Corbin Burnes, Rowdy Tellez Lead Brewers to Game 1 NLDS Win over Braves

The Milwaukee Brewers have struck first.

Milwaukee defeated the Atlanta Braves 2-1 in Friday's Game 1 of their National League Division Series at American Family Field. Rowdy Tellez provided the offense with a clutch two-run homer, and Corbin Burnes led the pitching effort for the Brewers as they maintained home-field advantage in the series with the victory.

An excellent start from Charlie Morton wasn't enough for the Braves, who now must win three of the next four to advance.

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Notable Player Stats

• Corbin Burnes, P, MIL: 6 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 6 K, 3 BB
• Rowdy Tellez, 1B, MIL: 1-for-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R
• Charlie Morton, P, ATL: 6 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 9 K, 1 BB
• Joc Pederson, PH, ATL: 1-for-1, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R

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Rowdy Tellez Spoils Morton's Gem

The Braves looked like anything but a playoff contender when they fell to three games under .500 with a loss to the Brewers on Aug. 1. Not only were they struggling on the field, but star Ronald Acuna Jr. was out for the season with a torn ACL.

All they did from there was catch fire and finish the regular season 15 games over .500 as the National League East champions with plenty of momentum on their side heading into the playoffs.

Morton made sure to continue that momentum in the early going by striking out the side in the first inning in a preview of what was to come. Milwaukee had no chance to rally as the right-hander brought movement on his fastball and buckled hitters with his patented curveball.

The Brewers appeared to be off balance and unsure of their approach with Morton in full control.

That is, until the seventh inning.

Morton showed his first signs of trouble in the sixth when he walked Daniel Vogelbach on four straight pitches. Though he escaped that jam, he lost control of a fastball and hit Avisail Garcia to lead off the seventh. Morton then allowed the monster home run to Tellez for the first runs of the game.

Atlanta's bullpen combination of Luke Jackson and Tyler Matzek did its job and kept the visitors within striking distance, but a two-run homer was all it took in a classic pitcher's duel.

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Burnes Silence Braves' Bats, Hader Escapes

Milwaukee may have flown somewhat under the radar compared to teams such as the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants in the National League. However, it has the pitching to make a run to the World Series.

Burnes and Brandon Woodruff are both Cy Young contenders, and Josh Hader leads the bullpen. Burnes had the opportunity to set the tone right away in this series, but he ran into immediate trouble with two walks and a passed ball in the first two batters.

Tellez bailed him out with a double play that retired Jorge Soler at home, and that's all it took to settle the right-hander down. Burnes had hitters chasing his cutter and was largely able to avoid hard contact outside of a long flyout by Soler.

While the early walks drove up his pitch count, he still took a no-hitter into the fifth inning and looked like the ace who has led the way for the Brewers throughout the season. Burnes was lifted after six stellar frames.

Getting the dominant starter out would be a welcome development against most teams, but Milwaukee's bullpen was also dialed in for Friday's contest.

Adrian Houser kept the Braves off the scoreboard in the seventh and—with Devin Williams sidelined with a fractured hand—took the mound in the eighth as well. He did his job by ending the inning with a 2-1 lead, although only after Joc Pederson launched a pinch-hit home run.

Things were somewhat dicey when Hader walked Freddie Freeman to start the ninth and allowed a single to Austin Riley, but he induced a game-ending groundout from Orlando Arcia to emerge with the win.

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What's Next?

Game 2 of the series is Saturday in Milwaukee.