DENVER – Ozzie Albies’ energy infused all parts of the Braves’ late-innings performance Saturday, and for a while it looked like the dynamo second baseman’s efforts might lead to another rousing Braves’ comeback win.
But after he made a sensational diving catch for a double play to end the ninth inning and force extra innings, then stole second base and went to third on the catcher’s frantic and errant throw in the top of the 10th, Albies was stranded when Nick Markakis’ line-drive was caught by leaping shortstop Trevor Story to end the inning.
And Braves closer Arodys Vizcaino’s three consecutive walks (one intentional) in the bottom of the 10th included a bases-loaded game-ender for a 3-2 Rockies win.
“That’s baseball. Stuff can happen,” Albies said of Vizcaino’s ninth-inning meltdown. “We’re all human. Next time he’ll make sure it won’t happen again.”
Despite the loss, Albies had his fingerprints all over another enthusiastic Braves performance.
“We play hard,” he said. “We just play hard to win every night.”
Before his spectacular defensive play and aggressive base-running in the final innings, Albies had been involved in the most controversial play of the night in the sixth inning, just before Freddie Freeman’s two-out double scored Lane Adams to cut the Rockies’ lead in half, 2-1.
The Braves and Albies could only wonder what might have been if a call had gone their way on the previous play, when Albies laid down a bunt and catcher Tony Wolters made a stellar play to field it, spin and fire to first from his knee, the ball arriving at about the same split-second as Albies’ foot hit the base.
Albies was called out and the Braves challenged. After replay review, the umpires upheld the call for the second out. The Braves had one speedy runner on base instead of two when Freeman doubled to the left-center gap, and one walk later Michael Tucker grounded out to end the inning with two on base.
“Everybody says I was safe,” Albies said. “I know I was safe, too. I don’t see why they have replay if they still didn’t make the right (call).”
The Braves tied the score with a run in the ninth against Rockies closer Wade Davis on a Kurt Suzuki walk and consecutive singles from Dansby Swanson and Ryan Flaherty.
In the Rockies’ ninth, Wolters’ pop-up bunt landed for a single to start the inning against lefty A.J. Minter, who walked Chris Iannetta and was officially in a jam. After Charlie Blackmon popped out foul on a bunt attempt, DJ LeMahieu hit a line drive that appeared headed to right-center field for a game-ending hit.
But that was before Albies dove into the picture, the 5-foot-8 second baseman catching the ball while fully extended and flipping it to second for the double play.
“When it came off the bat I said, I’ve got to catch this ball,” Albies said. “So I did all I had to do to catch it.”
Asked if he were at all surprised he was able to catch it, he smiled and said, “Not until I watched the play after the game. I was like, Oh, I didn’t even know I went that high.”
