The four-game series with the San Diego Padres was tied at a game each when Martin Perez took the mound on Wednesday.
On Tuesday night, the Braves lost 8-3, and on Monday, they needed only three runs to win a one-run game. On Wednesday, Atlanta got back in front on the strength of the bottom of the lineup. Both Jim Jarvis and Brewer Hicklen drove in runs during the eighth inning. The eight and nine hole hitters came through to put Atlanta in front 3-1.
The Braves won 7-6 after all of the dust had settled. “That was a wild one,” said Braves manager Walt Weiss as soon as he sat down in the press conference room after the game.
The hits from the unsung heroes came at the right time. One run was all the Braves could muster through four innings after having at least one base runner during each inning. With the bases loaded in the first, Michael Harris II managed to get a sacrifice down to put Atlanta ahead 1-0.
There were two base runners on during the third and fourth innings, and the Braves ended those innings with groundouts. With Austin Riley on first base and two outs, Mike Yastrzemski struck out to end the fifth inning. Yastrzemski is currently hitting just under .230 and is 0 for his last five at-bats, including a 0-2 game on Tuesday.
The game was tied at one in the seventh inning after Didier Fuentes came on to relieve Dylan Dodd, who pitched seamless fifth and sixth innings. Fuentes gave up a solo home run to Jackson Merrill to left field. The hit was a sure thing as soon as Merrill hit it.
Ozzie Albies 0-3 before his final at-bat of the night, hit a single down the right field line to give Atlanta a 4-1 advantage. Albies had been driving foul balls down the line all game before he hit pay dirt and drove Hicklen in. Matt Olson put a little more insurance on the Braves’ books with a pop-up single that dropped in between two Padres and allowed Drake Baldwin to score. Baldwin (two walks, two singles) had been on base four times tonight.
Dom Smith, a forgotten man after getting into a prolonged slump during the month of June, came on to pinch hit for Eli White, who pinch hit for Yastrzemski. Smith hit a bouncing single down the right field line that brought in the sixth run of the inning. Atlanta 7 and San Diego 1 heading into the ninth.
On Smith getting that big hit, Weiss said he was happy to see it. “He’s been one of our guys. He’s won games for us and been one of the core all year,” said Weiss. It’s good to see Dom get one.”
Victor Mederos came in to finish things off. He was making his sixth appearance of the season for Atlanta. And all heck broke loose. San Diego would manage to score three runs off the veteran right-hander and force Walt Weiss to make a pitching change. Enter All-Star closer Raisel Iglesias. And it got even worse. Iglesias gave up a two-run home run to Luis Rengifo. The home run was his first of the season. The score was now 7-6.
Iglesias struck out Manny Machado and
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