Matt Olson picked the right moment for home run No. 36.
His three-run blast in the bottom of the seventh flipped Sunday’s game and carried the Braves to a 5-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, helping Atlanta avoid a sweep and salvage one game from the weekend series.
The inning had already started with some tension. Austin Riley opened it with a double, Jim Jarvis dropped down a sacrifice bunt, and then Ronald Acuña Jr. struck out before Olson stepped in with two outs. On a 3-0 sinker, Olson unloaded to straightaway center, sending the ball 437 feet and putting the Braves in front for good.
The homer was Olson’s sixth this month and his 15th since the start of July. It also pushed him into a tie for second in the majors with Yordan Alvarez, one behind Kyle Schwarber’s 37.
Atlanta’s bullpen handled the late work from there. Dylan Lee set the Diamondbacks down in order in the eighth, striking out two.
Raisel Iglesias ran into traffic in the ninth when the first two hitters reached, but he kept Arizona to one run and finished off his 25th save. That kept the Braves from suffering their first three-game losing streak of the second half of the season.
Didier Fuentes got credit for the win after the Braves’ offense gave him the lead for good, even though he had to survive a shaky seventh. Ildemaro Vargas led off the inning with a game-tying homer, but Fuentes settled back in and retired the next three batters, with two strikeouts mixed in.
Bryce Elder turned in a much cleaner outing after Monday’s rough start against the Mets. He allowed one run on four hits over six innings, struck out five and walked one, though he did not factor into the decision.
Arizona got a solid effort of its own from former Braves right-hander Michael Soroka, who allowed two runs on six hits over 5 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out five.
The Braves had grabbed a 2-1 lead in the fifth when Riley singled to start the inning and later scored on Acuña’s two-out RBI double. Riley finished with a team-high two hits and scored twice in Atlanta’s eight-hit attack.
Both clubs left chances on the table in the middle innings. Atlanta managed just one run in the third even after putting two runners in scoring position, with Drake Baldwin delivering an RBI single before Acuña and Olson both struck out.
Arizona answered right away in the fourth, when Gabriel Moreno led off with a homer to tie it at 1. The Diamondbacks then had a real opening in the fifth after a leadoff walk and a bunt single, but Elder worked out of trouble by getting a sacrifice bunt, inducing a grounder that Ozzie Albies fired home to cut down the lead runner, and then getting Corbin Carroll to line out to center.
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Now the Braves have a decision to make, and it could affect the rest of the pitching staff. They are trying to figure out how best to handle Elders knee issue, with a 15-day injured list move or a rotation adjustment both on the table, and any shuffle could open the door for AJ Smith-Shawver to slide into a spot. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Just Sent A Telling Lineup Message With Mauricio Dubon
The Braves lineup card offered a notable hint Friday, with Mauricio Dubon set to start in left field and hit fifth. It is the kind of move that stands out because it places a versatile role player in a prominent spot, and it comes as the club continues sorting through recent performance trends for several regulars, including Mike Yastrzemski and Austin Riley, while also peeking at the matchup against Twins right-hander Bailey Ober.
There is some extra texture in the pitcher-batter history too, though the numbers come with the usual caution about tiny samples and are mostly there for amusement. Martin Perez also factors into the broader scouting picture, but the bigger takeaway for Atlanta is the same one the batting order suggests: Dubon is in a position to matter, and the way the Braves are aligning pieces around him says plenty about how they are viewing this game. [Read more 🡒]
Braves May Have A Creative Answer For Their AJ Smith-Shawver Dilemma
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There is also a broader wrinkle tied to Grant Holmes, whose place in the rotation has been a point of confidence for Walt Weiss. The Braves have at least considered a tandem-style approach that would let Holmes begin games before Smith-Shawver handles the next stretch, a sign the club is still searching for the cleanest way to balance innings, roles and roster flexibility. For now, the final call remains unsettled, which keeps the door open to more than one outcome. [Read more 🡒]