Rafael Ortega’s homer the difference in the Atlanta Braves win
The Atlanta Braves defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers Sunday afternoon 5-3, to win the series and keep their 5.5 game lead in the NL East.
In the sixth inning, Rafael Ortega’s first career grand slam and second home run was the difference in the Atlanta Braves win Sunday afternoon over the National League leading Los Angeles Dodgers.
Those words, I’ll admit, I never planned on writing this season – or ever, for that matter.
But that’s what happened.
It was a day full of surprises (Ortega), guts (Max Fried), discipline (Acuna) and encouragement (bullpen).
An off day comes tomorrow, before the Miami Marlins come to town Tuesday.
Quick, to the takeaways!
Elephant in the room
Let’s get the Ronald Acuna Jr. controversy – or whatever you choose to call it – out of the way first.
Alan wrote a more in-depth piece on Acuna’s benching by Brian Snitker, but I thought I would touch on it briefly.
Acuna was pulled after admiring a fly ball in the third inning that he thought was a home run that turned out to be a long single.
Adding insult to injury, Acuna then attempted to steal second base and was thrown out killing a potential Braves rally, as Fried was on third base.
So instead of runners at second and third with nobody out, it was a runner on third with one out. The Braves did not score in the inning.
Snitker explained after the game to the media his intentions for taking out one of the best players in the game.
Snitker on Acuna: "He didn’t run. You’ve got to run. It’s not going to be acceptable here. As a teammate, you’re responsible for 24 other guys and that name on the front is a lot more important than that name on the back of that jersey."
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) August 18, 2019
Good, bad, or indifferent, credit to Snitker for sticking to his principles, rather than being lenient on perhaps the best player on the team.
Acuna said he respected the decision.
Acuña: "I obviously wasn't thinking and that was the action I took. Obviously Snit felt like that was the decision he had to make. I respect his decision, he's the manager" #Braves
— 680 The Fan (@680TheFan) August 18, 2019
3. Holy Ortega!
Who knows what kind of production Ortega is going to give the Braves going forward, but at a time when the injury bug has bitten badly, it just takes one person to step up for the offense.
Players like Dansby Swanson, Nick Markakis and Ender Inciarte are impossible to replace, but in spurts and at the right time, they can temporarily be.
Sunday was Ortega’s time to shine and it came at huge spot. How could you not feel good for the journeyman?
After Adeiny Hechaverria was hit to load the bases, all the Braves could have asked from Ortega was a fly ball to get one run home. Anything more would have been gravy and boy, did it taste good.
2. Max shows some guts
It could have been easy for Max Fried to completely cave after allowing seven base runners in the first inning (including Cody Bellinger’s three-run homer), but Fried showed moxie and settled in.
Over his next four innings of work, Fried allowed just two hits, no runs, while striking out seven.
The Dodgers have been a problem for Fried as he has allowed, at the time, eight earned runs in 6.1 innings. But not only was it big for this game that Fried toughened up, it is big for the playoffs if Fried felt more comfortable playing L.A.
1. The real Shane Greene
In Shane Greene’s first three appearances for the Braves, he allowed five earned runs on eight hits in three innings.
In his last six appearances, he has allowed two earned runs on five hits in 4.1 innings.
He has retired the last nine batters he has faced over his last three appearances.
That’s more like what we saw with Greene in Detroit.
After what happened Friday, it was difficult to imagine the Braves winning one of the remaining games, nevertheless one.
But like they have done over and over this season, this team showed a tremendous amount of toughness and poise.
dark. Next. One day of instruction... for a career of performance?
What a fun couple of days.