Shen’s Anderson blanks Marlins in NLDS
Atlanta righty extends his postseason shutout streak
Shenendehowa graduate Ian Anderson reached down deep on Wednesday for an 86 mile-per-hour changeup that Miami’s Jesus Aguilar flailed at for a strikeout to end a 10-pitch showdown.
It was Anderson’s 94th and final pitch of Game 2 of the National League Division Series in Houston. With that, Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker came out to get Anderson, who left with a 2-0 lead and a man on first with two outs in the top of the sixth.
“(Aguilar) put up a great battle,” Anderson said. “I think I kind of expanded all the tricks I had to get him. He’s pretty pesky when it comes to two strikes. I knew what my best pitch was going into the at-bat, but kind of getting there was definitely tough.”
Anderson was up to the task, as he has been throughout a special rookie season. From there, four Braves relievers took the ball and finished a 2-0 shutout that gave Atlanta two games to none lead in the best-of-five series. They can finish the sweep on Thursday to advance to the National League Championship Series.
Anderson struck out eight and allowed three hits in 52⁄
3 innings. He still hasn’t allowed a postseason run as a major league pitcher. He has thrown 112⁄ shutout innings in the play
3 offs, including his six-inning start in a Game 2 victory over Cincinnati in the National League Wild Card Series last week.
According to the ESPN Stats & Info Twitter account, Anderson became the sixth pitcher ever to start his first two playoff appearances and throw at least five scoreless innings in each, joining Jhoulys Chacin, Corey Kluber, Steve Avery, Phil Niekro and Christy Mathewson.
“It doesn’t seem like the moment ever matters to him,” Snitker said. “He just keeps pitching and trusting his stuff. His changeup was really good. I thought the ball was coming out of his hand really good. They didn’t have really good swings at him. There’s a lot to worry about this kid when he’s facing you.”
After the strikeout of Aguilar, Snitker lifted Anderson in favor of reliever Darren O’day and his submarine-style delivery. O’day proceeded to hit a batter and walk another to load the bases. But he got Matt Joyce to ground out to first to end the sixth.
“(Snitker) just kind of said that I expended a lot of energy with that battle (with Aguilar) and he was spot on,” Anderson said. “I had all the faith in Darren to come in and kind of shut it down and that’s what our bullpen’s been doing all year.”
O’day, Tyler Matzek, Will Smith and Mark Melancon combined to nail down the victory.
Atlanta’s Dansby Swanson hit a solo homer to left in the second and catcher Travis d’arnaud crushed another to left in the fourth to give Anderson all the support he needed.
Anderson also praised d’arnaud’s work behind the plate.
“I can’t say enough about just how good Travis has been back there in these first two games of my postseason career,” he said. “Him back there, putting down the right fingers and just helping me get through the innings and get through the game.”
O’day, the Braves reliever, said before the game he gave Anderson the nickname, “Screech,” after the nerdy character in the popular 1990s teen sitcom “Saved by the Bell.” O’day said he sees a physical resemblance.
“I had to look it up, honestly,” Anderson said. “I’m not going to lie.”
But Anderson was quite the cool character on the mound yet again on Wednesday, shutting down the Marlins after putting two men on in the first.
“I just think as far as being able to control what you can control,” he said about remaining even-keeled. “Once it’s out of your control, it is what it is.”