Chris Sale and the Braves passed the Padres for the series win and 60th win of the season
This was all happening – what a typical and loud series win for your Atlanta Braves. Win number 60 and take three of four from the Padres at home… According to the game notes, the Padres have beaten the Braves more than any other team since the start of last year (10-3), so this feels pretty good.
Chris Sale did his job, and the stats look to me that four home runs are bigger than one. The Braves favored the long ball in this come-from-behind win at Truist Park this afternoon.
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Chris Sale’s rocky second inning wasn’t entirely on his shoulders. A Gavin Sheets single, a Freddy Fermin single, and a Jake Cronenworth HBP had the bases loaded with two outs. Mauricio Dubón’s foul play in left field would be huge as Sale walked Fernando Tatis Jr. to give the Padres their first run. Luis Rengifo went down 0-2, but Rengifo’s single to right scored a double to make it 3-0.
Sale sat well after that, and the offense had their marching orders.
The Padres, strangely committed to their last-minute plan to use the opener, sent out the idiot Kyle Hart to start the game. He only needed five pitches to strike out a score and looked like he was in good shape to continue mowing down the Braves hitters. But the Padres gave the ball to scheduled starting pitcher Griffin Canning to start the second. And for that, we thank them.
Good thing for Canning – he pitched two more innings the last time he faced the Braves last month. Besides giving up a quick tank to Michael Harris II to lead off the second, he even had time to retire six Braves.
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But that streak ended in the bottom of the fourth, on a sacrifice bunt by Ozzie Albies. His solo homer gave the Padres a 3-2 lead.
After Matt Olson’s popup, Harris II’s single and Dubón’s catcher’s interception set the table for a much-missed sight: Dominic Smith’s big moment. A perfect bomb to Chophouse gave the Braves a 5-3 lead.
And so the score will last a while. Chris Sale averaged double-digit hits, ending his day with 11. He gave up five hits and walked one in his six innings of work. Dylan Dodd replaced him and pitched a perfect inning with one hit.
Catching three straight days didn’t qualify Drake Baldwin. The reigning NL Player of the Week is a rare (admirable) feat, hitting a seventh home run for the 6-3 Braves. Spoiler alert: this could be a more important homer than it looks right now!
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Are you getting deja vu? Because it’s been two straight games where the Braves’ offense starts on some “nice to have” insurances before it all ends up being important. Things went from comfortable to concerning in the top of the eighth when Tyler Kinley gave up a two-run homer to the hot Ty France to make it a one-run game. Danny Young came in and got Gavin Sheets to fly out to center to end the frame.
The Braves wouldn’t get any more breathing room in the bottom of the eighth when Harris II, Dubón, and Riley went down quickly.
Raisel Iglesias, like last night, was tasked with striking out three for the Braves. He started out solidly facing two batters at the bottom of the Padres’ order, striking out Sung-Mun Song and getting Jackson Merrill to fly out to left. “A one-run game is amazing enough, Iggy,” I said. “But it would be very bitter,” he seemed to reply. Back-to-back singles from nine-hole scorer Jake Cronenworth and Tatis Jr. they created a common fear and brought Luis Rengifo to the plate. Rengifo has been dangerous in this series AND he had a homer that took away Iggy last night. Cool cool cool.
One change of strike that changes. Second change, closed. Finally, a four-seam fastball to strike three. Raise your arms up to the sky and/or dust, daytime crowd. The Braves won another close one, 6-5.
Happy flight! Old friend Pete Alonso and his Orioles await the Braves as they begin a three-game homestand in Baltimore beginning tomorrow night.
