ATLANTA BRAVES NOTES:
TODAY’S GAME: The Braves and Cardinals today conclude a three-game set with the third of six scheduled meetings between the two teams this
season…The teams will next meet from September 5-7 at Truist Park in Atlanta.
• Atlanta beat St. Louis, 4-1, last night to take the first two games of this series…The Braves went 4-3 against St. Louis last season, winning three-of-four games at Truist Park and dropping two-of-three here at Busch Stadium.
• Atlanta has won four consecutive season series against the Cardinals dating to 2018…The Braves went 4-3 last season, 6-1 against the Cardinals in 2021, 4-2 in 2019 and 4-2 in 2018.
• After last night’s win, Atlanta has won seven of nine and 12 of their last 15 regular-season games in St. Louis…Prior to last year, they had not lost a series here since 2017, dropping two-of-three.
• Overall, Atlanta has won 13 of their last 17 games and 16 of 21 vs. St. Louis…Over that 21-game stretch that dates to May 15, 2019, Atlanta has compiled a 2.38 ERA (49 ER/185.1 IP) against the Cardinals.
• RH Bryce Elder is set to make his season debut after being recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett yesterday…The 6-foot-2, 220-pound right-hander has never faced St. Louis, nor has he ever pitched against a member of the Cardinals’ current roster… Elder pitched to a 2-4 record with a 3.17 ERA (19 ER/54.0 IP) over 10 appearances and nine starts with Atlanta last season, including the only shutout by a Braves starter on the year.
• RH Miles Mikolas has pitched in five games and made four starts against Atlanta in his career, going 1-3 with a 3.04 ERA (9 ER/26.2 IP) and a 4.88 FIP…The 6-foot-4, 230-pound native of Jupiter, FL, made one start against Atlanta last season, July 6 at Truist Park, and allowed five hits and three runs over 6.0 innings in the loss…Mikolas started on Opening Day for St. Louis last week, and allowed 10 hits and five runs over 3.1 innings vs. Toronto.
VS. THE CENTRAL: Atlanta moved to 2-0 against the NL Central this season with last night’s win…The Braves finished 21-12 (.636) against the Central last season after they went 22-12 (.647) against the division in 2021.
• That 22-12 record last season was the best by any National League team against the Central.
• Since 2018, when the Braves started a string of five consecutive division titles, Atlanta is 83-51 (.619) against the NL Central, the best record of any NL team…In all of the majors, only Oakland at 10-6 (.625) has been better over this span.
• The Braves have knocked out a Central opponent in two of the last three postseasons…They beat Milwaukee in four games during the NLDS in
2021 after sweeping Cincinnati in the Wild Card Round in 2020.
FIRST INNING: Austin Riley’s first-inning home run last night was his second in as many days, and Atlanta has scored three first-inning runs over the first two games of this series.
• The Braves clubbed back-to-back home runs leading off Saturday’s game in Washington, and Atlanta’s four first-inning home runs this season are most in the majors.
• Atlanta’s five total first-inning runs through five games are tied for seventh most in baseball…The Dodgers, Reds and Red Sox have each scored eight such runs to lead the majors.
• The Braves only scored 71 runs in the first inning last season, seventh fewest in the majors and the least of any playoff team.
SCORE FIRST: Atlanta has jumped out to first-inning leads in three of its five games this season, and has scored first in each of its four wins.
• The Braves went 73-13 (.849) last season when they scored the first run of the game…That was the second-best such mark in the majors, trailing only the Dodgers, who were 76-13 (.854) when they scored first.
• The Braves only lost 20 times in games they led at any point last season, the fewest such losses in the majors…The Dodgers and Mets both had 21 such losses.
• Atlanta has surrendered a lead just once this season, allowing St. Louis to tie the game at 1-1 in the first inning on Monday, but plated five runs in the top of the second and led the remainder of that game… The Braves have yet to trail in any of their four wins.
• The Braves played 67 games in which they never trailed last season, the third most games in the majors…Only Houston (74) and the Mets (71) had more.
BULLPEN: Five Atlanta relievers combined to pitch 4.0 scoreless innings last night, allowing just four hits and converting the Braves’ first save of the season.
