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Takeaways from the Atlanta Braves 5-2 series sweeping win over the St. Louis Cardinals

What can we learn from the Braves series finale win over the Cardinals?
Andrew Stefaniak|
Takeaways from the Atlanta Braves 5-2 series sweeping win over the St. Louis Cardinals
Takeaways from the Atlanta Braves 5-2 series sweeping win over the St. Louis Cardinals

Get out your brooms, Braves fans! The Atlanta Braves swept the St. Louis Cardinals after a 5-2 win behind the arm of Bryce Elder and the bats of Matt Olson and Ronald Acuña Jr. 

This was an all-around performance where the Braves played well in the field, on the mound, and at the dish. 

Braves hitters combined for ten hits, and Braves pitching only allowed six. 

What did we learn from this game three victory on the road in St. Louis to complete the sweep? 

Bryce Elder looked outstanding

Elder filled in for the injured Max Fried and looked really good doing so. He went six innings of scoreless baseball and only allowed two base hits. He filled up the zone while keeping his pitches down and on the corners. Elder only threw 79 pitches and likely would have gone a few more innings if this game took place a few months down the road. His off-speed pitches were throwing off the timing of the Cardinal hitters and led to a lot of empty swings and weak contact. The 23-year-old righty dominated in his first start of the 2023 season. 

Travis d'Arnaud hits better when he isn't catching

Travis d'Arnaud has had a hot start to the season, but he is hitting much better as a DH than a catcher through six games. When d'Arnaud is the designated hitter this season, he is 8-13 for a batting average of .615. When he start behind the dish, he is 2-13 for a batting average of .154. This isn't surprising, as catching can be hard on the body. It makes sense that he would be fresh when not behind the plate. Despite hitting a few balls hard, he was 0-4 in this ball game. The Braves need the discrepancy at the plate between days d'Arnaud is catching and designated hitting to end. If he could be a consistently good hitter, no matter if he is in the field or not, it would benefit this ball club. 

The top of the lineup mashed

A rule of thumb in sports is when your star players do well, the team does well, which was the case for the Braves in this sweep-securing win. Acuna Jr., Olson, and Riley combined to go 7-14 in this game, scoring all five of the teams runs and knocking in four of the five. These three are off to a hot start to the 2023 season, and it's not farfetched to believe if this continues, the Braves could have the best record in baseball come October. 

The Braves didn't score after the fourth inning

One of the only negative things to take away from this game would be that the Braves didn't score after the fourth inning. Hopping on a team early is great, but you have to keep filling up the scorebook. The Braves scored three first-inning, then one a piece in the second and fourth, but then went five scoreless innings in a row - this is how you let a team back into a ball game. Next time the Braves hop out to an early lead, I would love for them to keep their foot on the gas to ensure the game is never in doubt. 

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Andrew Stefaniak
ANDREW STEFANIAK

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