In the pregame press conference preceding Game 2 of the NLDS, Walt Weiss stated that he was going to just “watch and see what happens” when it came to relying on his bullpen to carry him and the rest of the Atlanta Braves through another high-stakes Postseason game.
As it turned out, one reliever in particular took it upon himself to carry the Braves through nearly the entire final three innings of an eventual 3-2, series-tying win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Didier Fuentes was absolutely dazzling
with his only real blemish being a ninth-inning solo homer with two outs given to Max Muncy. With that being said, the 11 outs that Fuentes did get were absolutely huge and definitely helped carry the Braves across the finish line in order to steal home field advantage ahead of a Chris Sale start in Game 3.
“We’re in a good position,” said Weiss when he was asked during the postgame press conference about his pitching plans for once the series shifts to Cobb County. “We’ve got Chris Sale lined up after a split here…Look, we’ve got to face more Cy Young Award winners for [the Dodgers]. Every starter on their staff is a Cy Young guy. It doesn’t get any easier, but I like the fact that we go back home even and we have Chris Sale.”
“I think whenever you have Sale on the mound, you’ve seen it the last couple years about what he can do. You feel good whenever you’re playing at home and Sale’s on the mound,” said Drake Baldwin (who got on base three times with three walks in this one) when he was asked about going back home with a Chris Sale start coming up next. “Being tied, you feel a little bit better than being down 0-2.”
When Weiss was asked about whether or not having Fuentes go 2.2 innings was the plan all along, Weiss stayed true to his word when he stated that he was simply going to watch and observe what happened and go from there. “It wasn’t the plan, believe me,” exclaimed Weiss. “When I went to him in the sixth, I was thinking ‘I’ve got to get the last four innings between him and Iglesias.’ To be honest with you, I thought it would probably be most likely two and two, but Didi was throwing the ball so well, I didn’t want to mess with that. After his third inning, I looked at our pitching coach [and said], ‘Let’s see how he feels. If he feels good enough, I want to send him back out.’ I didn’t want to mess with a good thing. He was throwing the ball really well.”
Indeed, it felt similar to how he let Ray Kerr (who was excellent once again during Game 2 of the NLDS) go for as long as possible in Game 3 — and it’s also a testament to the trust and faith that Weiss has placed in his players all season. If he feels like his pitchers are doing well, he’s going to let them go — within reason. He’s not the type to hang someone out to dry or to leave a guy in simply to get a round number in the “IP” category but he does show plenty of faith in his players to get the job done in their stated role and he did just that with Fuentes tonight.
Fuentes’s efforts ended up making for a short night for closer Raisel Iglesias, who got 21-year-old Josue De Paula to pop out in order to end the game and lock down the victory for Atlanta.
“Look, Iglesias is one of the best closers in the game. Like I said, I just didn’t want to mess with a good thing,” continued Weiss as he talked about why he left Fuentes in for as long as he did. “I was going to give him one base runner. It was hitter to hitter in the ninth. He happened to get two quick outs. I was going to Iglesias the first hitter that got on. Yeah, [he] gave up the homer to Muncy, and that obviously was time [for him to leave]. But I don’t want to get in the way of a good thing.”
While Didier Fuentes stole the show with his efforts on the mound, the hometown kid Michael Harris II continued to rake at the plate. Harris had 18 games with at least three hits during the regular season and he’s now pulled it off in two of the five Postseason games that the Braves have played so far. His big double in the seventh inning wound up being the difference, as Matt Olson scored what turned out to be the winning run that gave the Braves enough breathing room to survive.
“I think it means a lot to obviously overcome what happened yesterday, not winning the game, and taking momentum and going back to Atlanta and potentially hand the ball off to either Mahle or Sale,” said Harris when he was asked about how big it was to pick up the split. “I think that gives us confidence and motivation to come back with some momentum.”
When Harris was asked about how it felt to be producing at such a high level for the team that he grew up being a fan of and watching, Money Mike was full of hometown pride in that regard. “Yeah, it means a lot just knowing I was there in that situation watching [the 2021 NLCS],” said Harris. “Watching [Austin Riley] hit the walkoff [in Game 1 of that series] and being there for that, just chanting MVP for him. Now we’re here in the playoffs trying to do the same thing.”
“Yeah, it means a lot, and now I’m out on the field to be able to wear that jersey in front of the city that I grew up in and I was once sitting in those seats,” continued Harris. “Yeah, it feels good.”
It’s certainly a treat to see someone with local ties deliver in such a big moment for the Braves and now he’ll be in a similar position to deliver in front of the hometown fans once the series shifts to Atlanta on Tuesday. The Braves now have home field advantage in this series and are now on the front foot with a day of rest and two of their best starters lined up for the next two games. Again, it won’t be easy but as Weiss has continued to maintain all season, this team has proven that they’re at their best with their backs against the wall.
Hopefully they’ll be able to put the Dodgers in that position with a win in Game 3 with Chris Sale starting. The bullpen has carried this team through — now it’s Sale and the rotation’s turn. We’ll see what happens going forward!
