A year after breaking the NL record for home runs, Atlanta’s powerful hitters are still hitting the ball hard. Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson, Marcell Ozuna, and Michael Harris II all hit home runs in the Atlanta Braves’ 12-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday.
Max Fried, who won 14 games in both 2021 and 2022, struggled early and was pulled after just seven batters, giving up three runs. But the Braves didn’t let that slow them down.
On the Phillies’ side, Aaron Nola had a rough outing, giving up homers to Albies and Olson among his 12 hits allowed in 4 1/3 innings. The Braves took advantage, scoring seven runs off Nola and five more off the Phillies’ bullpen.
After two games, there are already concerns in Philadelphia about the team’s pitching staff, with boos from the fans and worries on social media.
Jesse Chavez came in to relieve Fried and pitched three solid innings for the win.
The game started with a bit of chaos, including a rain delay and a scary moment when Bryce Harper tumbled into the photographer’s well while chasing a foul ball. Fortunately, he was okay.
Despite a steal from Kyle Schwarber, the Phillies couldn’t hold off the Braves, who had a strong offensive performance with multiple players getting three hits each.
The Braves showed their dominance at the plate, with 32 hits and 14 extra-base hits in just the first two games of the season.
