The Braves needed a jolt of energy from their slumping offense.
It just so happened that infielder Chase D’Arnaud provided a spark, via a walk-off single, that led to the Braves 1-0 win over the Rockies.
“It feels amazing any chance that you have to do that,” D’Arnaud said. “It feels good and it is fun to be the guy that everybody tackles after the game.”
D’Arnaud ripped a fastball from Rockies pitcher Gonzalez Germen to left field to score outfielder Ender Inciarte. It was his second game-winner of the year, following his June 15 heroics against the Cincinnati Reds. This time, he said he made an astute change in the middle of his at-bat, which lead to the hit.
“He threw me a changeup first pitch and I wasn’t trying to do a whole lot (with it),” D’Arnaud said. “My adjustment after pitch was to soften up and let it get a little deeper. I softened up my body and I think I was able to react to the fastball quicker because of that. I squared it up (fastball) thankfully.”
D’Arnaud had been struggling over his last 16 games. He was batting .133 (6-for-45) with eight strikeouts. He also had a .235 on-base percentage, after having an OBP north of .300 in May and June. This caused his average to drop from above .300 to .263 before today’s game.
However, after Sunday’s 3-for-5 performance, he feels like a change is coming to his offensive approach.
“You aren’t going to be hitting .350 all season,” he said. “Sometimes you just got to grind through at-bats and that is the phase that I am going through right now. I am coming out of it right now and I am feeling pretty good. I just got to refine some things and simplify it. It is a game of adjustments and I feel like I am making the right ones.”
With the win, the Braves are now 32-60 on the season. They will embark on a long road trip that sees stops in Cincinnati, Colorado, and Minnesota.
Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said that he is proud of how the team battled and hinted that the win gives them momentum heading back out on the road.
“It was a tough couple of days and we let one get away last night,” Snitker said. “So, these guys have been bouncing back and it is unbelievable how they come back on these short rest games, extra-innings, rain delays and all that. They come back in these afternoon games and leave it all out there.”
