Trent Grisham’s two-out grand slam in the ninth gave the Yankees a 12-9 win over the Braves on Saturday, a bomb which appropriately capped a horrific evening for the Braves bullpen.
All 12 runs scored by the Yankees came off Braves relievers.
“I think it was just our inability to close out innings,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said of the loss. “We’re scoring some runs. I felt good last weekend in St. Louis, I saw signs of life like that with the offense, and we played some really good baseball. This (the Yankees) is a really good club, it’s 27 hard outs against a team like this. We just couldn’t close innings off after the fourth.”
The Braves had to use six relievers in the defeat, really seven counting Joey Wentz who began Saturday’s game on the mound. Wentz started for just the 27th time in career and for the first time since 2023.
With a rotation decimated by injuries, bullpen games may be becoming far too frequent for the Braves who opted not to add a starting pitcher through a trade or free agency, or call one up from the minors during this past week’s All-Star break. Grant Holmes is scheduled to start Sunday’s finale before the Giants come to town Monday for a three-game set.
A week ago in St. Louis the Braves got away with a bullpen game in a 7-6 win over the Cardinals. They weren’t so fortunate Saturday.
“It’s gonna be hard to sustain that where you’re using everybody,” Snitker added.
Grisham took advantage the Braves’ pen by going 2-for-3 with five RBIs and a walk after popping out in his only at-bat facing Wentz. He had one of three Yankees homers, Anthony Volpe belted the other two.
The Braves (43-54) had leads of 5-0 and 7-2 and got a season-high five RBIs from Ozzie Albies, who hit a three-run homer for the second straight night. But Braves arms couldn’t keep the Yankees’ lineup at bay in the slightest. A season-high crowd of 42,530 took it all in.
Albies is 3-for-7 with two homers, nine RBIs and a walk over the first two games of the series. His offensive production was a highlight Friday but overshadowed Saturday.
“Anything to help the team win is important, but we came up short tonight,” Albies said.
Trouble began brewing for the Braves in the sixth Saturday.
Braves reliever Enyel De Los Santos couldn’t record an out that inning, allowing a pair of singles and a walk before Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s RBI single to right cut the lead to 7-3.
Rafael Montero was thrown into the fire and got Grisham to ground to first, but first baseman Matt Olson, moving to his right, dropped the ball trying to get it out of his glove. That allowed a run to score on the fielder’s choice and everyone to be safe. Volpe’s sacrifice fly to deep center got the Yankees within two runs, 7-5, and Austin Wells’ groundout to second made it 7-6.
Paul Goldschmidt struck out to end the Yankees’ four-run inning mercifully for the Braves.
Olson made up for his sixth-inning error with a two-out RBI single to right in the bottom of the inning making it 8-6.
But the first pitch of the top of the seventh that came out of the right hand of Braves reliever Pierce Johnson rapidly went 382 feet the other way into the seats in front of the Chop House getting the Yankees (54-44) within a run again.
Volpe’s solo home run, his second of the game, came with one out in the eighth off the Braves’ Dylan Lee and tied the game at 8-8. It also came after the Braves had the bases loaded and one out in the seventh and couldn’t score.
In the ninth, Braves sometimes closer Raisel Iglesias (4-6) gave up a double, intentionally walked Aaron Judge with one out and loaded the bases by giving Giancarlo Stanton a free pass. After Chisholm lined out to third, Grisham saw two pitches and then jumped on a slider.
His 17th homer of the season went 406 feet into the seats in right center.
Michael Harris II plated the Braves ninth run during their final at-bat, but it was much too little, too late.
The Braves dented the scoreboard first courtesy of a Harris solo home run with one out in the third. Harris golfed a first-pitch curveball from Yankees starter Will Warren 438 feet out to center for his seventh homer of the season and first since June 17.
Harris went 90 at-bats between home runs.
Warren got two outs to start the fourth, but then Drake Baldwin scorched a double into the gap in right and Sean Murphy walked to set the table for Albies.
His 150th career home run, and ninth of the season, came on the first pitch of the at-bat, a fastball Albies turned on and drove down the right field line and off the pole making it 4-0. It was Albies first back-to-back games with homers since July 5-6, 2024.
Later in the fourth, after a single and a walk, Nick Allen rolled the eighth pitch of his at-bat in between first and second for an infield single. Nacho Alvarez Jr. alertly never stopped running from second and scored putting the Braves ahead 5-0.
Warren couldn’t make it through the fourth and was charged five earned runs on five hits. He struck out five but walked three.
Starting pitcher Joey Wentz, making his first start since 2023 and second appearance with the club, gave the Braves four innings of scoreless ball. His 59 pitches were the most he had thrown in a game since tossing 65 on July 9, 2024.
In the fifth, Wander Suero followed Wentz and did not hold up his end of the bargain, giving up a two-run homer to Volpe.
Albies came up with two on again in the bottom of fifth and softly served a two-out, two run single into center off Yankees reliever Scott Effross.
The Braves were outscored 10-2 from there.
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