Braves, Brewers spurred to playoffs by bold midseason deals October 7, 2021 sharefacebooktwitterredditlink MILWAUKEE (AP) Freddie Freeman and the Atlanta Braves left spring training with high hopes following three straight NL East titles. Then star outfielder Ronald Acua Jr. tore the ACL in his right knee, and it fell on the front office to get underwhelming Atlanta the help it needed.The Braves hadnt been above .500 all season when general manager Alex Anthopoulos e sentially acquired an entirely new outfield at the trade deadline. Those moves helped Atlanta surge to another Getting those pieces kind of just gave us that boost of energy to make it, said Freeman, the Braves All-Star first baseman and Whether it was Jorge Soler, Adam Duvall and Joc Pederson to the Braves, or Willy Adames to Milwaukee, both clubs had to shake up their fortunes by changing the lineups in order to punch a fourth consecutive playoff ticket.Both teams have made additions that have helped their respective teams, Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns said. We started a little bit earlier than most teams in making some of those decisions Gail Goodrich Jersey and some of those acquisitions.Milwaukee was below .500 when it I dont think I did anything crazy or anything special, Adames said. I just come to the field every day just to play the game the right way, just to have fun and enjoy this because this is what we live for. and provided the Brewers stability at first base. The Braves didn't seem to have any major holes in the lineup until its Devontae Cacok Jersey entire opening day outfield fell apart. Promising rookie center fielder Cristian Pache struggled and got hurt, left fielder Marcell Ozuna was arrested on a sault charges in late May following an altercation with his wife and hasn't returned, and We were just treading water all year, kind of playing .500, couple games under .500 all year," Freeman recalled. was the first reinforcement, acquired from the Chicago Cubs on July 15. Two weeks later, Duvall and Soler have been especially productive, with Duvall clubbing 16 homers and Soler adding 14 in 55 games each down the stretch.That helped Atlanta go 36-19 after July 31.Weve been mixing and matching all year, Freeman said. Its been an absolute grind. I think thats whats so special about it this year is because I felt like weve been grinding all year, trying to figure it out.STRENGTH VS. STRENGTHThis series features the Braves potent lineup facing the Brewers exceptional rotation.Atlanta has Milwaukee struck out an MLB-leading 1,618 batters with a rotation featuring All-Star right-handers Corbin Burnes (11-5, 2.43), Brandon Woodruff (9-10, 2.56) and Freddy Peralta (10-5, 2.81). Alfonzo McKinnie Jersey GAME 1 STARTERSBurnes will start Game 1 for the Brewers against Braves veteran Charlie Morton (14-6, 3.34).Burnes gave up five runs over four innings when he last faced the Braves on July 30, He pitched 10 2/3 scorele s innings for Tampa Bay in last years AL Championship Series.Its nice to know that Ive been in these spots, Morton said. Its rea suring because the unknown is really what gets you in life.CONNECTIONS TO AARONThe Brewers and Braves have some notable connections, but this marks the first time theyve faced off in a postseason series.The Braves played in Milwaukee from 1953-65 winning a World Series in 1957 and an NL pennant in 1958 before moving to Atlanta. at the age of 86, played for the Milwaukee Braves from 1954-65 before joining them in Atlanta and hitting his record 715th homer in 1974. The Braves traded Aaron to the Milwaukee Brewers in 1975.BULLPEN ISSUESThe Brewers are Milwaukee does appear to have the edge at closer.All-Star left-hander Josh Hader converted 34 of 35 save opportunities and posted a 1.23 ERA with 102 strikeouts in 58 2/3 innings for the Brewers during the regular season. Atlantas Will Smith went 37 of 43 on save opportunities and had a 3.44 ERA.THRIVING AWAY FROM HOMEBoth teams have fared better on the road than at home. The Braves are 46 James Worthy Jersey -35 in away games and 42-38 at home. The Brewers are 50-31 on the road and 45-36 at home.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports in this topic Milwaukee Brewers National League Major League Baseball Atlanta Braves Charlie Morton Hunter Strickland Freddie Freeman Josh Hader Devin Williams Will Smith Eduardo Escobar Joc Pederson Jorge Soler Rowdy Tellez Austin Riley Cristian Pache Marcell Ozuna Brandon Woodruff Eddie Rosario Corbin Burnes Freddy Peralta Atlanta Braves Milwaukee Brewers share Marc Gasol Jersey Believe the hype, Bellingham is lighting up the World Cup Jordan Henderson knew exactly who to thank after opening the scoring in Englands 3-0 win against Senegal 8 MINS AGO ASSOCIATED PRESS Mbapp is bringing soccer to a new dimension at World Cup Cristiano Ronaldos precision 38 MINS AGO ASSOCIATED PRESS Poland finds its true level at World Cup, beaten by the best Poland heads home from the World Cup as the latest team unable to resist an inspired Kylian Mbapp 38 MINS AGO ASSOCIATED PRESS World Cup fans find booze at hotels, Qatar's 1 liquor store Qatar's strict rules regarding alcohol have drawn attention as it hosts the World Cup 2 HOURS AGO ASSOCIATED PRESS Sterling leaves England World Cup camp after home break-in England forward Raheem Sterling has left his teams World Cup camp in Qatar and returned to the U.K. after a break-in at his home 2 HOURS AGO ASSOCIATED PRESS