Payback is a MUTHA...
...& that's exactly what the Braves had in mind after a thrashing yesterday afternoon at Wrigley Field. A six run (4 HR) first inning set the tone as ATL served the Cubs their version of a 13-4 whooping in front of a national tv audience. Freddie Freeman's first inning 421 foot BOMB onto Sheffield Avenue let me know what type of evening this was going to be.
#PoetryInMotion Kyle Hendricks (0-2) hadn't pitched in eleven days, had no command, looked very rusty and was lucky to make it through four innings. 74 pitches later he gave up seven runs, seven hits and walked three while striking out four. Hendricks walked three batters once in 2019 and none in 2020. He's walked three hitters twice in his first three starts of 2021.
Final Score - Braves 13 Cubs 4
Summary - A six run (4 HR) first inning tells the story of tonight's contest. Guillermo Heredia notched the first career multi HR game of his career and led the Braves with six RBIs. Freddie Freeman, Travis D'Arnaud and Ehire Adrianza all went deep for ATL in the first. #BigFolks Anthony Rizzo had his 19th career multi HR game while the game was still within reach but the Braves slapped another six piece spicy on the board in the top of 6 to put the game out of reach.
Quote(s) of the game - "It looked like he just wasn't executing...his misses were more belt line than normal. Not the bite I think we're used to. Just looked like he was out of sync in that 1st inning. We trust Kyle and have a lot of confidence in Kyle when he takes the mound for sure." - Rossy on Hendricks' rough outing "I was just not very good overall from the start and everything was flat and I just made a lot of bad pitches. Just gotta wash this one." - Kyle Hendricks "Everyone's gonna settle in here and settle into their roles. We just gotta keep playing and keep working. It's still early...not even a full three weeks in. I think the last two days showed a good approach for our offense and a sign for good things to come." - Rizzo on guys pressing/not pressing early in the season.
The BIGS Player(s) of the game - Anthony Rizzo (2-4 2 HR 2 RBIs) looks to be settling in after a rough start. The Good - Joc Pederson locked in and got his first two hit game of the season bringing his average to .149. He had a stellar spring training and things have been the total opposite in his first fifteen games in Cubbie blue. The Bad - Braves OF Ronald Acuna Jr. left the game early due to pain in his lower abdominal muscles. He's too much fun to watch and hopefully he's ok...for the Braves as well as the fans and MLB as a whole!
The Huff - Javier Baez was 2-4 with 2 RBIs but struck out twice bringing his season total to 27. He has a strikeout rating of 45%. (27 Ks in 60 plate appearances) Next matchup - A day off today before welcoming the New York Mets in Tuesday for a three game set.