In a game where (according to FanGraphs) the Atlanta Braves had a 7.4 percent chance of winning in the bottom of the tenth inning, Atlanta somehow ended up victorious after Austin Riley’s go-ahead RBI double in the 11th inning held up and brought us to the final score of 3-2.
Early on, this one was a pitchers’ duel, where runs were very difficult to come by and it was tough sledding for the hitters on both sides while the starters were out there. Fortunately, the Braves were able to scratch a couple
of runs across the plate in the first few innings of this one while Reynaldo López and the defense were busy putting in work to keep Baltimore quiet.
The first run scored in this game was another reminder of just how important defense is in big league baseball and this time, it was the Braves who were the beneficiaries of a defensive gaffe. Michael Harirs II led off the second with a single that ended up turning into a trip to second base after Colton Cowser booted the ball while fielding the ball in the outfield. Mauricio Dubón moved Harris over to third with a flyout and then Dominic Smith shot one past Christian Encarnacion-Strand at third base for an RBI single that plated the first run of the game for Atlanta.
The lead stuck in the second inning after Reynaldo López was able to escape a mini-jam in the second inning by getting an inning-ending double play. Jim Jarvis fielded the grounder and helped to turn the double play, which was really nice to see as Walt Weiss’s faith in his rookie shortstop paid off with this particular defensive play.
Once the fourth inning rolled around, it was still 1-0 Braves and fortunately, they were able to add a tiny bit of breathing room during this frame. Matt Olson led off the fourth with a double and while the next two batters went down in order, Dominic Smith was once again in line to make a big moment happen. This time, Smith hit a shallow liner to left that Dylan Beavers nearly made a diving catch on. Beavers trapped it instead of making the catch and Olson was able to saunter home from third base to make it a 2-0 game.
For Reynaldo López, the two RBI singles from Dominic Smith ended up being plenty of run support as López was able to keep Baltimore quiet while he was out there. López finished his day with 5.2 innings pitched and just five hits and one walk allowed with six strikeouts as well. Most importantly, López didn’t give up any runs while he was out there as he kept the recently-potent Orioles lineup guessing and chasing instead of doing any type of real damage while he was out there. This was certainly a bounce-back effort for Reynaldo López following two rough starts in his most recent outings.
Once it was turned over to the bullpen, Dylan Dodd was able to get four outs by dusting off the bottom of the sixth inning and covering the seventh inning without incident. Dylan Lee got the ball for the eighth inning and there was an incident that he had to deal with, as he hung a slider to Pete Alonso and all anybody could do about that was watch it fly as Alonso crushed it into the seats in left field for a solo shot that made it a 2-1 game. Fortunately, that was the only blemish for Lee as he retired the next two batters in order and the Braves left the eighth inning with the one-run lead intact.
The Braves were unable to add on in their half of the ninth inning, so that meant that it was once again on Raisel Iglesias to finish off a game. This time he had zero room for error with the one-run lead and unfortunately, we ended up getting one of those Iglesias outings where the leadoff runner gets on and trouble awaits. Iggy walked CES to get the inning started and could’ve had at least another out after he got Leody Taveras to hit a grounder directly to Ozzie Albies. Somehow, Ozzie let the ball go right through his legs and that made it runners on the corners instead of two out.
Jackson Holliday then picked up a productive out (thanks to an impressive play from Ozzie, go figure) to plate the pinch-running Coby Mayo to tie the game at two runs apiece. While Iglesias was able to avoid any further trouble, it was certainly frustrating to see that sequence of events push this one into extra innings.
Once we got to extra innings, the tenth was a frustrating one as well but one that somehow saw the Braves escape with the game still tied. After Atlanta did nothing in their half of the tenth, the Braves found themselves in a bases-loaded, nobody out situation after Danny Young walked a trying-to-bunt Dylan Beavers and then they intentionally put Pete Alonso on.
Walt Weiss was forced to break out the five-infielder situation by bringing Mauricio Dubón onto the right side of the dirt but as it turned out, all he needed was Matt Olson at first base. Gunnar Henderson hit a liner that went right into Olson’s glove and then Olson scampered to first base to step on the bag and beat Pete Alonso by a hair for an astonishing double play. Tyler Kinley then entered the game for the final out and got Taylor Ward to pop out in shallow right to miraculously escape the tenth.
After Baltimore somehow wasted a bases-loaded, nobody-out situation in extra innings, the baseball gods duly rewarded Atlanta as Austin Riley doubled home the pinch-running Jorge Mateo to put Atlanta back in front. The double was especially impressive as Riley legged it out and ended up at second thanks to the extra hustle. The Braves were unable to add on so it was once again time to hold on to a one-run lead for the win.
Kinley went back out there for the 11th inning and while Kinley was able to sit down the first two batters in order, he walked Leody Taveras. This prompted another gutsy managerial decision from Walt Weiss, who intentionally walked Jackson Holliday in order to force the O’s to use Sam Huff, who has a wRC+ of -11 across 13 games and 33 plate appearances so far this season. Weiss played the statistical matchup and it paid off, as Huff hit a ground ball to Austin Riley who fielded it cleanly and hurled it to Matt Olson at first base in order to finish off what turned out to be an astonishingly improbable victory for the Braves.
That’s now three series wins in a row for the Braves to start the second half of this season and this was the most dramatic one so far — and that’s including the stressful Padres series as well. The Braves have simply been finding ways to win lately and this was the wildest way that they’ve figured out to win recently (and probably all season). Atlanta will now travel to New York to face the Mets and the confidence oughta be sky-high as Atlanta gets on the plane following this wacky victory.
