The Braves were the ESPN All-Access game of the day on Friday, and the entertainment was at an all-time high. Chipper Jones was in the booth, and they had his buddy Freddie Freeman mic’d up. The results were magical:
This is amazing. Marcell Ozuna hits what looks like a routine flyball into center field, and halfway around first, Freddie Freeman says: “Watch this.” He knew the wind was gnarly, the ball was dropping and he was gonna score.
All-Access games rule. pic.twitter.com/KzqcTa9Bm5
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 6, 2020
Freeman may want to consider a career in standup comedy when his playing days are done. Comic relief aside, the Braves had an excellent all-around performance on Friday. It all started with Kyle Wright, who looked unhittable early. He had a perfect first inning, and though he walked a batter in the second, he had two strikeouts during the frame. He went on to give up a few runs in the third but even looked sharp in the process and ultimately ended with 5 K’s. He continues to make his case for a rotation spot out of the gate, and the way he is pitching, if he does not make the Opening Day roster, I have a feeling we will be seeing him before long. This was another fantastic outing from him.
Speaking of guys making a case for an Opening Day roster spot, Austin Riley continues to stay hot. He hit a moon shot to left field on Friday and flashed some quality defense at the hot corner as well.
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While it seemed as if Johan Camargo was a favorite to win the starting third base job, it is difficult to argue with the way Riley has played. He looks like the same guy who was called up midseason last year, and now is hitting .333 with a 1.030 OPS this spring, including two homers and four RBI.
Chris Martin also looked very crisp in relief. He gave up a hit but threw a scoreless frame in which he struck out two batters. He looks like he is ready to build upon his career-best 2019.
Marcell Ozuna’s drought ended on Friday as well. He had still yet to get a hit this spring but finally logged one with his 16th at-bat. There really is no reason to overreact here as long as Ozuna is showing us something as the season grows nearer.
Shea Langeliers continued to make his presence known, and had two RBI hits in two at-bats, one of which was in the Braves’ ninth-inning rally. Though it did not result in an out, Shea was on the receiving end of a throw to home from fellow prospect Drew Waters earlier in the contest, who showed his incredible arm on this no-bounce toss.
The hero of the day was none other than Charlie Clutch himself. Culberson has struggled this spring, and since he signed a minor league contract, he is far from a lock for the roster, though I still like his chances. He showed the Braves he still has some magic left in him with his bases-clearing RBI triple to give the Braves the lead.
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We also were blessed with another glimpse at lefty pitching prospect Tucker Davidson, who has had himself a lovely spring. He was a little erratic in this contest, and ultimately gave up a run in the bottom of the 9th, but was able to get out of the jam. This gave the Braves a 7-5 victory over Boston. The radar gun was down at the complex today, but Davidson was throwing some absolute heat and continues to impress with his stuff.
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