What looked like another Braves defeat actually turned into something special in the 11th inning.
That is when Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman hit a solo home run to right field to beat the Giants 5-4 Wednesday night. The shot gave the Braves their 16th victory, but more importantly, it finally validated their “keep grinding” approach that they have preached all season.
“The guys never quit from what I heard coming in,” Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said. “Everybody got to participate and the pitching was really good out of the bullpen.”
The team’s resilience was key in the final innings. They tied the game with aggressive base running. This was due to third baseman Adonis Garcia scoring on a wild pitch. Earlier he had set the tempo with a strong at-bat to start the frame.
“It came in the ninth inning with Garcia, who had a great season so far, putting together a rally right there,” Freeman said. “We were able to get a tie ball game and keep it going. If it wasn’t for them, this wouldn’t have happened. It is nice to finally come through.”
For nearly the entire season, the Braves have said that their offense was coming around. It seemed like a broken record about fight and determination.
The results weren’t there early.
The Braves ranked near the bottom of the league in average (.228) and slugging percentage (.314). They also had some embarrassing moments, like getting limited to one hit on May 31.
However, things have started to turn around during this 10-game home stretch. The Braves have gone 4-5 and have been in every contest. They also have found the ability for clutch hits against pitchers like the San Francisco’s Jeff Samardzija.
In Wednesday’s game, things once again went the team’s way.
The Braves battled back from a 4-1 hole. Infielder Chase D’Arnaud hit a double to the left field wall. He scored after outfielder Mallex Smith hit a triple. This gave the team momentum and in turn, carried them to the victory.
This might not have happened three weeks ago. The result might’ve been a pop up and a ground out. But with a patient approach, things have shifted.
As a result, Snitker is happy with the progress.
“I’ve talked about this before and it’s good to see them get rewarded for what they bring with effort,” Snitker said. “They left it all out there tonight and it is a really gratifying feeling.”
The Braves will get another opportunity Thursday against Giants’ Madison Bumgarner. It will also be a chance to take three out of four from one of the best teams in the league.
“Hopefully the roller coaster is going up now,” Freeman said. “You know it has been on the down for a while, so hopefully it bottomed out and we can go back up.”
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