‘Mustache Ace’ Spencer Strider bounced back with eight strikeouts, but the offense couldn’t quite get going.
Strider was saddled with the loss in Game 1 of the 2023 Major League Baseball National League Division Series (NLDS) against the Philadelphia Phillies after throwing 94 pitches, allowing five hits (one home run), three walks, eight strikeouts and two runs (one earned) in seven innings of work on Monday (Aug. 8) at Truiste Park in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Strider was selected by Atlanta in the fourth round, 126th overall, of the 2020 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. After going 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA in two games in his rookie year, Strider really came into his own last year, going 11-5 with a 2.67 ERA in 31 games (20 starts), striking out a whopping 202 batters in 131⅔ innings.
He’s a strong candidate for the Cy Young Award this year. In 32 starts this year, Strider struck out 281 batters in 186⅔ innings and went 20-5 with a 3.86 ERA to lead the National League in strikeouts and wins, leading Atlanta to the postseason. He was named the starter for Game 1 of the NLDS.
It didn’t start well. Strider gave up a leadoff double to Kyle Schwarber to start the game, but induced a grounder to Trey Turner to get out of the jam with the help of the fielder’s choice, then gave up a single to Bryce Harper to put runners on first and third, but got Alex Bomb to fly out to end the inning.
After surviving the first inning, Strider settled down a bit. He struck out Bryson Stott in the second, gave up a hit-by-pitch to pinch-hitter J.T. Realmuto, but got the second out on a stolen base, got Nick Castellanos to fly out to right field, and induced a Brandon Marsh-Johan Rojas-Schwarber double play in the third to record his first triple play.
The first run came in the fourth inning. Strider walked Harper to lead off the inning, but his throw to cut down the runners at second and first fell short, leaving runners in scoring position and giving Stott the lead. Strider then allowed Stott to steal second, putting runners in scoring position, but she got Realmuto to ground out to end the threat.
Strider struck out two in the fifth to end the inning, but gave up a solo home run to Harper in the sixth. Still, he did his job. Strider got out of the inning without allowing another run, and then took the mound in the seventh to shut down the Phillies offense and complete a Quality Start+ (7 innings, 3 earned runs or less). However, the comeback wasn’t enough to secure the win.
The Atlanta offense was stifled by a Philadelphia bullpen that had a “bullpen day,” and it was the Phillies who took advantage of the gap. The Phillies added a run in the eighth inning when Turner singled, stole second, and Harper and Stott walked to load the bases, and Realmuto was called out for batting interference by catcher Sean Murphy.카지노사이트
Atlanta had runners on first and second in the bottom of the eighth on a Ronald Acuna Jr. walk and an Austin Riley single, but could not break through the Phillies’ stout defense, leaving the game scoreless.