Braves Take Two Out of Three in the Windy City, Win Series Against White Sox
The Braves got their first series win of the 2024 season by beating the White Sox in the first and third game of the series. The two wins were major blowouts, while the loss was nearly an epic come from behind effort in the ninth inning.
The first game saw Charlie Morton pitch seven scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and one walk while allowing seven hits, but the story was the offense. After hitting two homers in the first three games against the Phillies, Austin Riley hit three alone in this game. Sean Murphy hit one himself among three hits, while Jared Kelenic and Orlando Arcia also landed in the bleachers. The Braves won this game 11-0.
Game two saw the White Sox's Erick Fredde only allow one run over seven dominant innings. The offense did score three runs in the ninth inning thanks to two homers from Marcell Ozuna and Sean Murphy, but it was in vain. Bryce Elder really struggled to find an out pitch in this one, as the White Sox did a great job of fighting off pitches until they got one to square up. Elder allowed 5 in 4+ innings. Reynaldo Lopez and Aaron Bummer were good out of the bullpen, but the Braves lost the game 5-4.
Game three was much like the first, with the Braves launching five homers. This included two more from Riley, giving him seven through the first six games of the season. Michael Harris, Ozuna, and Kelenic joined him. Spencer Strider took the mound and struck out 14 batters in seven innings of one run ball. Braves won the rubber match 13-1.
The Braves stand at 3-3 and will be traveling for their first homestand of the season, starting with the Arizona Diamondbacks.