In their biggest game to date, Charlie Morton delivered for the Braves again. He pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out 10, in his team’s 2-1 win Tuesday over the Phillies to open a series that likely will determine the National League East winner.
“That’s exactly why we hired him,” manager Brian Snitker said of Morton, who held the Phillies to three hits overall, including only one after the first inning. Morton outdueled Phillies ace Zack Wheeler, who gave up two runs over seven innings.
The win was a gnarly blow to the Phillies’ bid to unseat the three-time division champs. The Braves extended their lead over the Phillies to 3-1/2 games, cutting their magic number to three. The Braves are in complete control of their destiny, and they could secure the division crown as early as Thursday, should they sweep Philadelphia.
They have Morton to thank for helping strengthen their hold on the NL East. Tuesday’s game was the second time this season Morton posted double-digit strikeouts, joining his June 22 outing against the Mets. Morton has covered seven innings in three of five starts this month. He’s posted a quality start (six or more innings and three or fewer runs allowed) in 12 of his last 15 outings.
But none of those performances could match Tuesday, which was his best outing of the season. Morton pitched his way out of a first-inning jam and glided along. A pair of inconsequential two-out walks in the fourth were his only other mistakes. The Phillies went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position against Morton, whose fastball hovered near 96 mph and complemented his noted curveball. Both pitches generated seven whiffs and called strikes each.
“Charlie threw a great game,” outfielder Jorge Soler, who produced both the Braves’ runs with a third-inning single, said via an interpreter. “Tremendous start by him.”
Morton has been stellar as the Braves push to secure their postseason spot. He and Max Fried, who pitches Wednesday, give the team a pair of dual aces upon which to build their postseason rotation. And they’ll need strong showings from both starters in a likely postseason matchup against the pitching-rich Brewers.
“You know in the clubhouse, guys can taste it (a postseason berth) a little bit with where we are,” Morton said. “Hopefully it ends in a little celebration here, and we can look back at the season we were grinding through for four months and be happy about what we did.”
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