For the first six innings, the Atlanta Braves were looking like they were going to be denied another sweep as the Pirates did just enough to Bryce Elder to salvage a win. But a huge theme of this season is how this team continues to find different ways to win from different contributors, and the stars of this one? 1) Someone who was NOT in the starting lineup 2) bullpen arms coming up absolutely huge in high-leverage situations who aren’t our usual 7-8-9.
Elder grinded through six innings of two-run
ball after being greeted rudely by a leadoff homer by Spencer Horowitz to start the afternoon. He only gave up the two hits, but Elder matched a season-high in three-ball counts and some walks came back to bite him in the third. Two walks and a pesky infield single loaded the bases with no outs. Nick Gonzales’s double play minimized the damange, but it did allow Jared Triolo to score and make it 2-0 Pirates.
And so the score would remain through six innings. The Braves had a promising first inning versus the opener Mason Montgomery with a walk from Mauricio Dubón, a double from Ozzie, and a walk from Dominic Smith to put a Brave on every base. But Austin Riley’s late swing on a 99 mph fastball would end the threat.
Scheduled starter Bubba Chandler entered in the second inning for the Pirates with Mike Yastrzemski leading off. The only damage done would be a single from Sandy León (!); the Braves were set down in order in the third, fourth, fifth, AND sixth. For someone known to walk guys and regularly only last five innings, Chandler racked up seven K’s from the Braves lineup in his 5.1 innings of work.
But that lack of command reared its head in the bottom of the seventh, teeing up a wild sequence. Please don’t forget that all of this is happening with a light but constant little rain shower that would continue until the game concluded. The rally would begin with Dom Smith reaching on a throwing error by rookie Tyler Callihan, giving the Braves their first baserunner since Sandy’s single in the second. Yaz finally worked a walk off of Chandler, and then Jorge Mateo saw four straight balls. The bases were loaded for Sandy León.
Except it wasn’t Sandy León, and it was never going to be. Sound operator, hit shuffle on the Michael Harris II walk-up songs playlist, please. Walt Weiss has pulled the lever.
In response, the Pirates did the most slow-walking I’ve ever seen that resulted in Chandler’s departure to give way to reliever Evan Sisk. But it didn’t matter. Pinch-hitter Money Mike is a cheat code, and he delivered by smoking the second pitch he saw 109.5 mph to right field for a bases-clearing double to give the Braves a 3-2 lead. Absolutely nuts.
Reynaldo López came out of the bullpen and worked a much-needed scoreless frame in the seventh to wash the taste of his Thursday appearance out of our mouths. But eyebrows raised across Braves Country when he was left in to pitch in the eighth with this tenuous lead. It was understandable to some extent – the bullpen has been taxed this week, particularly the big three of Dylan Lee, Robert Suarez, and Raisel Iglesias. He recorded one out, allowed a single, and walked Braves menace Horowitz. That would end his day. Tyler Kinley came in, got a lineout, walked Bryan Reynolds, and got a massive groundout to preserve the lead. No insurance runs would be added in the bottom of the eighth, so we all collectively strapped in for the top of the ninth.
Out of the bullpen jogs Didier Fuentes, who is ten days shy of turning 21 and on for the first save opportunity of his career at any level.
Reports of Brandon Lowe’s death (read: knee injury after yesterday’s game) were greatly exaggerated – they Michael Harris’d us right back with a pinch-hit maneuver that worked beautifully. Lowe ripped a double to right to start the inning and was replaced by pinch-runner Oneil Cruz. Cool cool, Cruz is very fast. Our collective anxiety could power a small city. Fuentes struck out Callihan for out #1. Jake Mangum’s eight-pitch at-bat resulted in an infield single, putting runners at the corners. Triolo popped out for a huge second out. But thankfully, it would end with Endy – Endy Rodríguez’s strikeout secured Didier’s first career save and the Braves officially swept the Pittsburgh Pirates. They may be a little damp at this point, but break out your brooms, y’all. It’s been a minute, which makes it all the sweeter.
Thus concludes a 5-1 homestand. That’ll play! After the off day tomorrow, the Braves will embark on a two-city road trip to Chicago to face the Pope’s own White Sox and then to Queens for the first series of the season vs. the New York Mets.
