ATLANTA -- The Braves returned from the All-Star break and didn’t miss a beat. Veteran Charlie Morton stole the show in Atlanta’s 9-0 victory over the White Sox on Friday night at Truist Park.
It was the Braves’ eighth shutout of the season. The win was powered by Matt Olson's grand slam in the first and Morton’s seven scoreless innings on a season-low-tying three hits, with one walk and four strikeouts.
“I just felt like a lot of those balls were hit,” Morton said. “[My teammates] were in the right place at the right time. So I mean anytime you can go deeper in the game and not throw as many pitches, it's great. Tried to save the ‘pen a little bit and just work with decent tempo and all those good things, but it was nice to go out there.
“I feel like I got a little bit of a rhythm, even though there were some long half-innings.”
The 39-year-old faced the minimum number of batters in each of the first six innings, while also surpassing 1,900 career innings. It was the deepest he has pitched in a game since June 2 against the D-backs.
Morton forced 13 groundouts and flyouts, and he didn’t yield a hit until the fourth inning. The first three Chicago hitters that reached base against Morton were erased by double plays.
“Other than [Tim Anderson] and [Andrew Vaughn] hitting those balls hard a couple hits each, we just didn’t get anything going,” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “Hit a ton of ground balls, four double plays. It's a tough league when you’re hitting ground balls.
“These guys make plays in the infield. They’re in first place for a reason, they make plays and they turn double plays.”
Morton’s gem is another example of his consistent level of quality play. He threw 54 strikes on 83 pitches, which is the second fewest he has thrown in a start this season. His curveball and four-seamer tandem caused 19 total called strikes and whiffs.
Morton, who earned his fifth straight win, has logged a 1.82 ERA in his past six outings.
“It's not surprising to me,” Olson said. "It feels like he’s been the same Charlie Morton for the last 10 years. I remember watching him before I got to the big leagues. I remember facing him when I was in Auburn when he was with [the Astros], and it's still the same guy right now.
“I think sometimes you take for granted the consistency that he's had over the course of his career.”
Olson and the Braves' offense have been consistent in first-inning dominance. Olson’s Statcast-projected 430-foot slam was set up by walks to Ronald Acuña Jr. and Austin Riley, and Ozzie Albies reaching base on a hit-by-pitch.
“I mean, great at-bats, especially after a long break like that,” Olson said. “... I think it was pretty clear [White Sox starter Michael Kopech] was struggling to find the zone a little bit early on. So you know, especially guys there at the top, Ronald and Ozzie and Riley, have been working great at-bats. [They’re] not afraid to take a walk when [hits] don't come.”
It was Olson’s seventh career grand slam and his second of the season (June 17 vs. Colorado). The All-Star first baseman, who leads the Majors with 76 RBIs, became the first Braves player to hit 30 homers in the team’s first 90 games of a season.
Atlanta has scored 95 first-inning runs this season, with 30 home runs and 129 hits -- each representing the most of any team in any inning this season.
The Braves’ 30 first-inning homers trail only the 2019 Reds for the most before Aug 31. The single-season record for home runs in the first is 46 by that same Cincinnati club. Atlanta also has a +65 run differential in the first, which is 19 runs better than any other team in any inning.
The Braves also tied their season high for walks with nine.
“We were playing good ball there before the break and leading up to it,” Olson said. “And sometimes when it's going well, you're not sure if you want the days off. But I think everybody throughout the course of the season needs that break midway through.”