Braves tab Anderson for G2, Morton for G3
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ATLANTA -- Ian Anderson will start Game 2 of the National League Championship Series for a second straight year, and Charlie Morton will get a couple extra days of rest.
The Braves announced that Anderson will be on the mound when they look to take a 2-0 lead against the Dodgers in Game 2 on Sunday at Truist Park. Atlanta won the series opener, 3-2, on Saturday night.
This decision will allow Morton a little extra time to recover from starting Game 4 of the NL Division Series on Tuesday on short rest. He'll get Game 3 on Tuesday in L.A.
“That's all it was about, just giving Charlie another day's rest,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “That's it.”
Morton, 37, threw 85 pitches in Game 1 of the NLDS on Oct. 8, and then 69 more when he started Game 4 on Tuesday on three days' rest. He will have two extra days leading into Tuesday’s start at Dodger Stadium.
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Anderson has totaled just 30 regular-season starts in two big league seasons, but the 23-year-old hurler has already posted four scoreless outings in five career playoff starts. He began his postseason career with 17 2/3 scoreless innings before allowing a pair of runs in the third inning of last year's NLCS Game 7 against the Dodgers.
“Yeah, I'm definitely excited to get the ball tomorrow and pitch deep into the game and give the team a good chance to win,” Anderson said. “The experience of last year and going up against the same opponent is going to be huge for us, I think.”
Anderson debuted on Aug. 26, 2020, and he didn’t pitch in front of a crowd until approximately 12,000 fans were permitted to attend each of last year’s NLCS games at Globe Life Park in Arlington. But the young hurler certainly wasn’t fazed as he tossed five scoreless innings against the Brewers in front of a raucous Atlanta crowd in Game 3 on Monday.
By getting the Game 2 start, Anderson will have a chance to strengthen his success in Atlanta. During the regular season, opponents produced a .603 OPS against him at Truist Park and a .732 OPS against him on the road.