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We knew this game was going to turn into a battle of the bullpens.
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Here are the biggest moments from Game 4: Back-to-back homers put Atlanta on top It's a bullpen day for the Braves, but this has been the postseason of the bullpen with relievers throwing more than 50% of all innings: Maybe that's a good thing.
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Minter didn't pitch in Game 4 for the Braves, so he should be good for two innings and Matzek, Jackson and Smith were all efficient enough that pitching a third straight day shouldn't be an issue. Baker should simply want his better hitters up earlier in the lineup, and right now, Bregman is not one of his better hitters.Īnother note: Astros closer Ryan Pressly entered in the seventh after Javier allowed the two home runs, but he ended up throwing 33 pitches, so we'll see how long he can go in Game 5. He could move Carlos Correa or Yuli Gurriel up to third and move Bregman down to seventh, keeping his R-L-R-L-R-L-R order intact, although given the makeup of the Atlanta bullpen that doesn't really matter all that much. Managers hate to overreact, but Dusty Baker has to consider sliding Bregman down in the order.
#ASTROS BRAVES SCORE SERIES#
Alex Bregman, in particular, has looked lost, going 1-for-14 with five strikeouts so far in the World Series and 6-for-36 since the start of the ALCS. But the Houston offense has to get going.
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The Astros have Framber Valdez going in Game 5 against yet another bullpen game for the Braves. Braves relievers now have a 1.61 ERA in the World Series over 22.1 innings and 2.94 over the entire postseason. If the Braves go on to win this World Series, don't forget Wright's unsung performance - from a pitcher who was added to the roster only for the World Series after spending most of the season in Triple-A (and who owns a 6.65 career ERA in the majors).Īfter Wright was done, it was Chris Martin, Tyler Matzek, Luke Jackson and Will Smith tossing the final four scoreless innings, Jackson surviving the eighth when Eddie Rosario hauled in Jose Altuve's long drive to left with a running catch as he crashed into the wall. The Astros had runners all over the place against him, but they would leave 11 runners on base. Once again, the Atlanta bullpen stepped up, although this time with a surprise participant: Kyle Wright, who relieved starter Dylan Lee with the bases loaded in the first inning, escaped that jam with just one run scoring, and then allowed only one more run over his 4.2 innings. The back-to-black blasts turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 victory. The home run heroes were Dansby Swanson, who hit a 1-2 fastball from Cristian Javier out to right field in the bottom of the seventh inning, and pinch-hitter Jorge Soler who followed with a line shot to left field off a 2-1 slider that just cleared the fence. The Atlanta Braves are one win away from their first World Series title since 1995 as they won Game 4 the way they've won all postseason: Clutch home runs and clutch relief pitching.
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#ASTROS BRAVES SCORE UPGRADE#
You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserĢ021 World Series Game 4 - Atlanta Braves are a win away with clutch homers and clutch relief pitching
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