Braves run win streak to six
Austin Riley hit a late-inning two-run home run and Grant Holmes pitched into the seventh as the Braves ran their winning streak to six with a 4-2 victory over the Marlins on Tuesday at Truist Park.
Closer Raisel Iglesias, in a non-save situation, gave up a leadoff, ground-rule double, then a walk and back-to-back singles with one out with the latter hit bringing in two runs and cutting the lead in half. But Iglesias got out of the jam with a fly out to left, then caught a break when Drake Baldwin threw out Jakob Marsee at third as part of a failed double steal.
Dylan Lee had preserved the three-run lead with a scoreless eighth after Riley’s homer in the bottom of the seventh.
The Braves (68-45) moved to 58-1 this season when leading after eight innings and 16-3 in series openers at home.
“We got a really good team, and I think we’re playing complete baseball,” Riley said. “Pitchers are doing a really good job, bullpen’s doing an unbelievable job, and we’re getting timely hits, that next-guy-up mentality. And, like I said, just playing complete baseball.”
Holmes (7-4) threw six scoreless innings and left after a Heriberto Hernández single that began the top of the seventh. Left-hander Dylan Dodd came in and got the final three outs of the frame.
Holmes worked around five hits and a walk while striking out five on 72 pitches (47 for strikes). It was the sixth time this season Holmes has pitched six innings or more out of 21 starts and first time since June 3.
“I hate letting that bullpen down because I’ve been down there. I’ve been through it. It kind of sucks when a when the starter can’t get through five innings,” Holmes said. “I do my dangedness every time I go out there to go five, six, seven innings because I know how it feels to have a starter go four innings, 4.2 innings. It sucks. I do my best every single time to take the load off of their shoulders.”
The Braves and Holmes were clinging to a 1-0 lead in the seventh when the Marlins went to their bullpen and lefty John King. King got two easy outs to begin the frame — or so he thought. After a fly ball to left for the first out, a harmless ground ball was hit to shortstop Otto Lopez and Lopez’s throw pulled Kyle Stowers off the bag at first allowing newcomer Lane Thomas to reach.
Riley stepped in and hit a low 1-1 curveball 433 feet into the left field bleachers.
“I got to be in the zone early, and I think that allows me to stay on a pitch like I did tonight,” Riley said. “So it’s encouraging. Keep going day by day and continue to work on this thing and try to get hot and see where we’re at the end of it.”
Riley’s homer turned out to be the game-winner even though the Braves got one more insurance run in the eighth when a bases-loaded wild pitch by Victor Vodnik allowed Ronald Acuña Jr. to score.
The Braves had started the scoring Tuesday when Ozzie Albies launched the first pitch of the second inning into the Chop House in right field. A slider down and in from Marlins starter Ryan Gusto became Albies’ 19th homer of the season and ninth as a left-handed hitter.
Albies’ homer was the first of two on the night for the Braves, who moved to 38-7 when they hit two or more home runs.
That would be all Holmes needed, and he admitted the pre-trade deadline chatter about the team needed starting pitching help added extra fuel ahead of Tuesday’s outing.
“The guys in there, we know what we’re capable of, and on the other end, you can use it for motivation,” Holmes said. “But I try not to listen to it because sometimes it can get you in trouble, you try to do too much, you go out there like I feel like I have been the last few starts, trying to do too much instead of just letting my stuff work like I did tonight. You can take it either way, and I try to ignore it and do what I know what I can do.”
Gusto (0-3) logged a season-high six innings and allowed just the one run while fanning five. The Marlins (58-56) had won 6 of 7 before Tuesday’s contest.