MIAMI – The Braves made sure they’d have a happy flight back to Atlanta.
They beat the Marlins, 6-3, to sweep the series Thursday. They went 5-1 on their road trip to Miami and New York.
Five observations:
1. A lot happened on this trip. Rain forced the Braves to sit idle for two days, then play a doubleheader on a getaway day. They saw Ronald Acuña Jr. have two injury scares. Michael Harris II suffered an injury, though it seems mild. Kyle Wright hit the injured list.
Despite all of this, the Braves strolled out of the visitors’ clubhouse at loanDepot Park having lost only one of their six games on this road trip.
“It’s just engraved into us to be champions,” A.J. Minter said. “It starts from the top. It starts with (manager Brian Snitker) and the coaching staff, and these veterans in this clubhouse. We expect to come out and win every single series. And if we don’t, we’re professionals about it. Win or lose, nothing’s gonna tear us down. We’re not going to let the previous game affect the next one. We’re just professionals all over.”
Among the impressive aspects of these Braves: No matter what occurs, they continue moving forward. They don’t panic.
“That’s the name of the game: Put your head down and kind of keep going,” Matt Olson said.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
2. On Wednesday evening, Dylan Dodd boarded a flight to Miami. It was delayed. Eventually, he landed around 10:30 p.m.
The next day, he provided the Braves with a quality start: Three earned runs over six innings. At times, he faced trouble. But he continued pitching.
“I looked up there and he just throws strike after strike after strike,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “Kid’s got a good future, as he just matures and gets experience. It’s probably not the last time we’ll see him this year, either.”
One example of the poise from Dodd that the Braves love: In the bottom of the first inning, Jorge Soler, the former Brave who hit the iconic World Series homer, crushed a two-run shot off Dodd to give Miami the lead.
Dodd didn’t allow another run until the fifth inning.
“Coming from my last time here and then right back into it, it definitely hits you differently when you’re not wanting stuff like that to happen,” Dodd said. “I think it’s just the ability to trust in the work you’ve put in and your stuff, and just go out there and continue to compete.”
Snitker said Dodd won’t slot into the rotation. The Braves brought him up as a spot starter for Thursday alone. The Braves have off days on May 8 and May 11, meaning they won’t need a fifth starter until May 16 in Texas.
3. Marcell Ozuna before this series: Five hits in 18 games.
Ozuna in three games here: Six hits. Three were homers.
“If we get the real Marcell Ozuna going,” Snitker said, “it’d be a big feather in our hat, I’ll tell you that.”
Ozuna hit a 447-foot homer off Jesus Luzardo in the second inning. This came after Wednesday’s two-homer game.
Over three games here, the Braves scored 26 runs.
4. After earning his seventh save with a scoreless inning, Minter had successfully gotten some revenge for last week’s poor outing versus Miami.
His last two outings have been better.
“I still don’t feel like I know can pitch,” Minter said. “But that being said, there are improvements. That’s all I can worry about. Yes, I feel like I can be better and I know I’m gonna do better, I know I’m gonna figure it out. But at the same time, I’m still getting guys out with me not at my best, so that’s still a very good feeling. But whenever I do figure it out, I know it’s gonna start clicking.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
5. In the top of the sixth inning, Acuña Jr. fouled a ball off his left knee. He stayed in the game and struck out.
In the bottom half, he didn’t move well as he came in on a ball that he caught for the final out of the inning. He couldn’t bend his knee well, so the Braves decided to remove him from the game and have him begin getting treatment.
“You hit a ball off your knee and it’s gonna hurt,” Snitker said.
The manager later added: “But he’s gonna be fine.”
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Acuña in the lineup on Friday.
Stat to know
15-3 - The Braves are 15-3 on the road this season, the best road record in the majors.
Quotable
“One thing that has been done really well here since I’ve been here that I’ve noticed is that these guys are always ready for the next day and the next opportunity and the next at-bat. From the second you walk in here, it feels contagious. That’s how it should be played. If you do that and you look up at the end of the year, you’re probably gonna like where you’re at.” - Olson on the team’s focus and even-keeled nature
Up next
Braves ace Max Fried will face Orioles right-hander Dean Kremer in Friday’s series opener, which begins at 7:20 p.m.
