Braves have chance to 'damage Phillies plans' to gain ground in head-to-head

0:00To more Duke's and Bell. Let's go. Let's go. Presented by Finley Brutee. On Sports Radio 92 9, the game. It's time for a round of yard with your Atlanta Braves on Duke's and Bell. It gets created brutally by Raul the Cognitive Junior in his car. Sports Radio 92 9, the game. Well, the Braves win 9-0 over the Washington Nationals today. It was an afternoon game and Grant joins us to talk about that and much more. And Grant, I think Mike's going to be like, what? Because Sean Murphy had four RBI today. Yeah, he's worth waiting for, I guess. Four ribbies today, Grant for Sean Murphy. Yeah, a big one for him. A couple of hits continues to just do what he's been doing, which is to put the bat on the ball and drive in some big runs and hit some homers. So the regular playing time, as we talked about last week, just exploring that option for the Braves to try to get a little bit more power, a little bit more balance, maybe in the lineup with another right-handed hitter to get him rolling.

1:01As certainly worked out for Sean Murphy thus far, he's got a nice little modest five-game hitting streak, a game on base streak, and has hit the long ball as well, which is a big thing you want to see because there's been a little fewer and further between for the Braves here in the month of August heading into now September. You just haven't seen as much of that power as we did at other times during the season. Hopefully, it's a sign of things to comment. A big win like this, maybe get him a little bit of that momentum to carry into a four-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Right now, with those guys breathing right down the Braves next. But I mean, I was a little worried when Grant Holmes had to come out because of the extended rain delay up there in DC, but he combines with four Braves pitches for two hitter. I mean, that's got to be a confidence builder and could Grant have gone deeper? He certainly like diled in today. Yeah, and I think he's looked and I've used this phrase a lot on the show. And it sounds like a backhand to compliment, but it's really not. I mean, he's been far more good than bad this year as Grant Holmes. But there have been a couple of blowups. Yeah, there have been. There absolutely have been. And for most pictures in baseball in the non-Christ sale category,

2:02you're going to have more than one every 15 or 20 or 30 starts. That's just how this game works. But I feel like he's continued to make adjustments and to compete and to take the ball and make the most of the opportunities he's getting right now. And we'll see what this pitching staff kind of looks like as the picture comes more into focus regarding what their playoff plans are going to be as far as really setting rotations and setting the bullpen and seeing what final roles are. But for right now, Grant Holmes continues to go out there every fifth or sixth day, depending on how the pressure doing the math. And for the most part, just keep them in the game. And that's really what you need to do when you've got an offense that should be doing the things that the Braves are doing. And hopefully those things that we've been talking about look a lot more like they did today with some runs on the board and some crooked numbers and some home runs. Those are things that the Braves really need to get dialed up as they make the stress drive and try to hold off the fillings. Uh, what milestone did Ronald Acunia achieve today, Grant? Yeah, a big one for him. 200 steals and 200 homeers now.

3:02He'd been sitting on 199 on home runs for quite a little while here. As we talked about the home runs that no one has I think had fewer and further between. And you just don't expect it than Ronald Acunia Jr. He's a guy that usually powers up goes on a nice big run and all of a sudden you just look at those numbers. You're like, okay, there's 20. There's 30. There's more. But it just hasn't been that way this season. But 200 homeers, 200 steals fastest player in baseball to do it. 904 games. He surpasses Alfonso Soriano. And how's this for symmetry? Soriano did it in 929 games. That's fun for us on the 9290 game. He also happened to do it while playing his one year for the Nationals against the Braves. He joined the 200 200 club and now Ronald Acunia Jr. passes him playing for the Braves against the Nationals. So these kind of things they just worked themselves out. Sometimes it just takes about 20 years. It's Grant McCauley with us guys. Much by Mark Spain. They get a dead in DC 9 zip and his grandson up to Philly for a big series. So as long as Sassan Kim keeps hitting, I mean, is it the merit system now? Walt Weiss keeps him rolling.

4:03What does this mean for how they used to bond? That mean they continue to try to find ways to move Mauricio around. We saw Ozzy D. H.ing and Mauricio starting its second. Mauricio occasionally will need a day off too. We got one today and obviously that will be part of the plan. But as long as Kim continues to do the kind of stuff that he's doing and look at the bats, looks so much better. The swing looks so much better. And you can just tell that again, and we can kind of point to Sean Murphy and maybe say, well, more playing time and more bats gives you the better chance to really get rolling. Because it's hard if you're only getting and at batter two or start every week or so to really do anything of any value for the club. So I think that they's going to continue to get mixed in to answer that question, kind of point blank. And I think Mauricio will continue to start summit shortstop and also to be able to give guys a day here or there and help out in the outfield as needed. What's this rotation going to look like against the Phillies? And do you like the way things are setting up? Well, the Phillies have certainly set themselves up.

5:03Except because they've got their big four go and you're going to get Chris sale versus Christopher Sanchez in game one. That's about as good as a pitching matchup as you can possibly ask for. But the Phillies were able to kind of balance everything else out in their favor. If you look at, you know, their rotation is going to be Zach Wheeler in game two, Martin Perez gets the ball for the braves. Then you've got Tyler Malley against Aaronola and it closes out with Bryce Elder against Jesus Luzardo. So they are going to get all four of their horses into this series. And again, as we talked about yesterday, it's on the Phillies to try to win this series. I misspoke because I said two out of three yesterday. It's four game sets. So if they split, it does the Phillies no good. If the Phillies win three out of four, they still only gain, you know, a couple of games, but that's obviously going to be big for them. If the braves win three out of four, obviously that pushes the Phillies back and wipes out these head-to-head matchups. But hey, look, these two teams have not been facing each other head-to-head and quite sometimes it's way back in the first half at the end of April.