• Braves relievers have pitched to a 1.37 ERA (3 ER/19.2 IP) through five games, the third-best mark through five matchups in Atlanta-era franchise history (since 1966).
• The 2015 bullpen did not allow a run through five games and 18.0 innings, surrendering only five hits within that span against New York (NL) and Miami…The Braves held a 0.79 relief ERA through five games (1 ER/11.1 IP) in 1983, beginning the season against San Diego and Cincinnati.
• The Braves’ 1.37 bullpen ERA paces the National League this season and ranks second in the majors behind Texas (0.83).
• No Atlanta reliever has surrendered multiple runs this season, and six (Jesse Chavez, Joe Jiménez, Dylan Lee, Collin McHugh, A.J. Minter and Michael Tonkin) have yet to be scored upon.
Tonight’s Starting Pitcher #55 Bryce Elder
Tonight’s Game
• Set to make his 10th career start, 11th appearance and his first against St. Louis.
• Made one previous start this season with Triple-A Gwinnett, allowing four runs, five hits, one walk and one home run through 6.0 frames tossed on March 31.
• This will mark his first appearance against the NL Central.
• Dating to last season, Elder has pitched to a 2.31 ERA over his last six starts with Atlanta.
• He started the final game of the 2022 regular season after Atlanta clinched the division on October 2.
2022 Recap
• Made nine starts and pitched in 10 total games during his debut season, compiling a 2-4 record with a 3.17 ERA (19 ER/54.0 IP)…Surpassed his rookie innings limit in his final start of the season, but was rated as Atlanta’s No. 4 prospect during the season.
• Made his major league debut, April 12, and beat the Nationals, 16-4…Pitched 5.2 innings with six hits, three runs and four strikeouts…Allowed a pair of home runs.
• Pitched the first shuout of his career, September 26 at Washington, allowing just six hits and one walk…Struck out six…The Braves beat the Nationals, 8-0.
• The outing is the only shutout by a Braves pitcher on the season.
• Elder became the first Braves rookie to throw a shutout since Paul Marak in 1990.
• Started on August 14 at Miami…He pitched 7.0 innings in that start, allowing three hits and one run in the no-decision, and fanned a career-most 10 batters… The Braves beat the Marlins, 3-1.
• Became just the third Braves player in the live-ball era (since 1920) to log a double-digit strikeout effort within the first six games of his career…He joined LHP Mike Minor (12 strikeouts at the Cubs in his third career game) and RHP Ryan Weber (10 strikeouts vs. Washington in his fifth appearance).
• Was added as the 27th man for Atlanta’s doubleheader at New York on August 6, and pitched 2.1 innings of relief against the Mets in Game 1.
• Walked six batters in his start, April 24, and five in his start on April 17, after issuing zero bases on balls in his debut.
• The 11 walks are the most for any Braves pitcher in a two-game span since 2012, when Tommy Hanson also walked 11 between his starts on July 20 and July 25.
• Made 18 appearances and 17 starts for Triple-A Gwinnett on the season, and went 6-5 with a 4.46 ERA (52 ER/105.0 IP) and 97 strikeouts for the Stripers.
• Became the seventh pitcher in franchise history to debut with a start against the Nationals/Expos, and the first since Manny Banuelos pitched 5.2 scoreless innings on July 2, 2015 in his first career appearance.
• Including Elder, the seven pitchers combined to go 3-2 and compile a 3.23 ERA (14 ER/39.0 IP), including four starts of at least 5.0 innings and no more than two runs allowed.
• Atlanta improved to 5-2 in games in which a starting pitchers debuts against Washington, including wins in each of the last five such games.
Career
• Was originally drafted by Atlanta in the fifth round of the 2020 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Texas…Was the fifth member of the 2020 draft class to debut, and the lowest-selected pick to do so.
• Of the first five members to play in the majors from the 2020 draft class, three were selected with the first 11 picks in the draft – Detroit’s Spencer Torkelson (No. 1 overall), the Angels’ Reid Detmers (No. 10) and the White Sox’s Garrett Crochet (No. 11).
