Atlanta Braves bite the D-Backs to secure series; win 8-5

The Atlanta Braves, on Saturday night, took game two against the D-Backs. Mike Foltynewicz struggled and labored. Lane Adams played the role of clutch hero. And the Braves moved to within a game of .500.

The Atlanta Braves tried to take game two from the Diamondbacks at SunTrust Park tonight. Mike Foltynewicz allowed an early first inning run but got out of it stranding runners on second and third.

The D-Backs went after Folty early in the count most the night. The first two hitters in A.J. Pollock and David Peralta saw a total of three pitches.

Both reached on singles, Pollock wound up scoring on a Chris Owings bloop single to right.

The second inning didn’t go Folty’s way either. He didn’t allow any runs, but he doubled his pitch count. After getting the 7 and 8 hitter, Folty walked the pitcher, Corbin, on a 3-2 count and gave up a slow grounder to Dansby Swanson that he couldn’t make a play on.

Folty finally got out of the inning on a heads up play from BP at second. A ground ball hit to Phillips pushed him to his right.

As his mometum carried him toward the second base bag, he flipped to Swanson who was moving to the bag as if turning a double play.

Swanson came behind the bag to grab and throw to first to Freeman to record the 3rd out. At first, it looked like a mistake from Phillips.

His flip to Swanson was the only way he could get the out at 1st. Going away from the bag and reaching across his body, he had no chance to get the out on his own.

It took some time for the Braves to get on the board. But in the bottom of the 3rd inning, Brandon Phillips sent Corbin’s offering to the left-center field seats. It was Phillips’ 8th home run on the season and it tied the game at one a piece.

Folty from the first pitch he threw tonight. He mounted up the pitch count rather quickly pitching to and in a lot of 3-2 counts. He sat at 70 pitches at the beginning of the 4th inning.

The 5th inning saw the Braves add to their lead. It was “DatDude” again with his second RBI on the night! With Inciarte on first base, BP sent a double down the left field line all the way into the corner. Inciarte scored standing, without a throw; Another 2-out RBI.

Arizona tied it up in their half of the 6th. A Daniel Descalso pinch hit single scored a run. The ended the night for Folty. He labored through 5.1 innings, tossing 116 pitches, and left in a tie game.

Descalso took second on the throw home from right fielder Nick Markakis. Markakis made it a close play aided by Kurt Suzuki‘s effective block of home, but it wasn’t enough.

The D-Backs put the go-ahead run across with 2 out. After Luke Jackson came on in relief, he surrendered a base hit to Paul Goldschmidt that sent Descalso home making it 3-2 Arizona.

Ian Krol relieved Jackson. Krol got a ground ball to Dansby at short, and on the throw, came across his body, then Freddie Freeman showed why he should be at first base all the time. Freddie saved a run making a tremendous stretch to bail out Swanson and the Braves.

Atlanta got the first two hitters on base with back to back infield singles from Matt Kemp and Markakis. Suzuki failed to move th runners over striking out swinging. Johan Camargo produced a productive out moving Kemp to third on a fly ball to center.

Dansby Swanson was able to draw a walk to load the bases. Lane Adams, pinch-hitting for the pitcher’s spot, took advantage in a huge way!

On the first pitch Adams saw, he cleared the bases with a double to the wall in left field. Adams’ first career double for Lane Adams gave the Braves a 5-3 lead, thanks in part, to Swanson’s two out walk.

Chafin took over for Delgado for Arizona. On the first pitch Inciarte saw, he shot a slow roller to second base that got kicked around, and Lane Adams was able to score from second base, running hard with two outs.

The Braves got the big inning they needed with 8 Braves coming to the plate scoring 4 on their way to taking a 6-3 lead.

Atlanta added another run in the 7th. Kurt Suzuki, trying to make up for the failed bunt attempt just a couple of innings earlier, gave the Braves some insurance.

With Matt Kemp standing on second, Kurt sent a base hit back up the middle to score Kemp and push the lead top 7-3.

After the D-Backs added a run to make it 7-4, a come-backer to Rex Brothers should have ended the inning. Brothers never looked at the runner coming from third. Brothers threw to first for out number two. That made it a 2-run game.

Buuuut, the Braves got one back. Jace Peterson came off the bench to put a charge into the baseball. A mammoth homerun that went to the top of the Chop House. It was Jace’s 1st home run on the year and his 1st career pinch hit home run.

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Jim Johnson came on in the 9th to cap off a solid night for the Braves and secure the win. The Braves are now one game under .500, just two days after the All-Star break at 44-45.

Tomorrow they wrap up the series with the D-Backs. First pitch is set for 1:35. Atlanta sends Jaime Garcia (2-7, 4.55) to the mound. He’ll go up against Zack Godley (3-3, 2.58).