By ububba

What a difference a day makes? You bet your sweet bippy…

Some Perspective: During the Houston series, I was visiting family in Virginia Beach – 89th b-day for the father-in-law (cheers, KC) – so I didn’t get to watch the totality of the Braves’ lost weekend vs. the Astros. In fact, it seemed like I only caught the bad bits… y’know, the grim late-inning moments where our ’pen coughed up each game like Regan MacNeil after a spoonful of ipecac.

Accordingly, after Sunday’s debacle, my reaction mirrored a famous Rolling Stone review of a much-unloved Bob Dylan album. I looked at a similarly unloved Alex Bregman and impulsively exclaimed, “What is this shit?”

Yeah, I’m sure everyone in BravesLand was more than mildly frustrated. Those kinds of losses should only come once every six weeks or so, certainly not on three consecutive days.

Of course, Monday night vs. Miami was a real tonic for the troops: A near no-hitter from an otherworldly Spencer Strider and a hit parade that included 11 runs, five dingers, and even some contribution from Eddie Rosario. Helluva way to respond to the previous series, I’d say.

And on this night? We saw just enough of the same in a 7-4 Atlanta victory.

It reminded me of the story told by a fellow UGA grad about the time the Dogs were taking a home drubbing from a Phil Fulmer-era Tennessee team. After the Vols scored another TD, a cantaloupe-clad fan turned around, clucked at him: “Man… I wish we played y’all every week!” That’s kinda how I feel about the Marlins. They always seem to have the medicine for whatever ails the Braves. Tonight, thankfully, it was also a lotta Charlie Morton, a somewhat improbable bottom-of-the-order rally, and two Ozzie Albies blasts to make it a modest two wins in a row.

The Braves got out to a quick start. In the first, a blazing Ronald Acuna belted Bryan Hoeing’s first pitch off the right-field bricks for a double. After swiping third, the Fish somewhat oddly brought the infield in with one out. So, Austin Riley promptly lined a shot thru short and into center for the RBI and a 1-0 lead.

With his hook & heat combo working well, Charlie Morton looked pretty good thru two. But in the third, Jazz Chisholm tied things by crushing a hanging spinner to deep right-center for his 4th homer – then, as he does, danced around the bases like Isadora Duncan.

Braves rallied impressively in the 4th, starting with a Murphy bloop and a Rosario four-pitch walk (yes). Ozzie rolled into a weak 4-3 putout, but crucially, it advanced the runners. Grissom then lined an oppo-RBI single to right, Hilliard dunked an oppo-RBI single to left, and Pillar dropped an RBI double into the left-field gap just shy of the track – three RBI hits in a row and suddenly it was 4-1.

Unfortunately, with runners on 2nd and 3rd and one out, Acuna looked at strike three and, after a pitching change, new LHP Steven Okert induced an Olson pop-up to stub out the fire. Then, with his K of Chisholm on only his 75th pitch, Morton wriggled out of minor trouble in the 5th to set himself up for the win.

Quite often, when Austin Riley faces a lefty, he’s like a Komodo dragon who finds a crippled deer – it’s just not a fair fight. But in the 5th, Riley got tied up on a called 3rd strike from Okert, who impressively retired four in a row, eventually striking out the side with his K of Rosario.

Moving to the 6th, the Marlins seemed like they were late for a 10:30 movie… their collective plate approach was not exactly patient, and Charlie took advantage. If the Fish didn’t swing early, he pumped in strikes, confidently mixing up his repertoire. The curve that Avisail Garcia took for strike three/out three was a beauty, just nipping the inside corner. Then, Okert’s luck ran out in the bottom of the frame, as Ozzie, hitting righty, took him deep to left, giving the Bravos a 5-1 lead.

Morton cruised into the 7th with only 89 pitches. The first two hitters grounded meekly to Ozzie at second before Berti poked an oppo-single. But Morton closed out his evening with a swinging strikeout of Nick Fortes. Morton’s line: 7 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 9 K – a superb outing.

Dylan Lee began the 8th by giving up a scorching double down the LF line to No. 9 hitter Garrett Hampson. But, he whiffed Chisholm on a nifty 3-2 breaking pitch and got ahead of Soler 0-2 with more junk… before Soler dribbled an infield hit. Uh-oh. He went up on Bryan De La Cruz 0-2 with heat, but then the Marlins LF lined a single up the middle just over Ozzie’s glove for an RBI single… now it’s 5-2 with 2 on & 1 out.

Time for the return of Collin McHugh and, unfortunately, a momentary reminder of the Houston series because McHugh immediately gave up another RBI single, this time to Garcia… now it’s 5-3 with 2 on and 1 out. Uhhh…Thankfully, Jean Segura’s scorcher found Riley’s glove who started an inning-ending, around-the-horn DP.Whew.

With the Braves perhaps still traumatized from the previous weekend and definitely needing a little insurance, Rosario and Ozzie immediately responded with B2B HRs off lefty Tanner Scott… 7-3 with 3 outs to go

You didn’t think it would be easy, did you? Of course not… In the 9th, with a suddenly shaky Jesse Chavez on the mound, Yuli Gurriel hit an inside-the-park HR – it was a blast to left that Pillar just missed before he smashed into the wall like Super Dave Osborne. The ball bounded back toward the infield, while Gurriel rounded the bases. Chavez then gave up a pair of singles and, with 2 outs, faced the imposing Soler as the tying run. (For the love of God, not this again…)

But Jesse got the former Braves World Series MVP swinging and the Braves had a 7-4 victory that the bullpen made a little too interesting. Whatever, we’ll take it. With the Mets home loss to Washington tonight – their 3rd L in a row – the 16-8 Braves expand their NL East lead to 2 games.

Tune in tomorrow night, as the Braves go Fishing for 3 consecutive wins with the amazing Bryce Elder taking the mound. And here’s another evening of multiple dingers for the good guys…