Five takeaways from the Braves’ win over the Marlins in Miami on Sunday:
1. For the fourth time this season, the Braves had a four-game losing streak. And for the fourth time, they at least kept it from reaching five games.
Before Sunday, the Braves had lost their past four games by a total of five runs, including two walk-off losses in Philadelphia. So, yes, the hard-fought 6-4 win over the Marlins was much-needed.
“Stuff is going to turn our way,” third baseman Austin Riley said. “Dansby (Swanson) and I talk quite a bit about how you’ve just got to keep moving forward, whether things aren’t going your way or they are. Deal with the hand you’re dealt and keep fighting, and see where we are at the end of this thing.”
The Braves relieved some tension by scoring three runs in the first inning Sunday and accumulating a 5-0 lead by the fifth, then holding on for the win.
2. Riley’s superb season to date was interrupted by an 0-for-17 slump entering Sunday’s game. He broke out of it with a 3-for-3 performance that included his 12th home run (an opposite-field shot), three RBIs, two runs scored and a walk. He credited a minor mechanical adjustment.
“Looking at video the last three or four days, I had kind of gotten tied up with my front elbow,” Riley said. “It was either coming too far up where I was out-and-around, or if it was staying down I was just rolling over everything. So cleaning that up a little bit was the biggest thing for today.”
3. Braves starting pitcher Drew Smyly celebrated his 32nd birthday by holding the Marlins scoreless through the first four innings. He ran into some difficulty in the fifth, his final inning, but for the game allowed just two runs on six hits and struck out six.
“This team has had a lot of ups and downs, but we know what we’re capable of doing,” Smyly said. “It’s just about getting on a roll. We had heartbreaking losses in Philly, and things didn’t really go our way the first couple games of this (Miami) series. But … we keep battling back, and eventually I think this team will get over that hump.”
Manager Brian Snitker called Smyly’s outing “really encouraging.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
4. Ender Inciarte entered the game when Ronald Acuna left in the fifth inning with what the Braves described as right pectoral tightness. Leading off the sixth inning in Acuna’s spot in the batting order, Inciarte homered against Marlins reliever Ross Detwiler — just the fifth homer of Inciarte’s career against a left-handed pitcher.
“He’s, like, ‘Well, if I’m going to fill in for Acuna, then I’ve got to do that,’ ” Snitker said.
The Braves finished the game with an outfield of Abraham Almonte, Guillermo Heredia and Inciarte.
5. Despite Sunday’s win, the Braves lost both series on the road trip. This weekend marked the first time since 2017 that they dropped a series at Miami. The Braves are 30-33 and in third place in the National League East, five games behind the first-place Mets and two games behind the second-place Phillies.
Quotable
“It’s huge -- huge. This is a good one to end (the trip) on … because I’ve got to feel like those two (walk-off losses) in Philly took a lot out of these guys, took a lot out of me and everybody. So it was nice to end the road trip on a good note.” – Braves manager Brian Snitker
By the numbers
2: Home runs hit by the Braves on Sunday (one by Austin Riley and one by Ender Inciarte), matching the team’s homer total of the previous four games (both of those by Freddie Freeman).
Up next
The Braves are off Monday before opening a six-game homestand. They’ll play Boston on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, followed by a four-game series against St. Louis. Pitching matchup Tuesday: Braves LHP Tucker Davidson (0-0, 1.53 ERA) vs. Red Sox LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (5-4, 6.03).
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