Spencer Schwellenbach tames the Tigers in 2-1 Braves win

Two runs ended up being enough for the Atlanta Braves to win once again. While this may not have been as dramatic as last night’s contest was, the result was just as sweet as Spencer Schwellenbach and the rest of Atlanta’s pitching staff held the Detroit Tigers at bay on their way to a 2-1 series victory.

For a moment, there were strong 2023 vibes in this one as the Braves wasted no time getting going in this one. Following a scoreless first inning pitched by Spencer Schwellenbach, Atlanta immediately got off to a good start at the plate as Jarred Kelenic started the game with a leadoff single and then Ozzie Albies electrified the crowd at Truist Park by taking the sixth pitch he saw from Casey Mize and smacking it up the right field line for an RBI triple. Marcell Ozuna continued his run as the top hitter in Atlanta’s lineup this season by cashing in Ozzie from third base with a single into left field to make it 2-0.

It would’ve been understandable to believe that the halcyon days of 2023 were on their way after Atlanta had scored two first-inning runs without picking up an out in the process. Instead, the Braves went down in order from that point forward and the two runs were all that Atlanta could muster at that point.

From that point forward, all eyes were on rookie Spencer Schwellenbach since it became apparent with each out in the middle portion of this contest that the offense was probably done for the night. The onus was placed squarely on Schwellenbach to keep Detroit quiet and make the lead hold up and fortunately for the Braves, Schwellenbach was indeed up for the challenge. Aside from a 1-2-3 inning in the third inning, Schwellenbach had to deal with at least one baserunner in every inning that he worked. This wasn’t smooth sailing for the night but again, Schwellenbach was up for the challenge of keeping the Tigers from doing any type of serious damage.

Detroit’s best chance came in the sixth inning, which was the end of the road for Spencer Schwellenbach. Riley Greene led off the sixth with a triple that was honestly fortunate for Schwellenbach that it stayed inside of the park. It ended up being a run for Detroit anyways, as Gio Urshela eventually came through for Detroit with an out on the board by poking one through the hole between the third baseman and the shortstop for an RBI single that put the Tigers on the board. That was all Detroit could manage to put past the plate, though, as Schwellenbach clamped down and got a ground out and a strikeout to end the threat for the Tigers while also ending his night on a high note.

Ultimately, Schwellenbach finished the night with six innings pitched, two walks and three hits allowed with just that one run conceded along with seven strikeouts. This was exactly what the Braves needed and it was definitely encouraging to see Schwellenbach pick up where he left off against Baltimore and deliver another solid performance on the mound.

As far as Atlanta’s lineup was concerned, this was another quiet night at the plate for the Braves as they collected four of the five hits that they would get on the night in the first two innings of this game. Fortunately for the Braves, the pitching staff was once again able to make their meager run support hold up. Pierce Johnson was the first reliever to enter this game for Atlanta and he only gave up one hit in a scoreless seventh to keep the lead alive for the Braves. Joe Jiménez followed that up in the eighth inning as also gave up a lone hit in the process of keeping the Tigers off of the board.

That meant that it was up to Raisel Iglesias to finish the Tigers off in this one. While it may have been understandable for a few fans to get a bit nervy after Iglesias’ most recent outing didn’t exactly go well, there was nothing to be concerned about tonight. Iglesias faced the bottom of Detroit’s order and acted like he was facing the bottom of the order as he quickly sat down Justyn-Henry Malloy, Zach McKinstry and Carson Kelly in 1-2-3 fashion to end the game. This was the second straight 2-1 win for the Braves over the Tigers, giving them the series win in the process and also putting them in the 40-win club for 2024, to boot.

While Atlanta’s offense may have been nothing to write home about, it was another great night on the mound for the hurlers. Spencer Schwellenbach more-than held his own in this one and the bullpen continued to be solid as the entire pitching staff did well to make the two runs hold up in victory. The Braves will now be leaving town tomorrow evening hot off the heels of a successful homestand that saw them win both series — Now they’ll be going for the sweep in the getaway day game tomorrow, which is set to start at 12:20 P.M. E.T.