The Atlanta Braves started a series against the Chicago White Sox after a 5-1 run at home where they took two of three from the reigning AL champ Blue Jays and swept the Pirates who at the time had scored the fourth most runs in MLB.
This matchup was going to be fun because it featured the Acuña brothers playing each other. Unfortunately, that fun was short lived.
Grant Holmes has struggled the second time through the order all season long and was hoping to avoid that tonight, although he was going
against a red hot offense that is fourth in MLB in HRs.
Brandon Eisert was the scheduled opener for the White Sox, and has actually had a decent season thus far, but the Braves jumped on him quick. After an Acuña strikeout Harris singled in his return to the starting lineup and Matt Olson followed that with his eighteenth HR of the season to put the Braves up by two.
Albies then singled and Dubón walked to have two runners on with one out. Eisert then got Dominic Smith to fly out on a ball that went three-hundred feet, and then he was replaced by former Braves pitcher Erick Fedde who got Riley to strikeout.
Grant Holmes started off the first inning almost perfect like he seems to always do by producing two fly outs and and a ground out. The Braves then showed of possibly getting some insurance in the second when Acuña reached via HBP with two outs, but then he was caught stealing to end the second inning.
In the second, Holmes gave up a single, but that was the only damage done picking up two strikeouts along the way. In the third for the Braves Harris smoked a liner, but it was caught, but Matt Olson then launched a HR again to make it 3-0 for his nineteenth HR of the season. Albies then doubled and then we saw a somewhat rare catcher interference call that sent Dubón to first. What followed was a weird play where Smith should have hit into a double play, but the pitcher, Fedde, straight up missed a perfect throw and that allowed Albies to score to make it 4-0. Riley then singled, but the scoring ended with a Yastrzemski strikeout.
As stated earlier, Grant Holmes has struggled the second time through the order all season with hitters having an OPS north of 1.000 against him the second time they face him. That did not stop tonight. After getting two outs to the bottom of the order in the third inning, Antonacci who hits first in the order, walked. Vargas then followed that with a two run shot to make the game 4-2. Holmes was able to settle down and get the third out via fly out.
In the fourth is where the bad news hits Braves Nation. After Wynns flied out Acuña appears to have majorly injured his leg running out a grounder.
After the injury delay Harris hit a single and Olson almost hit his third HR of the night, but the ball was caught right at the yellow line on the wall.
The bottom of the fourth is where Holmes fell apart. Again, he is still facing batters for the second time in the game in this inning. He gave up a single, a HBP, then a single to Braden Montgomery for his first career RBI. After a line out and a fielder’s choice to put runners on the corners he walked backup catcher Drew Romo to load the bases. Luckily Dylan Dodd is having the best season of his career and came in and got the out. Holmes finished the night with three earned runs on four hits, two walks, and a HBP on 3.2 innings while picking up two strikeouts.
The Braves were sat down in order in the fifth, but Dodd continued to do well. Outside of a walk, he was able to sit the other three hitters down, to include Vargas who homered in his last at-bat.
It looked like the Braves may score again in the sixth, but it did not happen. After an all too common Riley strikeout, Yastrzemski singled. Then, believe it or not, a catcher got a hit when Wynns singled as well. Unfortunately, in a base running blunder Yastrzemski was thrown out at home when Eli White hit the ball to first baseman Jacob Gonzalez who made the wise decision to throw home for the out. Fedde was then replaced by Tyler Gilbert who got Harris to ground out.
Dodd stayed in the game to pitch the sixth. He got Montgomery to strikeout, but then walked Grichuk which prompted Weiss to replace him with Carlos Carrasco. This move seemed odd considering the close game, and the Braves having the lead, but in a situation where your starter only went 3.2 innings you have to get creative. Carlos Carrasco gave up a single to the first batter he faced, but then settled down forced a fielders choice for the second and and then with the help of Eli White making an epic throw to home plate, he got the third out to end the inning.
Matt Olson led off the seventh inning and walked on a failed ABS challenge by Gilbert. Albies then had his third hit of the night with a single. Tyler Davis then came in for Gilbert and got Dubón to pop up. The White Sox then got redemption on Dominic Smith and forced him into a double play that was actually executed this time to end the top of the seventh.
In a rare questionable move, Walt Weiss left Carlos Carrasco in the game to pitch the seventh with the heart of the order set to bat. He then walked Vargas and then gave up a single to Benintendi to put runners on the corners with no outs. Gonzalez then singled to tie the game with zero outs. Carrasco then was somehow able to get out of the jam by inducing a double play and then a line out.
In the eighth inning Riley walked, then Yastrzemski flied and Mateo pinch hit for Wynns. Unfortunately, Riley got “caught stealing” via pick off, and then Mateo flied out. Sandy León came in to catch and Robert Suarez came in to pitch for the first time since Friday. He was able to retire the side with ease.
In the ninth Eli White flied out, but Harris was able to reach via single. Matt Olson just missed again with a ball that flied three-hundred-thirty feet to RF, and Albies struck out. The Braves at this point have missed insurance runs by mere feet twice to this point.
In the ninth ABS showed its usefulness. In was originally called a ball that would have been a leadoff walk, the call was overturned for a strikeout for Iglesias who relieved Saurez. Vargas and Benintendi were both sat down via ground out and fly out respectively, and it was time for extra innings.
The tenth started out great for the Braves. Albies was the runner on second and Dubón came up clutch yet again and scored Albies with a single on the very first pitch he saw after squaring up like he was going to bunt. Dubón was also able to move to second on the throw home, which worked out great because when Dominic Smith hit another grounder it was not a double play and Dubón moved to third. Unfortunately, for the second time this game a runner was thrown out at home on a grounder that was not a force out when Riley hit a grounder to third and Vargas got Dubón at home. Yastrzemski then flew out to third to put the end to what looked like would be a great inning.
Raisel Iglesias stayed in the game to pitch the tenth making it only the second time this season he pitched more than one inning. He was able to strike out the first batter he saw and then induce a ground out right off the bat, but the ground out moved the runner to third. Braden Montgomery, who made his debut tonight, then hit a walk-off home run to end the game.
The Braves had one of their saddest games of the season this evening. Not only did they lose in extras, but they were 0-8 with RISP if you don’t count the ghost runner and potentially lost Acuña to injury. Matt Olson was a few feet shy twice of hitting a HR to make the outcome much different. Hopefully the Braves can rebound tomorrow when former White Sox ace Chris Sale takes the mound for the Braves.
