TAKEAWAYS: Braves rally late to take game one against the Phillies
The Atlanta Braves kicked off their four game set vs division rival Philadelphia in style, with rapper "Big Boi" throwing out the first pitch on OutKast Night and the Braves rallying late for a 8-5 win.
d’Arnaud Delivers
With a tie game, and the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Braves pinch-hit Travis d’Arnaud for Michael Harris II.
It was the right move.
d’Arnaud ripped a hard single through the hole on the left side and drove in two runs, to give the Braves a 7-5 lead. The Braves never looked back.
Dylan Dodd did Enough
We’ve talked a lot lately about the need for quality starting pitching for the Braves. Dylan Dodd was not dominant tonight, but he did cover five innings, allowing four runs, all earned, while giving up seven hits. He walked one and struck out three.
If Dodd can build off this start and continue to fill innings every fifth day, he has an opportunity to stick around until some of the front-line starters return to the team.
The bullpen covered the game's final four innings, allowing one run.
Riley and Ozuna Continue to Impress
Austin Riley crushed two home runs tonight, the first blast traveling 459 feet and the second one 458 feet. Riley now has nine home runs on the year.
Riley also had two doubles last night. After a slow start to the season, Riley hitting well in the middle of the lineup is a big boost for the Braves offense.
Marcell Ozuna hit a solo home run tonight, his tenth of the year. He also had a huge double in the bottom of the eighth inning to put runners on second and third with no outs. The eighth-inning hit bounced over the wall in right field for a ground-rule double. Had the ball stayed in play, Ozzie Albies would have scored easily from first base. Thankfully it did not matter, as Albies and Ozuna both scored on d'Arnaud's pinch-hit single.
Ozuna is now batting .222 with ten home runs and twenty-one RBIs. He began the season with seven hits in his first sixty-three at-bats. He now has eight home runs in his last sixty-two at-bats.
What's next?
Game two of the series is on Friday night, with a 7:20 PM ET first pitch. The game 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.
Other Stories from the Philadelphia Series
WATCH: Austin Riley crushes his second home run of the game
WATCH: Marcell Ozuna continues to tear the cover off the ball
WATCH: Austin Riley destroys a ball into the left-field seats for his 8th home run of the season
Podcast: Atlanta Braves struggled vs LA Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies Predictions
Lineup, how to watch Atlanta's series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies on OutKast Night
Dylan Dodd officially called up to start tonight's game vs Philadelphia
It's OutKast Night at Truist Park and The Battery Atlanta
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