Man... Strider was just too tough today, total blowout

Yeah... this was a straight-up blowout

2-7 at home against the Braves. Honestly, partway through it was already that "oh man, this is gonna be rough" kinda vibe. I was watching with a beer in hand but it went warm before I knew it...

Strider was just too damn tough

Their starter Spencer Strider was absolutely dealing today. A 97 mph (156 km/h) four-seamer and an 87 mph changeup — that 10 mph gap is just nasty. Watching the pitch sequencing, he sets you up with the heater and finishes you off with the changeup diving down — even if you know it's coming, you're swinging. That's MLB top-tier stuff right there.

Let's break down Shohei's at-bats

1st AB (bottom 1st) Strikeout right out of the gate... ouch. That last pitch had him completely fooled. He was tracking it well from the first pitch, but the put-away pitch had way better movement. It happens, it happens. On to the next.

2nd AB (bottom 3rd) Battled through some balls early, but after getting deep in the count he grounded out on a changeup. Exit velocity was 92.7 mph (149 km/h), so the contact wasn't bad — but the location jammed him up. Wanted him to get one back at 0-5, but Strider was just on another level today.

3rd AB (bottom 6th) Another strikeout. The changeup-fastball mix completely had him. Shohei's just not riding a hot wave yet, that's all — these days happen.

4th AB (bottom 8th) THIS is what I'm talking about! From a full count, he fouled off 8 pitches and finally lined a single up the middle to center! Exit velocity 83.3 mph, distance 210 feet. Even down 0-7, that refusal to give up an inch — that's Shohei right there. The stadium was electric, you could feel it through the screen.

The pitching staff kinda fell apart

Gave up the lead in the 1st on a Riley fielder's choice, then in the 2nd, back-to-back hits from Albies and Olson cost us 5 runs in a flash. That's where the momentum was completely gone. Then Michael Harris II added a double in the middle innings — the bleeding just wouldn't stop. How many times did I mutter "come on, man..." under my breath?

Pages' shot in the 9th

Andy Pages hit a homer in the bottom of the 9th to get one back — that was nice to see! Way better than ending 0-7. That little response means something. I wanna believe that's a homer that carries over to tomorrow.

Wrap-up

Today was just a Strider masterclass, plain and simple. Shohei only had that final hit, but that battle in the last AB was classic him. The loss stings but we can't drag it with us. Win tomorrow and we move on. On to the next!