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An unstoppable force met a movable object today in our nation’s capital. The Braves offense tagged Nationals righty Josiah Gray for three home runs and earned two walks.

No pitcher in Major League Baseball gave up more homeruns than Josiah Gray in 2022, and no NL pitcher walked more batters than Gray. Hopes of improving in those categories did not manifest today for Washington, as they fell to the Braves 7-1.

Atlanta’s Spencer Strider was sharp, striking out nine hitters in six scoreless innings. The 2022 NL Rookie of the Year runner up didn’t miss a beat. His fastball reached triple digits, and his slider and changeup were sharp in their limited use.

Ronald Acuña Jr. led off the game with a solo homerun, and Matt Olson followed immediately with the first of his two homeruns of the day. Olson led all players in homeruns in spring training in 2023, and his crusade against baseballs continues in to the regular season. Marcell Ozuna also knocked one over the fence as a part of the Braves five run effort against Gray.

Olson greeted Nationals reliever Thaddeus Ward with a two-run homerun in the top of the seventh inning. Today was Ward’s MLB debut, a day he will surely remember with mixed emotions.

Right-handed reliever Nick Anderson made his Braves debut. It was his first action since suffering a UCL injury to his right elbow in 2021, and he was sharp. He retired three batters in the bottom of the seventh in order, displaying a wicked curveball. The former Tampa Bay Ray looks to be a versatile factor in the Braves loaded bullpen.

The Braves also saw the first of new reliever Joe Jimenez, who surrendered a single to his first batter faced in 2023. He quickly rectified this by inducing a groundball double-play, and struck out the third batter of the inning. Jimenez, like Anderson, is one of the lesser known acquisitions the Braves made prior to 2023, but figures to play a key role in the Braves strong bullpen.

2019 MLB saves leader Kirby Yates did not impress like the two relievers before him. The veteran former all star has been battling back from Tommy John surgery, stemming from an injury suffered in 2020. His pitches had good movement and velocity, but he struggled to locate them. He surrendered the only run the Braves allowed all game, via a solo homerun in the top of the ninth inning by Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz.

The Braves will attempt a three-game sweep of the Nationals tomorrow, with rookie Jared Shuster making his debut for the Braves. The Nationals start MacKenzie Gore, who they acquired from the Padres in 2022 as part of the Juan Soto trade package. Gore was the early favorite for NL Rookie of the Year, before he was shut down for the season with elbow inflammation.

Total game time today was 2:21, displaying the effects of the newly implemented pitch clock, which dictates that pitchers may not take longer than 15 seconds between pitches. If they fail to begin their delivery by the end of the 15 second timer, the batter is awarded a ball.

Elsewhere in MLB, former Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson is off to a hot start for the Cubs. He has displayed his usually-excellent defense and has a scorching .750 batting average.

Phillies starter Zach Wheeler allowed four earned runs in 4.1 innings to the Texas Rangers, who lead the Phillies 13-3 through seven innings at the time of writing.