Maybe the problem in Colorado was just a little too much altitude? The Braves came down closer to sea level, yes, but back home. They made themselves comfortable again with a four-run first inning off Angels left-hander C.J. Wilson.
Evan Gattis hit a three-run homer to jump start the Braves to a 4-3 win over the Angels Friday night.
The win snapped the Braves’ six-game losing streak to start interleague play this season, and it opened a rare homestand for the Braves in June with a little something positive from the Braves offense.
Gattis, who’s been one of the rare bright spots of late, extended his hitting streak to a career-high 13 games by launching a three-run home run in the first inning. That’s Gattis for you, who has hit six home runs now during this streak and leads all major-league catchers with 14 home runs.
A green light on a 3-0 pitch was an easy decision for manager Fredi Gonzalez - “The way he’s swinging the bat right now, why not?” Gonzalez said - and Gattis connected on a Wilson fastball that was middle, away.
“Luckily I got to see some pitches he threw for balls and timed him up good enough,” Gattis said. “I felt confident swinging 3-0.”
Chris Johnson followed Gattis to the plate in the first inning with a home run of his own, his third of the season, to give the Braves back-to-back home runs for the third time this season and a 4-0 lead.
All four runs came with two outs and after Justin Upton had just come a few feet shy from hitting a three-run home run of his own on a flyball to the warning track in left field. But before Upton had time to hang his head, Gattis finished the job.
The first inning did come at a price, though, as Wilson hit Jason Heyward in the right hand with his second pitch of the game. Heyward initially shook it off and stayed in the game, but after playing the top of the second in the field he was removed for a pinch hitter. X-rays taken during the game were negative. The Braves announced he had a right hand contusion and was considered day to day.
“It’s good news,” Heyward said afterward. “And hopefully I’m back out there soon.”
Aaron Harang used the four-run cushion to settle into another good night’s work and his first win in more than a month. Harang had been 0-2 over his past five starts despite a 3.90 ERA in that time. On Friday, he limited the Angels to one run in six innings, allowing only four hits, to claim his first win since May 11 against the Cubs.
The only run Harang allowed came on a wild pitch, trying to get Trout to chase a ball low, with a runner at third.
“He’s pitched about as good as anyone in the major leagues,” Gonzalez said. “I don’t know how many exactly he’s left leading the game, but he’s pitched really good for us.”
The Braves nearly blew Harang’s lead in the eighth inning after B.J. Upton tried to basket catch a line drive from Kyle Calhoun and was charged with an error. That left rookie right-hander Shae Simmons, who was making only his eighth major league appearance, to face the gauntlet of Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton with one out and a runner aboard.
Trout doubled on a liner to a good spot in shallow right field and Pujols cashed in a two-run single to pull the Angels within 4-3. But Simmons averted further damage, after pitching around Hamilton, and turned the ball over in the ninth to Craig Kimbrel, who converted his 19th save.
“I think every single one of (Simmons’) games it’s been something happening behind him or people being on base,” Gonzalez said. “He’s handled it with flying colors.”
Harang had to face that same gauntlet with a runner on each of his first two times through the Angels order. He made it through unscathed each time working with better command than he’s had in recent starts and taking advantage of the 13 years’ of experience he has handling those situations.
“You’ve really got to stay focused in those situations and execute your pitches,” said Harang, now 5-5 with a 3.20 ERA. “When you start thinking too much and pressing too much, that’s when you make a bad pitch.”
His only run allowed came from the bottom of the Angels order, after he gave up a leadoff double to catcher Hank Conger in the third inning and watched him take third base on the first of his two wild pitches. The second cost him the run.
“I was just able to mix in some pitches and getting ahead early was the big thing,” Harang said. “The last couple outings, I’ve been falling behind and having to pitch from behind. Today I was able to get strike 1 and then try to get strike 2 right away and try to put them in a hole and make them hit my pitch.”
He struck out only two but got seven groundball outs – five of which involved Andrelton Simmons.
The National League Platinum Glove-winning shortstop might have made his play of the year so far, as he dove to his right to snare a sharp line drive off the bat of Hamilton in the sixth inning.
“The seat of the pants thing was cool but just because he threw it from sitting on the ground,” said Gattis, referring to the play Simmons made on the Mets’ Travis d’Arnaud April 9 after slipping to his backside on the edge of the outfield grass. “But yeah he makes unbelievable plays, nothing shocks me anymore. It’s just awesome. Everybody just kind of stops and says ‘What just happened?’”
