<img alt="Los Angeles Dodgers v Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8roEgjIKaH-No_us6sfB_dRiI8w=/0x0:7318x4879/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73588292/2171036972.0.jpg">
Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images
The Braves let a huge opportunity slip through their grasp for this game and the season. Looking to capitalize on stumbles from the Mets, the Braves had a chance to move into the last wild-card spot behind Charlie Morton, facing Walker Buehler and the Dodgers.
Charlie started out well, striking out Ohtani on his was to a scoreless first with a Freeman walk as the only baserunner. A leadoff Dodgers’ double form Edman presented a threat in the second, but Charlie escaped it with two flyouts and a strikeout. The Braves managed two singles and a walk in the home second, but in brutal sequencing, a double play in between them resulted in a scoreless inning. In a scene familiar to Truist Park, Buehler got himself in a bases loaded jam, with two walks and a catcher’s interference. He walked a run home and allowed a pretty fortunate infield single to Travis d’Arnaud for the first two runs of the game, but got out of the inning with no more damage, despite a deep fly ball that looked like it might have been gone off the bat of Jarred Kelenic.
A Muncy single and a Lux walk started the fifth for the Dodgers, putting Charlie in a tough spot. After a flyout and a strikeout, Ohtani finally got to Morton, with an absolutely scalded double to bring home a run. Charlie got Mookie to reach for a curveball for an inning-ending flyout. After a 1-2-3 inning form Buehler, Snitker played a dangerous game and tried to get away with a sixth inning from Morton, facing the Dodgers’ order the third time through the order. He absolutely got away with it, however, as Morton rewarded him with a 1-2-3 inning, capping off a strong 6.0 inning, one run, 6 strikeout appearance. The bottom of the Braves’ order had nothing to offer once again in the bottom of the inning.
Dylan Lee took over for Morton in the seventh and allowed a two out walk (on a pitch clock violation) and single to bring up Ohtani in a dangerous spot. Lee made Ohtani look bad on the first two pitches of the at-bat, but Ohtani reached for an 0-2 slider and got a looping double down the right field line to tie the game. Joe Jimenez replaced Lee and got Mookie Betts to fly out, holding the game tied at 2 runs. Blake Treinen came into the game for the home seventh and worked a 1-2-3 inning on three groundouts from Merrifield, Harris, and Soler. Jimenez came back out for the eighth and worked around a walk to hold the game at a 2-2 tie.
The Dodgers brought in the flamethrowing Michael Kopech, who they have turned into a monster, but the Braves’ offense showed up against him in the bottom of the eighth. Marcell Ozuna led off the inning with a walk and Olson roped a double off the right field wall, putting men on second and third with no outs. Unfortunately, d’Arnaud softly flew out and then Arcia and Kelenic struck out to end the inning. It was a huge missed opportunity that we may remember at the end of the season.
Raisel Iglesias got the ninth for Atlanta and was clearly amped, pumping upper 90s against the first batter in a 3 pitch strikeout. Will Smith hit the top of the right field wall for a triple that was probably one inch from being a go-ahead solo homer. Raisel got Pages to ground out and walked Ohtani to face Betts. Mookie put LA ahead on a ground ball RBI single. Freddie Freeman followed Mookie with a chopper that just eluded Urshela at third and it looked like there could be a play at the plate, with Ohtani turning home and Jarred Kelenic approaching the ball, but Kelenic allowed it to dribble under his glove, allowing two more Dodgers to score, effectively ending the game. Teoscar Hernandez slammed the door with a two run homer to give LA a 5 run lead. John Brebbia replaced Iglesias and gave up a solo homer to Edman for another 9th inning run from the Dodgers. Brebbia allowed another homer to Muncy, as the Dodgers were teeing off at this point and the game was over in all but formality.
The Braves went down with a whimper in the bottom of the ninth and let a big chance slip through their fingers once again.
The Dodgers are really good and you cannot expect to sweep them in a four game series, but this game was absolutely there for the taking for Atlanta, especially with the huge missed opportunity to score with men on second and third with no outs in the eighth. That being said, this is a failure to capitalize on the Mets’ stumble and take sole control of the final wild-card spot. Instead, they remain tied with the Mets and right on the edge of the playoff bubble.
Join us again for the series finale tomorrow at 7:20 PM ET.
