<img alt="Kansas City Royals v Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8LGgraq27X22l1Vt1wCwVud5WhE=/0x0:8080x5387/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73618632/2174558436.0.jpg">
Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images
The Braves’ pitching was masterful and the offense did the bare minimum, as the Braves are in a great spot now to make the playoffs. The Brave were hoping to take care of business against a hangover lineup from Kansas City, behind a returning Reynaldo Lopez.
From the start, Reynaldo looked like his peak self, touching 99 MPH and getting two swinging strikeouts on his slider on his way to a 1-2-3 first inning (with a little help from a great catch by Michael Harris for the third out). The Braves offense put together a threat with two outs, as Ozuna walked and Olson grounded a single through, with the runners advancing to second and third on a misplay by the outfielder. Jorge Soler grounded out sharply to end the threat, keeping the game scoreless for the time being.
Reynaldo looked fantastic again in the second, with two more strikeouts on soul-stealing sliders. After a 1-2-3 inning from Lugo, the Royals got their first baserunner from a line drive single that would have been a double, but for another fantastic play by Michael Harris to cut it off an get the ball in. A ground ball single put runners on first and third with no outs for Kansas City in the third. A double-play brought the run home, but cleared the bases of any further baserunners before a flyout ended the inning.
The Royals chose this point to pull Seth Lugo from the game, as they don’t need the win, bringing in Michael Lorenzen to pitch. Lorenzen faced Arcia first and struck him out before recording two quick contact outs from Harris and Albies. Lopez got back to dominance in the fourth, recording his fifth strikeout of the evening on his slider. Matt Olson just got under a fly ball in the fourth for the second out and Jorge Soler hit a double off the top of the wall in center, but a throwing error from Lorenzen on a Laureano swinging bunt brought Soler home to tie the game, landing Ramon on second. D’Arnaud struck out to end the inning, keeping the game tied at 1.
Reynaldo continued his brilliance in the fifth, with two more strikeouts on his slider in a perfect frame. An Arcia double and a Harris walk threatened to put Atlanta ahead in the bottom of the frame, but an Albies double play ended that threat. Lopez once again struck out two on his slider in a perfect inning in the sixth, ending what was a dominant performance coming off the IL, with 6.0 innings of 1 run ball with 9 strikeouts and no walks on 73 pitches. A single from Matt Olson and a walk from Marcell Ozuna were sandwiched in between strikeouts for a scoreless home sixth and Pierce Johnson took over from the bullpen in the seventh.
Johnson walked the leadoff batter, but picked him off to erase the runner. He then allowed a ground rule double to the big threat left in the Royals’ lineup, Salvador Perez. Pierce did strike the next batter out on a fastball down the middle, before Joe Jimenez took over, recording a three pitch strikeout. After another nothing of an inning from the offense, Jimenez started the eighth and recorded two quick contact outs before walking the next two hitters, recording a groundout on a 3-2 pitch to end the inning, preserving the tie. The Atlanta offense was unable to make anything of a leadoff walk to Ozzie Albies of all people in the eighth. Raisel Iglesias took over for the ninth and breezed his way to a scoreless inning, handing the game to the offense with a chance to walk the game off.
As Ramon Laureano struck out for the first out, it was looking like one of those nights again, but Travis d’Arnaud came through with a huge walk-off home run that he knew was gone off the bat and the Braves are in a really good spot to make the playoffs, as the Mets lost to the Brewers.
GAME d'ARNOVER.#BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/8KFLZdoHqu— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 29, 2024
Join us again tomorrow for the last normal game of the season at 3:20 PM ET.
<img alt="Kansas City Royals v Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8LGgraq27X22l1Vt1wCwVud5WhE=/0x0:8080x5387/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73618632/2174558436.0.jpg">
Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images
The Braves’ pitching was masterful and the offense did the bare minimum, as the Braves are in a great spot now to make the playoffs. The Brave were hoping to take care of business against a hangover lineup from Kansas City, behind a returning Reynaldo Lopez.
From the start, Reynaldo looked like his peak self, touching 99 MPH and getting two swinging strikeouts on his slider on his way to a 1-2-3 first inning (with a little help from a great catch by Michael Harris for the third out). The Braves offense put together a threat with two outs, as Ozuna walked and Olson grounded a single through, with the runners advancing to second and third on a misplay by the outfielder. Jorge Soler grounded out sharply to end the threat, keeping the game scoreless for the time being.
Reynaldo looked fantastic again in the second, with two more strikeouts on soul-stealing sliders. After a 1-2-3 inning from Lugo, the Royals got their first baserunner from a line drive single that would have been a double, but for another fantastic play by Michael Harris to cut it off an get the ball in. A ground ball single put runners on first and third with no outs for Kansas City in the third. A double-play brought the run home, but cleared the bases of any further baserunners before a flyout ended the inning.
The Royals chose this point to pull Seth Lugo from the game, as they don’t need the win, bringing in Michael Lorenzen to pitch. Lorenzen faced Arcia first and struck him out before recording two quick contact outs from Harris and Albies. Lopez got back to dominance in the fourth, recording his fifth strikeout of the evening on his slider. Matt Olson just got under a fly ball in the fourth for the second out and Jorge Soler hit a double off the top of the wall in center, but a throwing error from Lorenzen on a Laureano swinging bunt brought Soler home to tie the game, landing Ramon on second. D’Arnaud struck out to end the inning, keeping the game tied at 1.
Reynaldo continued his brilliance in the fifth, with two more strikeouts on his slider in a perfect frame. An Arcia double and a Harris walk threatened to put Atlanta ahead in the bottom of the frame, but an Albies double play ended that threat. Lopez once again struck out two on his slider in a perfect inning in the sixth, ending what was a dominant performance coming off the IL, with 6.0 innings of 1 run ball with 9 strikeouts and no walks on 73 pitches. A single from Matt Olson and a walk from Marcell Ozuna were sandwiched in between strikeouts for a scoreless home sixth and Pierce Johnson took over from the bullpen in the seventh.
Johnson walked the leadoff batter, but picked him off to erase the runner. He then allowed a ground rule double to the big threat left in the Royals’ lineup, Salvador Perez. Pierce did strike the next batter out on a fastball down the middle, before Joe Jimenez took over, recording a three pitch strikeout. After another nothing of an inning from the offense, Jimenez started the eighth and recorded two quick contact outs before walking the next two hitters, recording a groundout on a 3-2 pitch to end the inning, preserving the tie. The Atlanta offense was unable to make anything of a leadoff walk to Ozzie Albies of all people in the eighth. Raisel Iglesias took over for the ninth and breezed his way to a scoreless inning, handing the game to the offense with a chance to walk the game off.
As Ramon Laureano struck out for the first out, it was looking like one of those nights again, but Travis d’Arnaud came through with a huge walk-off home run that he knew was gone off the bat and the Braves are in a really good spot to make the playoffs, as the Mets lost to the Brewers.
GAME d'ARNOVER.#BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/8KFLZdoHqu— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 29, 2024
Join us again tomorrow for the last normal game of the season at 3:20 PM ET.
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