The Braves lost game 2 of Saturday’s doubleheader against the Cardinals 9-5 at Truist Park.
Here are five takeaways from Saturday:
1. For a moment in the sixth frame, it seemed the Braves were providing a preview of the 2025 Home Run Derby that’ll take place at Truist Park. Third baseman Austin Riley, designated hitter Marcell Ozuna and outfielder Eddie Rosario each homered off Cardinals ace Sonny Gray to trim into the Cardinals’ four-run lead.
“It’s tough to win two in a doubleheader, but to see the fight there offensively, that was really nice to see,” Riley said. “Couldn’t get it done, but the offense, to see some fight there was really nice.”
Gray, 34, surrendered a career-most four homers against the Braves. It was also the first time he’d surrendered three long balls in one inning.
2. The Braves were in an early hole because starter Bryce Elder fell flat in his latest return to the majors. In his first outing since July 8, Elder surrendered six earned runs on eight hits (two homers) while striking out nine and walking one. It continued a frustrating season for Elder, who since his 2023 All-Star nod hasn’t found stability in the rotation.
“It’s hard (to bounce between Triple-A and the majors),” manager Brian Snitker said. “It’s not easy when you’re getting your starts scratched, you get prepared and your routine, then – it’s not an easy thing to do. I told him last time he’d have the skin of an alligator when he’s done with this year because of everything he’s being put through. It’s part of it in today’s game.
“He’ll be better for it. But it’s hard to do when you train, have a routine and you don’t pitch, and you have to wait. It’s not an easy job what we’re asking him to do. He battles his butt off and competes.”
Elder will be summoned in instances when the Braves would like to maneuver their rotation for the sake of extra rest, but beyond an injury, he won’t have a consistent role on the club in 2024.
3. Rosario homered twice Saturday, his first games back at Truist Park since rejoining the Braves after the Nationals cut him loose. It was an extremely encouraging day for a player who’s had a sizable impact on the Braves previously (he was with the club from mid-2021 through 2023).
“We’ve seen what he’s done in the past with us,” Riley said. “We know what he’s capable of. To get him going on a hot streak would be huge because we know what he’s capable of.”
The two home runs were Rosario’s first since signing with the Braves. He had a 33-game homerless drought entering the afternoon.
4. Ozuna launched his 27th and 28th homers off Gray, collecting his National League-leading 78th and 79th RBIs. Ozuna is on the cusp of his third 30-homer season and could surpass 40 homers for the second consecutive campaign.
Since May 2023, when Ozuna experienced his revival, he’s tied with Aaron Judge for the second-highest home run total (65) behind only Shohei Ohtani (66). It’s hard to imagine where the underachieving Braves offense would be without its DH.
5. The Braves are 2-2 in doubleheaders this season, splitting with the Padres and Cardinals. They had an MLB-best seven doubleheader wins last year (in 10 games).
Stat to know
4 (The Braves equaled a season high with four homers in the nightcap. This was just the fourth time in the last 25 occurrences that the Braves lost a game in which they’d hit that many home runs.)
Quotable
“We’re a team that slugs. We’re a team that hits for power. To see that in the second game, it was nice to see.” – Riley
Up next
The Braves and Cardinals finish their series Sunday when Spencer Schwellenbach (3-4, 4.43) opposes Miles Mikolas (7-8, 5.13).
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