It’s why, by definition, they play the game.
The Braves were facing Jacob Misiorowski, the 24-year-old fireballer who was throwing between 100-104 mph on Friday at Truist Park. Martín Pérez was on the mound for the home team, a soft-tossing veteran lefty who was pumping in 89-mph sinkers.
And wouldn’t you know it? It was the Braves who prevailed 3-2, thanks to Mauricio Dubón’s two-run, two-out single in the sixth inning, Pérez’s six innings of strong work, a late homer from Mike Yastrzemski, two defensive gems from outfielder Eli White and a bullpen that continues to impress.
Dubón’s heroics came with the bases loaded and on a 1-2 inside fastball that reached the plate at 101 mph. The Braves’ center fielder ripped the pitch into left field to plate two and to give the Braves a 2-1 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
“As a hitter, as a competitor, they always tell you, never give him (the opposing pitcher) enough credit. (Misiorowski) is lights out, man,” Dubón said. “That guy, it’s a different fastball. He’s been blessed, man. He goes out there and throws the fastball, and then the cutter, and everything. I tried to put a good at-bat on him.
“First thing I took off him, I went my normal (approach), and then after that, the whole game I went two-strike approach, tried to put something in play, try to make it happen. When I got the bases loaded, I was just trying to put it in play.”
With the slim lead and Pérez out of the game, Braves reliever Dylan Lee gave up a single and stolen base in the seventh before getting a strikeout and fly out to the corner in left field, a ball that the speedy White tracked down to save a run.
Setup man Robert Suarez ended the seventh with a grounder to second, and was unharmed by back-to-back two-out singles followed by a walk in the eighth — Suarez got pinch-hitter Sal Frelick to hit a sharp comebacker that Suarez knocked down before throwing to first to end the threat.
Closer Raisel Iglesias earned his 15th save in 15 opportunities this season and 33rd straight dating to July 25. He walked Christian Yelich and gave up a double into the left field corner to Jackson Chourio, then White threw out Chourio at home trying to score on Brice Turang’s single.
“I was playing on the line a little bit, and he kind of hit it toward the gap, so I was really just trying to cut the distance down, get to the ball quick,” White said. “Tried to throw it through (third baseman Austin) Riley, and thankfully got a good second skip there and ‘Baldy’ (catcher Drake Baldwin) was able to hold on to it, so that was huge.”
Iglesias struck out William Contreras to end the game.
The Braves improved to 17-8 in series openers, 11-2 in series openers at home and 40-0 when leading after eight innings. They have still not had a losing streak of more than four games this season, and broke this losing streak with center fielder Michael Harris II (back) missing a third straight game and Ronald Acuna Jr. still on the injured list.
“I think it just speaks to our depth as a team,” White said. “We’re a super-talented team, guys that can do it on both sides of the ball, offensively, defensively. I think we’re just a team with a bunch of guys that fit well together and can win ball games in different ways.”
Pérez gave the Braves six innings of one-run ball, working around six hits and two walks. One of the walks was intentional and three of the hits didn’t leave the infield.
The 35-year-old Pérez also struck out five and left after throwing 82 pitches, 53 of which were strikes. He has allowed two earned runs and given up 10 hits in his last two starts over 11 1/3 innings.
The Braves are 2-6 in their last eight games and both wins have come in games Pérez has started.
“It’s fun when you go out there and you have guys like Dubón, you know, and, I mean, all our teammates, they’ve been doing a great job,” Pérez said. “As a pitcher, I’m just trying to put some zeroes on the board because I know at some point we’re going to score. You guys see today, Dubón hit a base hit that scores two runs. It’s fun when you have a good team, and you go out there and you play hard, and at the same time you enjoy the game.”
Pérez (6-3) retired the first six Brewers batters before Blake Perkins began the third with an infield hit on a slow roller to third. Joey Ortiz’s solid single through the middle with one out put two runners on, and Christian Yelich’s comebacker moved those runners to second and third.
The Braves (47-27) intentionally walked Chourio to load the bases, and Turang made them pay for that decision by reaching on an RBI infield hit up the middle. It was the lone run the Brewers (45-28) could muster against Pérez.
Misiorowski (8-3) allowed a pair of singles in the second but nothing before or after until the sixth. Jorge Mateo had an infield single to shortstop (Mateo made it home to first in 4.08 seconds), followed by a one-out single up the middle by Ozzie Albies. A walk to Matt Olson loaded the bases.
Dominic Smith struck out to the dismay of the crowd of 40,107. But there was still hope, because there was still Dubón to reckon with.
Dubón’s hit made him 13-for-33 this season when batting with two outs and runners in scoring position and gave him 23 RBIs in that situation.
“People think it’s going to be cliché, but I always pray right before I go out there: ‘God, this is you right here. Take care of it.’ And then, you know, ended up coming through and everything,” Dubón said. “It’s stuff for me that I’m trying to make it happen, trying to give (Pérez) a win. I mean, he gave us a chance.
“People don’t realize, yeah, I got the hit, but (Pérez) put zeroes on the board. That lineup, they put the ball in play, they run, they hit home runs, and he gave us the chance. Mateo ran out of that ball and you saw him limping after, and then went first to third. (Olson) put in a great at-bat. It was a team effort, man. Like, yeah, I got the base hit and everything, but everybody just put a grain of salt in. And then the bullpen coming in - it’s a great win as a team.”
Misiorowski hadn’t allowed two runs in a game since allowing three in a start against the Pirates on April 25. He struck out seven over six innings and threw 91 pitches.
Yastrzemski gave the Braves some insurance by ambushing the first pitch from Brewers reliever Abner Uribe, a high sinker crushed to right for Yastrzemski’s fourth homer of the season and first since May 21.
That proved to be the game-winning run.