<img alt="Los Angeles Dodgers v Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8roEgjIKaH-No_us6sfB_dRiI8w=/0x0:7318x4879/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73588292/2171036972.0.jpg">
Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images
The Braves let a huge opportunity slip through their grasp for this game and the season. Looking to capitalize on stumbles from the Mets, the Braves had a chance to move into the last wild-card spot behind Charlie Morton, facing Walker Buehler and the Dodgers.
Charlie started out well, striking out Ohtani on his was to a scoreless first with a Freeman walk as the only baserunner. A leadoff Dodgers’ double form Edman presented a threat in the second, but Charlie escaped it with two flyouts and a strikeout. The Braves managed two singles and a walk in the home second, but in brutal sequencing, a double play in between them resulted in a scoreless inning. In a scene familiar to Truist Park, Buehler got himself in a bases loaded jam, with two walks and a catcher’s interference. He walked a run home and allowed a pretty fortunate infield single to Travis d’Arnaud for the first two runs of the game, but got out of the inning with no more damage, despite a deep fly ball that looked like it might have been gone off the bat of Jarred Kelenic.
A Muncy single and a Lux walk started the fifth for the Dodgers, putting Charlie in a tough spot. After a flyout and a strikeout, Ohtani finally got to Morton, with an absolutely scalded double to bring home a run. Charlie got Mookie to reach for a curveball for an inning-ending flyout. After a 1-2-3 inning form Buehler, Snitker played a dangerous game and tried to get away with a sixth inning from Morton, facing the Dodgers’ order the third time through the order. He absolutely got away with it, however, as Morton rewarded him with a 1-2-3 inning, capping off a strong 6.0 inning, one run, 6 strikeout appearance. The bottom of the Braves’ order had nothing to offer once again in the bottom of the inning.
Dylan Lee took over for Morton in the seventh and allowed a two out walk (on a pitch clock violation) and single to bring up Ohtani in a dangerous spot. Lee made Ohtani look bad on the first two pitches of the at-bat, but Ohtani reached for an 0-2 slider and got a looping double down the right field line to tie the game. Joe Jimenez replaced Lee and got Mookie Betts to fly out, holding the game tied at 2 runs. Blake Treinen came into the game for the home seventh and worked a 1-2-3 inning on three groundouts from Merrifield, Harris, and Soler. Jimenez came back out for the eighth and worked around a walk to hold the game at a 2-2 tie.
The Dodgers brought in the flamethrowing Michael Kopech, who they have turned into a monster, but the Braves’ offense showed up against him in the bottom of the eighth. Marcell Ozuna led off the inning with a walk and Olson roped a double off the right field wall, putting men on second and third with no outs. Unfortunately, d’Arnaud softly flew out and then Arcia and Kelenic struck out to end the inning. It was a huge missed opportunity that we may remember at the end of the season.
Raisel Iglesias got the ninth for Atlanta and was clearly amped, pumping upper 90s against the first batter in a 3 pitch strikeout. Will Smith hit the top of the right field wall for a triple that was probably one inch from being a go-ahead solo homer. Raisel got Pages to ground out and walked Ohtani to face Betts. Mookie put LA ahead on a ground ball RBI single. Freddie Freeman followed Mookie with a chopper that just eluded Urshela at third and it looked like there could be a play at the plate, with Ohtani turning home and Jarred Kelenic approaching the ball, but Kelenic allowed it to dribble under his glove, allowing two more Dodgers to score, effectively ending the game. Teoscar Hernandez slammed the door with a two run homer to give LA a 5 run lead. John Brebbia replaced Iglesias and gave up a solo homer to Edman for another 9th inning run from the Dodgers. Brebbia allowed another homer to Muncy, as the Dodgers were teeing off at this point and the game was over in all but formality.
The Braves went down with a whimper in the bottom of the ninth and let a big chance slip through their fingers once again.
The Dodgers are really good and you cannot expect to sweep them in a four game series, but this game was absolutely there for the taking for Atlanta, especially with the huge missed opportunity to score with men on second and third with no outs in the eighth. That being said, this is a failure to capitalize on the Mets’ stumble and take sole control of the final wild-card spot. Instead, they remain tied with the Mets and right on the edge of the playoff bubble.
Join us again for the series finale tomorrow at 7:20 PM ET.
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