The Braves turned a tight game into a 5-1 win once the Cardinals went to the bullpen, and the whole night flipped fast after that. Through six innings, it was a true pitchers’ duel between Reynaldo and Michael McGreevy, but Atlanta’s offense found its rhythm as soon as the matchup changed.
By the seventh, the Braves were already making life annoying for the Cardinals. Michael Harris II and Michael Yastrzemski drew walks and were left on base, but the pressure carried over into the next inning.
Drake Baldwin opened the frame with a walk, matching his June total in one shot. Ozzie Albies then sent a grounder to third, only for the play to unravel when the third baseman kicked it, leaving everyone safe.
Matt Olson followed with another out to right, but then Michael stepped in and handled the first pitch, shooting an RBI single over the shortstop’s head. That brought up Mauricio Dubón, who laid down a perfect suicide squeeze and forced the first baseman to bare-hand the ball, giving Albies enough time to score safely.
For a Braves team that has been stuck in a slump, the aggressive call made sense. Dubón was the right guy to use there, and the small-ball approach paid off exactly the way Atlanta needed. After the squeeze, Dom Smith singled to right, but Jordan Walker’s strong throw cut down Michael at the plate.
Austin Riley added one more insurance run with a single to left, and that was enough to leave the Braves with a comfortable margin the rest of the way. Raisel closed out the final three outs quickly, and Atlanta finished the night 1-0 on this calendar page.
There was also a note on Eric Hartman, who has surged up prospect lists faster than anyone the Braves have had since Michael and possibly since Ronald. The Braves, meanwhile, are listed as the current favorites in the Skubal Sweepstakes, according to Bob Nightingale.
In Other News...
Another Braves Loss Sums Up Everything Miserable About June
June keeps finding new ways to wear out the Braves, and this one fit the months mood neatly. A 5-3 loss to the Cardinals was built on the same mix that has haunted Atlanta too often lately: a pitching staff that could not quite stop the bleeding when it mattered, and an offense that spent enough time in scoring position to make the result feel even more frustrating.
Martin Perez absorbed the biggest blow, with the Cardinals stringing together the kind of swing that can flip a night in a hurry. Atlanta had chances to answer, including a bases-loaded spot in the eighth, but managed only a single run there and never fully dug out of the hole. Even St. Louis starter Matthew Liberatore, who struck out nine in five innings, had plenty of traffic to manage with walks and a hit batter, leaving the Braves to wonder how a game with that many openings still ended the same old way. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Season Feels Stuck Waiting On Ronald Acua Jr
The Braves keep finding new ways to look stuck in neutral, and the latest skid has only sharpened the frustration. They have dropped three straight and seven of their last eight, with the offense and pitching both slipping at the same time, a rough combination for a team that entered the stretch still trying to steady itself.
Ronald Acua Jr.s absence hangs over everything, because Atlanta has not looked like the same group without one of its most dynamic players available. There has been at least some movement on his side as he works back from a hamstring strain, but the bigger picture for the Braves is unchanged: they need more stability from the lineup and rotation, and the encouraging surprise from Martin Perez is not the kind of lift they can count on all summer. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Finally Got One Encouraging Step From AJ Smith Shawver
AJ Smith-Shawver took a useful first step in his rehab journey Saturday, working three innings for Single-A Augusta in his first Minor League appearance since surgery. He allowed one run on three hits, struck out four and did not issue a walk, a sharp enough line to give the Braves something positive to point to as he continues the process of getting back on the mound.
The outing still fits into the larger picture of patience, because this was about building back arm strength and rhythm rather than rushing toward a return. Atlanta can use every encouraging checkpoint it gets from a pitcher who was part of its future plans, especially with the rotation already thinned by elbow issues and the club watching every healthy arm closely. [Read more 🡒]