• The other two were both selected by Atlanta, and chosen with the 126th (Spencer Strider) and 156th (Elder) overall selections.
• Made his professional debut during the 2021 season and pitched across three levels of the Braves’ farm system…Went a combined 11-5 with a 2.76 ERA (41 ER/133.2 IP) and 151 strikeouts in 24 games, all starts.
• Named the Double-A South Pitcher of the Week for July 5-July 11, and Double-A South Pitcher of the Month for July…In nine starts he went 7-1 with a 3.21 ERA (20 ER/56.0 IP).
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS NOTES:
RECENT REDBIRDS: The defending NL Central Division Champion St. Louis Cardinals and visiting Atlanta Braves play the finale of a three-game series this afternoon at Busch Stadium as the Redbirds look to split their 1992 World Series homestand versus Toronto (2-1) and Atlanta (0-2) … After tomorrow’s scheduled off day, the Cardinals embark on a six-game road trip through Milwaukee (April 7-9) and Colorado (April 10-12).
CHOPPED: With a win today, the Cardinals would avoid their first series sweep to the Braves since Aug 3-5, 2021 at Busch Stadium, which also was the last time any team swept the Cardinals in St. Louis… The only time St. Louis was swept by any opponent last season was June 7-9, 2022 at Tampa Bay.
AGE IS JUST A NUMBER: Oliver Marmol is closing in on his 100th career win as Cardinals manager, going 95-72 over his first 167 games … Marmol needs five wins before July 2 to become the 11th MLB manager in the Expansion Era (1961-present) and 93rd overall in MLB history to win his 100th game before his 37th birthday … Marmol is poised to become the 52nd manager all-time to reach 100 wins with a winning record before age 37 and first since Sparky Anderson (age 36.216, 100-59 record) in 1970 … Prior to Marmol, only player managers Rogers Hornsby (age 30.057, 100-79 record) in 1926 and Frankie Frisch (age 36.341, 100-72 record) in 1934 piloted Cardinals teams to 100 victories before age 37 (chart left) – Elias
BIRD BATS: St. Louis ranks among MLB leaders in hits (63, 1st), batting average (.344, 1st), OBP (.392, 1st), slugging (.497, 5th), OPS (.889, 4th), total bases (91, T-3rd), times on base (78, 4th), and singles (49, 1st) … According to Baseball Savant, St. Louis ranks 2nd in hard hit balls of 95+mph (72) and 4th in MLB average exit velocity (90.5 mph).
HANG 10: The Cardinals are the only MLB teams this season to record double-digit hits in each of their first five games … In franchise history, only three Cardinals teams have opened a season with double-digit hits in five games or longer: 1901 (7g), 1956 (7g), 1966 (6g), and 2023 (5g).
FLAWLESS FLOCK: The Cardinals and Mets are the only two MLB teams with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage this season, while 2023 marks only the 2nd time in franchise history (since 1901) that the Redbirds began a season without committing an error in its first five games … The 1941 Cardinals started their season errorless before committing three errors in their 6th game vs. Pittsburgh.
300 NADO DINGERS: Nolan Arenado is one homer away from becoming the 7th player to hit home run #300 in a Cardinals uniform, joining Stan Musial (June 3, 1955 at Brooklyn), Gary Gaetti (June 23, 1996 at Montreal), Jim Edmonds (Sept. 4, 2004 vs. LA Dodgers), Albert Pujols (July 4, 2008 vs. Chicago Cubs), Troy Glaus (Sept. 3, 2008 at Arizona), and Paul Goldschmidt (July 16, 2022 vs. Cincinnati) … Ranking 8th among all active Major Leaguers in homers, Arenado trails only Evan Longoria (332) among active third sackers and is 15th all-time in MLB history among primary third basemen.
TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER: RHP MILES MIKOLAS (0-0, 13.50 ERA)
TODAY’S GAME
• The 2022 National League All-Star makes his 2nd start of the young season in today’s series finale. It’s his 2nd straight day game start.
• Drew his 2nd career Opening Day start last Thu. (3/30) and had a no-decision in the Cardinals 10-9 loss to Toronto.
