Takeaways: Offense Wastes a Brilliant Start from Spencer Strider
With the starting rotation for the Atlanta Braves being shorthanded, they can't afford to waste performances like Spencer Strider gave them on Friday night.
The Atlanta Braves dropped the opener of a three-game series in Toronto Friday night in a frustrating 3-0 loss where the offense couldn't get anything going.
Former division foe Chris Bassitt tossed a complete game shutout for the Blue Jays and was in complete control the entire way except for one inning, and the Braves' offense blew it.
What are you doing, Eddie?
Eddie Rosario broke up the no-hitter with a 1-out double in the fifth inning, which was great. But then he decided to try and swipe third base and was gunned down.
Bassitt finally started to show signs of weakness in that fifth inning as after the double he hit Ozzie Albies and Travis d'Arnaud, and then walked Michael Harris II to load the bases.
The caught stealing by Rosario potentially took a run off the board and robbed the Braves of a potential big inning.
With as wild as Bassitt had been in the fifth, he fell behind Orlando Arcia 2-0. With Ronald Acuna Jr. on deck and Bassitt being as wild as he was in the inning, Arcia decided to swing at that 2-0 pitch and popped it up to end the inning.
To be fair, it was a very good pitch to hit, but with Acuna on deck and the wildness of Bassitt to the previous batters, you have to take a strike there.
Who knows how it would have played out differently, but that felt like the only real shot the Braves had in that game and they blew it.
Strider needs some help
The Braves ace did everything he could in this game but the rest of the team let him down.
Even the run he gave up came after what should have been a called third strike.
Still, he struck out twelve (with only one walk) to take over the Major League lead for strikeouts and is firmly one of the early favorites for the NL Cy Young.
Why Danny Young?
In the end, it didn't matter because the Braves didn't score a run, but the decision to remove Strider in the 7th with 2 outs for Danny Young was a head-scratcher. While he's been good for the Braves this year, that's not who you want out there in a pivotal moment of a close game. He walked the lefty he came in to get, walked another, and allowed a second run to be charged to Strider on a wild pitch.
The decision is likely the effect of the rotation issues. Had Dylan Lee not had to start the other day, he's likely the option there.
And with another potential bullpen game coming on Sunday, manager Brian Snitker didn't want to waste any of his best arms in a game they were losing -- even if it was just a 1-run game.
This was one of the more frustrating games of the year to watch, even with the incredible performance of Strider mixed in.
They'll ask Bryce Elder to step up once again this year as he looks to help the Braves even the series on Saturday.
How to Watch
Game two has a 3:07 ET first pitch. The game broadcast, with Voice of the Braves Brandon Gaudin, is available inside Braves Country on Bally Sports South/Bally Sports Southeast/ESPN/Apple TV/Fox/TBS, and is available on MLB.TV outside of the broadcast area. The radio call, with Ben Ingram, is available locally on 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan or outside the Atlanta market on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network or MLB.com.
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