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Austin Riley is not a patient man.

I don’t know him, but I am confident this is true because he hit a first-inning homerun for the second consecutive day.

Why wait?

Home plate umpire Junior Valentine had an inconsistent game calling balls and strikes, so the Braves just controlled what they can control- their defense.

Austin Riley, Orlando Arcia, Eddie Rosario and Ozzie Albies wowed on the defensive side, but the best defender for Atlanta tonight was Ronald Acuña in right field. Acuña had two inning-ending outfield assists, including a throw that beat the speedy Tyler O’Neill to home plate, saving a run and ending the seventh inning.

Tonight was a night of firsts for Atlanta. Orlando Arcia hit his first homerun of the season and Sean Murphy notched his first hit as a Brave.

It was also the first start of Dylan Dodd’s career. The 24-year old lefty impressed in spring training by maintaining a 2.00 ERA, avoiding walks, and striking out nearly a batter per inning. He seamlessly continued all of these tonight, allowing only one run over five innings pitched.

The first pitch of Dodd’s major league career was roped into left field by Cardinals leadoff man Tommy Edman, but the 2021 third-round draft choice quickly settled in. He finished the first inning by inducing a double play off the bat of 2022 NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt.

Jeff Francoeur noted on the Bally Sports South broadcast that Goldschmidt tormented left-handed pitchers in 2022 with a batting average over .400 versus southpaws. Dodd did not allow Goldschmidt to hit a ball out of the infield. “Goldy” did register a hit off Dodd, but it was from a chopper that took a difficult bounce that Dodd couldn’t field properly.

Dodd worked efficiently, tossing 73 pitches through five innings. He was pulled at that point to avoid facing Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado for a third time, who make up arguably the leagues best 3-4 hitter combination.

The Atlanta bullpen continued to assert itself as a strength, pitching four shutout innings. The pen was air tight, with the only hiccup coming in the seventh inning when Joe Jiminez allowed runners on first and second before turning the ball over to Dylan Lee.

AJ Minter was particularly strong as he closed out the ninth inning. He retired the side in order with an unhittable fastball-cutter/slider combination.

Max Fried to IL

The Braves announced today that they were placing Max Fried on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to April 1. This means that Fried is eligible to return April 16, despite the move happening today.

The move stems from the hamstring injury Fried sustained on opening day against the Nationals.

Bryce Elder was recalled from AAA to take Fried’s spot in the rotation. He will start tomorrow for Atlanta in their series finale against St. Louis.

Around the MLB, 4/4/2023

The Brewers drubbed the Mets for the second straight day. Milwaukee has outscored New York 19-0 over two games. Max Scherzer allowed five runs in his second start of 2022.

2022 NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara was in a hurry as he pitched the first complete game of 2023. The Dominican righty held the Twins scoreless in a 1-0 game that lasted less than two hours, allowing him to join the Marlins offense wherever they have been on vacation this season.

The Phillies earned their first win of the season in the Bronx today, toppling the Yankees 4-1. Kyle Schwarber hit a homerun for Philly on the first pitch of the game.

The Twins’ loss to Miami leaves the Tampa Bay Rays as the last undefeated team in MLB. The Rays strong start is off the back of an impressive offense that has scored nearly seven runs per game through six games.