Brave hook? Anderson yanked after 5 no-hit innings in Game 3

ATLANTA (AP) — Ian Anderson was dominant enough to no-hit Houston for five innings.

Even so, the Braves rookie right-hander showed too many flaws to be trusted a third time through the Astros' order.

Despite a troublingly short-handed pitching staff that could use as much length as possible from its starters, Atlanta manager Brian Snitker pulled Anderson with a 1-0 lead after five innings of Friday night's Game 3 of the World Series.

The no-hitter didn't hold, but the Braves' lead did — a 2-0, two-hit victory put them ahead in the Series, two games to one.

Still, Snitker's hook of his red-hot rookie was a head scratcher for some.

Why pull a starter amid a no-hitter? Why put more strain on a bullpen which must carry the load in Games 4 and 5?

A closer look at Anderson's pitching line provides some answers. Of his 76 pitches, only 39 — barely half — were strikes. He issued three walks and hit a batter, stranding two baserunners in the fourth and one in the first.

The right-hander finished strong, retiring the Astros in order in the fifth. When Anderson returned to the dugout, he received handshakes from his teammates and coaches.

Anderson said he briefly pushed back on Snitker's decision, but with Jose Altuve and the top of Houston's order due up the next inning, he understood.

“It was fine," Anderson said. “I have the utmost trust in Snit' and the bullpen, those guys coming in.”

Anderson's biggest pitch count this season was 110 pitches, but like other hurlers, he's at the end of a season in which his work load has skyrocketed. He threw 51 innings between the pandemic-shortenend 2020 regular season and ensuing postseason. Friday's output pushed his 2021 total 145 1/3 innings.

The Braves are expected to rely entirely on their bullpen for the next games. Atlanta entered...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Brave-hook-Anderson-yanked-after-5-no-hit-16576639.php