6:04And we've still seen this thing swing wildly and quickly, you know, that the Phillies could be back five and all of a sudden they're back three or they're back nine and a half and all of a sudden they're back two. So head-to-heads are huge and obviously the pitching matchups are what they are. And the braves will have to score the runs they need to to win those games. But yeah, these are the games that think you've had circled on the calendar for quite some time. If you have the Phillies and for the braves, it's a chance to really do some damage to their plans of anything head-to-head. I know we talked about Dylan Lee because that's the hitter's park. You don't want him getting teed off on. So what are they doing? What's the plan now? So he's not tipping his pitches? Yeah, I think it's just mechanical adjustments is what Dylan Lee was pointing to. So you kind of go in, you watch a lot of film. You know, maybe you talk to some other people whether it's Jeremy Heffner or JP Martinez, guys on that side, your catchers. Just anything that they think they can see that they might pick up. Because, you know, there's nothing wrong in baseball with being able to steal the signs, the old fashioned way, or understand what pitches come in or be able to tell what pitches come in before it does.

7:04It is on the players to be able to disguise those things and have the adequate amount of deception that they need. So if there's something that he's already keyed in on, chances are he's probably not going to tell us just in case, just to, you know, not spill any state secrets to anybody or help out the opposition even more. But if he's able to button up whatever it is, that would certainly be nice because he's a huge and important part of that bullpen as the, I'd say the main left-handed weapon, but Dylan Dodd has also continued to deliver. So the braves do have, you know, a little bits of, I'd say, some depth there that you'd need and some guys that can do the job. So it's not all undil and leave, but you got to get him going and you've got to get him going right. And especially in the leverage positions and opportunities that he gets to pitch, you know, one pitch can very well decide a ballgame, one swing can decide a ballgame. So the sooner he gets that figured out, the much better it will be for the braves. Grant, I was asked this question. I said, I'd ask you outside of Matt Olson, who's been the second most important everyday player

8:04for the braves? Michael Harris. I think that the season that he has had defensively at the plate clutch hits. I mean, he's just done, I think everything you could possibly ask for out of Michael Harris. I mean, these are the kind of seasons that I think we'd all get together and spring training and start talking about, all right, what do you expect from this guy and this guy and this guy? I was just waiting for one of these just complete seasons starting on opening day and running all the way through the year where it's just a consistent and competitive at bat from Michael Harris throughout the entire course of the season. It seemed like he really ran into some trouble last year and had to grind his way through that season. And sometimes you learn a lot from years like that where nothing makes sense, nothing you're doing is working. You try to change things. Then you're afraid to change things. So I think he learned a lot from last year that has benefited him in this season. He's putting together to this point a career year. He may not win the gold glove because the peak chrome strong and center field. But yeah, it's been pretty fun to watch Michael Harris do his thing out there as well.

9:05All right, guys, the diamondbacks leading the Phillies won nothing in the bottom of the eight. So let's go deep back. Let's go snake. I hope they take care of business. Got a grant. And again, but this will have some serious drama. Again, to beat the Dodgers, I think we can beat the Phillies, but it'll be great to see everybody amped up and a little extra juice and Chris sale. He's probably the toughest, I don't say physically television, a punch him in the face, but he's like the mentally, I think the most toughest guy on this team. That's the guy I want out there. Yeah. I mean, he's the great competitor. I mean, you look at all the best competitors in baseball and Chris sale is going to make that top five or top three or whatever you want to call it. I mean, he just understands what the job is. He understands his expectations for his performance. They're sky high and obviously there's good reason for that. And he just goes out there and does things. And even at this age, kind of defy logic for a pitcher that seems to have somehow just found the fountain of youth or turn back the hands of time. It's been tremendous to watch him every fifth or six days. Again, depending on the braze pitching rotation math, but you know, Carl, if I'm to pick a pitcher or just another player in general,

10:07you know, I said Michael Harris as far as hitters are concerned. Yeah, I cannot overstate the importance of Chris sale to this braze pitching staff and this braze team as a whole. No, you're right. I he asked me that and said because we were debating about, you know, Riley and Olsen's in a, you know, category by himself. But, you know, we talked about the injuries, the akunya and the coming back and the expectations. And I was just like, I'm with you. That's what I told him. I said, it's money. And I don't know if we've given money. His do this year. I don't know if we've talked about him like we should have to be quite honest. But yeah, Chris sale, that's a no-brainer when you talk about the starting rotation. Great, great job. By the way, do you know when you're on this weekend? Yep, I'll be on from five to seven on Sunday. And we'll be unpacking a big series up in Philadelphia. It won't quite be over. We've still got a Monday game to hold us over in the Labor Day. But we'll be talking all about that. I've got some interviews. I'm going to run from some conversations with a couple of more members of the 91 braze. So that should be a lot of fun. And yeah, we'll just look forward to this weekend. And what should be some musty baseball for braze and Phillies fans out there?

11:08Is that Monday game afternoon game? It is, right? It's an afternoon game. I believe so. For Labor Day, I'm just saying for everybody. It's all right. All right, because we got to see we got football, a concert ball at night and then braze in the afternoon. Great job, and we'll talk tomorrow, brother. Thank you. Sounds great. Thanks, guys.