It won’t be until mid-April that the Atlanta Braves face the Philadelphia Phillies again.
What started as a pretty underwhelming showcase today with the Braves turned into a late win (3-2) as the lineup couldn’t manage a hit to get on the board until the bottom of the seventh inning where Michael Harris II hit an RBI single to drive in Dalton McIntyre.
In the same inning, he was able to tie the score (2-2) by gaining a run of his own through a sacrifice-fly from Luke Williams. The Braves were able to get
ahead by a run after a fielding error by Phillies’ third baseman (much to Phillies’ fans dismay) Garret Grubs. Outfielder Ben Gamel would get a run off of this error to take the lead (3-2).
As for veteran pitcher Martín Pérez, he was able to manage 3.2 innings and only allowing one run and six hits through switching out a few times with Jacob Kroeger.
Now, though Pérez didn’t show us a lot in today’s outing, one person that is fighting for an Opening Day roster spot—-with an impressive resume building as of now—-is Didier Fuentes. Watch the 20-year old’s improved command at the mound, along with his striking fastball amongst his arsenal that makes him a strong asset for the rotation.
The ABS system was used to his advantage in the top of the sixth and called a strike for the second out of the inning. With eight total strikeouts in today’s game, it’s safe to say that this might be a gem that the team needs to key in on for the long-run.
Could we be seeing another Braves’ Rookie of the Year this year?
The team is off tomorrow, but will be set to take on the Pirates on Friday.
