The Braves remained within striking distance, then struck. Their three-run ninth inning gave them a 4-3 victory that stunned the Giants on Wednesday at Truist Park.
Here are the five key elements of the win for Atlanta (40-30):
1. Over seven innings, Carlos Rodőn held the Braves in check. As they headed to the bottom of the ninth, they trailed by two runs.
“That’s kind of been our mantra a little bit,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “Our M.O. is kind of keep the game there and give us a chance. It doesn’t work all the time.”
This time, the Braves put together good at-bat after good at-bat versus two relievers.
The game ended when Adam Duvall hit a single off Tyler Rogers that scored William Contreras. This marked the first time this season that the Braves won when trailing after eight innings.
“When we’re playing good teams, we’re going to play some tight ballgames,” Duvall said. “We did a good job tonight of putting together some at-bats there in the ninth, and were able to come up with a win.”
The Braves have notched two walk-off victories in three games against the Giants this week. They are only 4 1/2 games behind the first-place Mets.
2. “I’ll tell ya: It was not the best of nights for the ol’ number seven,” Dansby Swanson said. “I was not the happiest with the performance leading up to that.”
Before the ninth, Swanson was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. He committed a throwing error earlier in the game.
But …
“In those moments, you can throw everything out the window,” he said. “None of that matters. What matters is right then and, really, do everything you can to get on.”
He did more than just get on base – he homered off Jake McGee to lead off the bottom of the ninth. Before this, McGee had not allowed a run in his last 7 2/3 innings, dating to May 31.
The solo homer cut the lead to a run.
3. With Marcell Ozuna on second base, William Contreras smacked a run-scoring single off McGee to tie the game.
The impressive part here: Contreras took two close balls in that at-bat. One was right at the edge of the zone.
He waited for his pitch, and finally saw it when McGee threw him a 94-mph fastball that caught too much plate. He sent it into left field to tie the game.
“He’s very confident in that box right now, I’ll tell you that,” Snitker said. “He feels like he’s going to get a hit, that he’s got a chance of hitting something hard and doing damage. His at-bats have been really good.”
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
4. Ozuna was at second base for Contreras because he tagged up on a deep fly ball to center field. Contreras was in scoring position for Duvall because he stole second base.
The Braves, Swanson said, had a baserunning meeting earlier on Wednesday.
“Just kind of like a refresher on what’s the right kind of aggressive and just different rules of thumb that you can kind of take for granted sometimes because we play so much,” Swanson said.
The Braves’ baserunning helped them win the game. The meeting might have helped.
“They wanted to show us just a couple things in terms of things that we’ve been doing well, some things that we could get better at,” Swanson said. “I can’t give up our secrets, but it was definitely a good refresher for everybody and just to kind of bring the focus to what needs to happen.”
5. Charlie Morton on Wednesday allowed two runs – both on solo home runs – on three hits over seven innings. He struck out 11 batters.
Here’s why Morton’s performance was crucial: On the other side, Rodőn surrendered a run on three hits over seven innings, with 10 strikeouts.
Had Morton crumbled, the Braves might not have been in position for a comeback.
“He always keeps us in the game,” Duvall said. “It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t have his good stuff, if he has his best stuff, it always seems like he keeps us in the game and gives us a chance.”
This was another positive step for Morton after he tossed seven scoreless frames versus the Cubs in his previous start.
Stat to know
0-26 -- Before this win, the Braves were 0-26 this season when trailing after eight innings.
Quotable
“I think it’s a lot of confidence. It’s one thing to win games, but it’s another thing to win games when you’re trailing. I feel like we’ve been good when we get out early, get out ahead early. But coming back hasn’t necessarily been our strong suit so far this season. I think we’re starting to kind of find that groove and put together innings regardless of how the rest of the game’s gone.” - Swanson on what this win does for the Braves
Up next
Right-hander Kyle Wright goes up against Giants lefty Alex Wood in Thursday’s series finale, which begins at 12:20 p.m.
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