• Is facing the Atlanta Braves for the 6th time in his career (5th start). It’s his first meeting with the Braves in S. Louis since 2019.
• Signed a two-year contract extension thru 2025 on March 24.
• Was a 3-0 with 0.00 ERA in three Grapefruit League starts this season, allowing just one unearned run in his 12.0 IP. 123 of his 133 pitches thrown this spring were strikes
• Pitched for Team USA during World Baseball Classic, totaling 6.0 IP in two relief appearances, including a 4.0 inning stint in the American’s semi-final win over Cuba.
• Had a 6-3 mark with 2.38 ERA (9th in MLB) in 14 starts at home last season, working 7.0+ IP in eight of those starts. Had 11 quality starts among his 14 at home last season, and the Cardinals were 10-3 in his home starts.
• Set a new career-high in innings pitched (202.1) in 2022, surpassing his previous high of 200.2 IP in 2018, his first year with St. Louis. He was one of five MLB pitchers with 200+ IP last year and one of eight pitchers with multiple seasons of 200+ IP since 2018.
• Although he missed all of the 2020 season, his 41-34 mark as a Cardinal is 2nd on the team to Adam Wainwright (49-36) in both wins & losses since 2018.
• St. Louis is 64-43 (.598 win pct.) in his 107 career outings (106 starts) since joining the organization in 2018.
• Is lifetime 20-16 with a 2.71 ERA (329.0 IP) at Busch Stadium. His 2.71 ERA ranks as the 4th-lowest in Busch Stadium III history (minimum 200.0 innings) trailing only Shelby Miller (2.46), Dakota Hudson (2.54) and Chris Carpenter (2.61).
• Has walked 111 batters over his first 106 starts with St. Louis. Among Cardinals starters in their first 106 starts with the franchise, only Bob Tewksbury (85) has issued fewer
• Was one of 10 MLB pitchers and two Cardinals (Wainwright) with a perfect 1.000 fielding pct. (31 total chances) in 2022. Hasn’t made an error since 8/2/18 vs. COL.
• Recored his 500th career strikeout in the National League on Opening Day.
• Started Game 2 of NL Wild Card Series last year, and suffered a 2-0 defeat to the Phillies
LAST TIME OUT
• Made his 2nd career Opening Day start and allowed his most ever hits at Busch Stadium (10) in just 3.1 IP. Took ND as the Cardinals & Blue Jays exchanged leads five times.
2022
NL Ranks: Innings Pitched (202.1, 3rd), Starts (32, T3rd), Quality Starts (22, 3rd), Complete Games (1, T3rd), WHIP (1.03, 10th), Batters faced (805, 3rd), Baserunners/9 IP (9.56, 10th), BB/9 IP (1.73, 5th), Strikeout/Walk Ratio (3.92, 11th), Pitches Thrown (3,152, 3rd), Pitches/Game (95.5, 7th), Pitch Tempo (14.9 sec/pitch – bases empty, 20th)
• Selected to 2nd NL All-Star team (also 2018) as replacement for Corbin Burnes (DNP).
• Made a 3.0-inning relief appearance in his final regular-season outing on 10/3 at PIT, his first relief outing since July 31, 2013 vs. CIN w/SD; a span of 115 starts.
• Carried a no-hitter 8.2 innings into the game vs. PIT (6/14-Game 2) before Cal Mitchell broke it up with a ground-rule double.
• Compiled a career-high, 19.0-inning scoreless streak from April 20-30, highest among all Cardinals pitchers in 2022.
• Had five starts of 8.0 innings or more, ranking T3rd in MLB behind Sandy Alcántara (14, MIA) and Aaron Nola (6, PHI). Threw 8.0 innings in back-to-back starts August 14 & 19 for the 2nd time this season. (Also: June 9 at TB (8.0 IP) and June 14 [2] vs. PIT (8.2 IP).
• Limited his opposition to 2 earned runs or fewer in 15 of his first 19 starts (2.54 ERA), but allowed 3 or more in seven of his 13 starts after the All-Star break (4.44 ERA).
