Monday night, the Atlanta Braves made their first appearance in the World Series since 1999. The gravity of the situation didn't seem to be an issue and Atlanta certainly didn't look uncomfortable under the bright lights on baseball's biggest stage. Atlanta took momentum early and chopped out 12 hits on the way to a 6-2 win.
The Braves offense got going right away, as Atlanta scored twice in the top of the 1st. They would add one in the 2nd and two in the 3rd to take a commanding 5-0 lead. There's something to be said for a team being inspired by a certain play(s) or actions. The entire Braves squad drew off of the incredibly gutsy and courageous effort of Pitcher Charlie Morton. He took a shot on a comebacker in the 2nd inning, that we would learn later broke his leg. Morton threw 16 pitches on that broken leg. The Braves rallied around the actions of Charlie Morton and it propelled them. Morton will miss the remainder of the series.
With the 5-0 lead, Atlanta then used by a "by committee" pitching approach to follow Morton's departure in the 3rd inning. A.J. Minter was sharp in relief, he came on for Morton and worked 2 and 2/3 innings allowing just one run. Luke Jackson, Tyler Matzek and Will Smith combined to hold Houston to one run in the 6th- 9th innings.
It was a hit parade for Atlanta, as all 9 in their starting lineup had at least one hit. Jorge Soler starred at the plate, he had two hits and drove in two. Ozzie Albies and Eddie Rosario has two hits each. Rosario continues to be on fire at the dish, after hitting over .500 and being named the MVP of the NLCS.
The Braves have already done exactly what every road team sets as a goal in the World Series, that is getting at least a split on the road in the first two games. The expected starters on the hill in Game Two are Max Fried for Atlanta and Jose Urquidy is set to go for Houston. Catch all the action of Game Two tonight (Wednesday) starting at 7 PM on ESPN Upstate.
