Saturday, May 7
(19-16) Atlanta Braves - 0
(22-10) Philadelphia Phillies - 3
MLB.com Box Score
FanGraphs Box Score
The Phillies turned the tables on the Braves with a shutout of their own in the second game of the series, ruining Julio Teheran's debut in a 3-0 win.
Teheran allowed three runs on four hits in 4.2 innings, walking two and striking out one. He induced five ground balls to eight fly balls and several line drives. The low strikeout total is a good indication of Teheran throwing hittable pitches. He tried to spot the fastball instead of throwing it once he fell behind several batters, and the result was a few grooved down the middle. The same happened with the changeup, which resulted in forced offerings and less of an effect for the pitch.
Overall, it was a solid effort for Teheran in his debut. I list all of these negative things, but really, he showed tremendous stuff at times, and you could see the talent oozing from his arm. First-game jitters had a lot to do with the poor command, much more so than his actual ability to command his pitches. Teheran has always shown solid command of the fastball and changeup, and he showed his lack of experience by forcing the issue once he knew he didn't have his command. But still, he gave up just three hits and threw plenty of great pitches.
On the other side, Kyle Kendrick shut out the Braves over five innings in a spot start, allowing just two hits with one walk and three strikeouts. He induced five ground balls to seven fly balls while throwing 69 pitches, 41 for strikes. Kendrick has more wins against the Braves than any other team with six, along with just one loss, and an ERA below 2.50.
The Philies scored their first run in the second inning when Pete Orr grounded into a force out that brought home a run following a walk and single, worth .016 WPA. They added their second run in the fourth when Ryan Howard crushed a Teheran fastball for a solo homer, worth .103 WPA, the biggest swing in the game. With two outs in the fifth, Jimmy Rollins walked and stole second, setting up an RBI triple for Shane Victorino, worth .077 WPA, and knocking Teheran out of the game.
Stat of the Day:
Julio Teheran is the youngest player for the Braves since Steve Avery in 1990 at 20 years old.
The Game Changer:
Ryan Howard hits a solo homer in the fourth inning to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead, worth .103 WPA.
WPA Winners:
(PHI) Kyle Kendrick: .274
(PHI) Ryan Howard: .070
(ATL) Joe Mather: .059
WPA Losers:
(ATL) Alex Gonzalez: -.170
(ATL) Jason Heyward: -.135
(ATL) Julio Teheran: -.113
For more on the series, Braves fans check out Talking Chop and Phillies fans check out The Good Phight.