The Braves used a four-run first inning to fuel a 5-2 victory over the Rockies at Truist Park, positioning them for a potential sweep.
Here are five takeaways from Wednesday:
1. Outfielder Jarred Kelenic capped the explosive first frame with a three-run homer off Rockies starter Bradley Blalock, a Conyers native. It was Kelenic’s first homer since Aug. 7.
“Just to get the momentum going quick,” Kelenic said. “I hit a pitch down and lifted it up in the air, put a good swing on it.”
Kelenic’s had an up-and-down debut season for the Braves. He’s hit .214 with a .568 OPS since Aug. 1. At this juncture, the team will just hope he hits his stride down the stretch - he’s had spurts of offensive success - and carries it into October.
2. Slugger Jorge Soler delivered an RBI single in the sixth, and he sure needed it. Soler was hitting .071 with a .431 OPS over his past 16 games while his defensive limitations in right field have remained at the forefront. The Braves acquired Soler banking on his bat, but he’d scuffled for an extended period (3-for-45 before his single).
Yet the Braves know Soler is always capable of a surge. They’re hoping one is around the corner.
“We’ve seen what kind of damage he can do,” manager Brian Snitker said. “It’s just like, ‘How’s he going to get on a run if we don’t keep him in there?’ Because you never know when he might square one up and that be the thing that clicks. And this guy has a chance – as we have before, a few years ago, we just jumped on his back. He’s just so dangerous and what he can bring is so huge that you, to me, just have to hang with him.”
Outfielder Michael Harris II echoed Snitker’s thoughts: “You see some of the swings he takes, and he just misses on some. He can change the game in a heartbeat. It was good to see him connect tonight and I know he’ll keep that going during the rest of the season.”
3. For the second straight night, Braves pitching disposed of the Rockies. Charlie Morton allowed two runs on five hits over five innings, striking out eight and walking three. The bullpen followed with four no-hit innings.
The Braves have allowed two runs across 18 innings against Colorado. They’ve allowed three or fewer runs in five consecutive games. Additionally, their starters have allowed no more than three runs in each of the last 23 games, the Braves’ longest single-season streak since the mound was moved to its current distance in 1893, according to Elias.
A season after the Braves’ offense had historic success, the pitching has carried the Braves in 2024. And it’s been so consistently excellent that it gives credence to the idea that this team is still a legitimate threat – if it makes the postseason.
4. Closer Raisel Iglesias pitched a scoreless ninth for his 30th save (in 33 opportunities). Iglesias has 23-1/3 consecutive scoreless innings, the best current run in the majors. Iglesias has five 30-save campaigns in his decade-long career. The only active closers with more: Craig Kimbrel, Kenley Jansen and Aroldis Chapman, each with eight.
5. The Mets clobbered the Red Sox again for their seventh straight victory, so this was another crucial win to keep the Braves in postseason position (a half-game up on New York). The Braves couldn’t afford a slipup against this poor Rockies team. In the waning weeks, these are precious opportunities against bad clubs.
“It’s important for us to win every game we play now,” Snitker said. “In this business, those wins you’re ‘supposed to’ win are hard to win. It doesn’t work that way. You just never know when you’re going to face a team, what kind of roll they can be on. Even this time of year, it’s about when you play teams. But we’re in that win-today mode.
“And teams like this – they have nice young players here. So like I said, without that one swing (from Kelenic), we’re probably still out there playing. They’re all big now. They’re all must-win games.”
Stat to know
16 -- Braves pitchers struck out 16 Rockies, tied for their highest total in a nine-inning game this season.
Quotable
“He looks like the (mannequin) at DICK’s (Sporting Goods) that models the uniforms.” – Snitker on Soler
Up next
The Braves and Rockies finish their series Thursday when the Braves’ Reynaldo Lopez (8-4, 2.00) faces Austin Gomber (4-10, 4.69).
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