3 Takeaways from Atlanta Braves BIG comeback win against the Nationals
By John Le
The Atlanta Braves took advantage of the Nationals bullpen implosion to make it a 5.5 games ahead of the Phillies in the NL East
It looked like it was going to be one of those games where whenever the Atlanta Braves would pull closer, the Washington Nationals would add more runs to distance themselves…but plot twist! The Braves pitching managed to hold it down while the offense just kept grinding to complete a full comeback.
Saturday’s game was another prime example of how the team doesn’t quit and will never be “out of it,” showing that they can always pull off magic before the final out. It was also another case of how deep and dangerous this lineup is: Josh Donaldson went 0-5, yet they won 13-9.
There has been plenty of games like that lately where one guy can (sadly) go hitless while the offense still explodes. It’s probably a sucky feeling for that player but the offense can still cover for them.
The Braves were on the verge of doing the same during Friday’s game during the 9th inning but just couldn’t pull it off. However, it was a different story for Saturday and these are the three takeaways from the big win.
3. Mike Foltynewicz Remains Inconsistent
Though the Atlanta Braves made the comeback win on Saturday, it wasn’t all glory from the pitching side. The arms eventually settled down for the offense to pass the Nationals but they did allow nine runs.
Mike Foltynewicz completed only four innings and was tagged for eight of those runs (two came after he left the game).
With runners at the corner, he was pulled and replaced with Jerry Blevins. Blevins then gave up a sacrifice fly and back-to-back singles to give the Nationals an 8-4 lead in the fifth.
Foltynewicz has yet to find a rhythm of consistency in 2019. He’s shown teases of his pre-injury dominance but then would throw balls way off the zone or give up homers during his outings.
Brian Snitker was already on the verge of pulling Folty before the fourth inning in Saturday’s game with Josh Tomlin warming up.
However, Folty’s inconsistency made the decision difficult, as he got through the second inning almost easily with two strikeouts. The commentators even mentioned it when he got through a 1-2-3 fourth inning. He allowed two runs during a Juan Soto triple in the third but got the final two outs quickly also.
The Braves had already pulled back to make a one-run game during the top of the fifth off of Freddie Freeman’s single to deep right to score Ronald Acuña Jr. and Dansby Swanson. But Folty couldn’t hold on to it, giving up three straight singles in the bottom fifth before being taken out.
Brian Snitker and the Braves can really only give Foltynewicz so many chances to redeem himself before pulling the plug on trying to get him back to his 2018 form.
Unlike Kevin Gausman, Folty was injured to start off the season so it’s not like an “experiment over” type of situation. I’m not saying he can’t “click” at some point in 2019, but it’s a very risky strategy to throw him out there and rely on the offense to score a dozen+ points every game.
UPDATE: More on this subject coming shortly.