former Phillie made his 15th career start against Atlanta tonight, and he just had nothing. Exhibit A - Matt Olson turning this hanging curveball into the starship Enterprise.

The rest of the Braves lineup continued the onslaught from there, with Ozzie Albies and Marcell Ozuna driving in runs later in the inning to stake starting pitcher Charlie Morton to an early 4-0 lead. Sean Murphy tacked on another run in the second, and that became a theme. Overall, the Braves scored nine runs on twelve hits, with everybody in the lineup reaching base at least once. Two players had three hits on the evening.

Orlando Magic

One of those was Orlando Arcia, who went 3-4 with a run scored and a run driven in. He was also robbed of another RBI by an intrusive fan in the fifth inning. He then performed a little robbery himself in the eighth.

Who knows how long this ride will last, but Arcia has just been a steadying presence for the Braves at a crucial position. He's hitting far better and more consistently than he ever did in Milwaukee, where he was once considered a possible franchise building block before his struggles with the bat derailed those dreams. The work at the plate may drop off - though Braves hitting coach Kevin Seitzer has worked wonders in years past with veteran hitters - but the key thing Arcia brings is steady defense.

Vaughn Grissom racked up hits, and while they were mostly singles with some underlying statistics than don't portend good things offensively, it was his defensive struggles more than anything else that led to him being sent down when Arcia returned from injury. With both Grissom and Braden Shewmake still in the fold, the most interesting position battle in Braves circles will likely continue to be worth monitoring. But right now, there's no debate - Orlando's the guy.

It's Murphin' Time

Sean Murphy really is just that dude. While him continuing to produce at quite this level is perhaps unrealistic, he really looks like a legit MVP-level performer. That big league-leading fWAR total is no statistical anomaly. He's just balling out pretty much every night.

That was his third hit of the evening, his fourth time reaching base, and his fourth RBI. Right now, there are no holes in his game. He's still playing elite defense at perhaps the most important position, and his bat is more than just "good for a catcher". It's among the best in baseball. If you want numbers, there are plenty. He leads baseball in fWAR and xwOBA, is second in OPS, wOBA and barrel rate, is fourth in wRC+ and tied for fourth in homers. The list goes on. He and Ronald Acuña Jr. are arguably the two best players in baseball right now. (There's certainly legit competition here, but they are absolutely in that discussion.)

Braves Add Position Player Depth

A brief blurb here for Chad Pinder, former Oakland utility man, who the Braves just signed and sent to Gwinnett. Pinder spent seven years with the A's and was with the Nationals before they released him last week. More depth is always a good thing, even if Pinder doesn't seem to have a clear path to the bigs at the moment.

On Deck

The Braves wrap up this short two-game series with the Red Sox tomorrow night. Brayan Bello gets the start for Boston, while the Braves appear to be going with a bullpen game - Brian Snitker indicated as much in his postgame presser. No word as of yet on who will take the ball initially for Atlanta, but there are plenty of options. First pitch at Truist Park is again set for 7:20 ET, and the telecast with Voice of the Braves Brandon Gaudin is available on Bally Sports South. 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.

Stories from the Red Sox series

WATCH: Sean Murphy keeps on keeping on, adds to Braves' lead late

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

WATCH: Sean Murphy and the Braves continue piling it on against Boston

WATCH: Orlando Arcia robs Masataka Yoshida of hit, possibly ends long hitting streak

Lineup, how to watch the Braves series opener with the Boston Red Sox

What happens now, Vaughn Grissom?

BREAKING: Max Fried to IL with forearm strain

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Will Moon
WILL MOON

Former Auburn radio personality, writes about pop culture and other topics at octopus-man.com and covers the Braves for bravestoday.com

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