Takeaways from the Atlanta Braves game one win vs St. Louis

The Atlanta Braves bounced back from their Sunday loss against the Washington Nationals with an 8-4 win in game one against the St. Louis Cardinals. Here are some thoughts on the action.

The Atlanta Braves keep popping early

In three of the four games on the young season for Atlanta, they've scored multiple runs in the first two innings. On Opening Day, they scored two runs in the second. In game two against the Nationals, Atlanta scored two in the first. Monday night, the Braves got six men across home plate in the first two innings.

The only game where they didn't score early was the loss on Sunday.

The Braves' offense hit three home runs off of St. Louis Cardinals starter Jake Woodford in the first two innings of action. Austin Riley hit the farthest home run of his career, Ozzie Albies hit a shot that scored two, and Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a three-run home run that kind of felt like a dagger in the second inning of the action to give Atlanta a 6-1 lead.

AUSTIN 3:16 SAYS THAT BALL IS GONE@austinriley1308 | #ForTheA pic.twitter.com/nVDGAmUpEo
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 3, 2023

Woodford went 4.1 innings before he was pulled, being tagged for seven hits and six runs, with three walks and three strikeouts on 95 pitches.

Orlando Arcia keeps proving the Braves right

There was a lot of controversy around the starting shortstop decision when the Braves named Arcia the starting shortstop over Braden Shewmake and Vaughn Grissom. Since then, he's been awarded a three-year deal, made several defensive plays, and is hitting .333 from the plate.

Orlando Arcia snags the 107.7 mph liner. Really nice play. pic.twitter.com/Nq9czd7hhE
— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) April 4, 2023

Charlie Morton did enough

Morton gave up three earned runs after pitching 81 pitches across 5.1 innings against the Cardinals. He gave up nine hits and two walks, and it feels like he's still trying to round into midseason form. In future outings, he will more than likely need more than a single strikeout to be effective.

#Braves righty Charlie Morton: Only six swinging strikes tonight, and has allowed eight hard-hit balls

The curveball just doesn't quite look right - it's faster with slightly more spin, but LESS vertical and horizontal break. Only two whiffs on the CB, in twenty swings.
— Lindsay Crosby, big baseball guy (@CrosbyBaseball) April 4, 2023

Nick Anderson took over and struck out two Cardinals to finish the sixth inning.

The Atlanta Braves take on the St. Louis Cardinals in the second game of the series Tuesday at 7:45 pm ET from Busch Stadium. The broadcast, with Voice of the Braves Brandon Gaudin, is available inside Braves Country on Bally Sports Southeast, 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.