LOS ANGELES — Of course.
As the game headed to the bottom of the ninth, the Braves held a two-run lead. This was the perfect spot for their new closer, Kenley Jansen, to face his former team in a ballpark he called home for so long.
But the storylines didn’t end there.
In fact, they became more Hollywood-ish once Jansen had retired the first two batters.
Needing the final out, Jansen gathered himself and saw … Freddie Freeman. A former Dodgers icon was facing a former Braves icon.
“It’s weird as hell, man,” Jansen said, laughing. “I faced that guy so many times in a Braves uniform, and now it’s vice versa. It’s crazy, man. It’s crazy how the game is now. But it’s fun. It’s always fun because he’s such a good hitter, and I love facing good hitters.”
Freeman flied out to center fielder Adam Duvall and the Braves won as Jansen pitched a perfect ninth against his former team to earn his third save of the season.
Jansen is in a familiar place, but he’s wearing different colors. When he jogged out from the visiting bullpen in right field, the fan reaction was mixed.
“I’ve been hearing some. Cheers and boos,” he said. “But I understand. I understand that I’m not in the Dodger blue uniform. I get it. But it’s fun. It’s fun being here. I’m obviously grateful for what they did for me, and now I’m on the other side with a great organization, the Atlanta Braves. It’s fun being here, too, and now it’s just try to win a championship here.”
Freeman represented the Dodgers’ final chance to stay alive, but this could have been different. He could have been the tying run, or even the winning run.
But the fact he stepped up to the plate against Jansen in that spot? Crazy. But perhaps not as wild as him homering in his first at-bat against the Braves.
There have been tons of connections in this series – which has pit Freeman and Jansen against their former teams – so what was one more?
“That’s kind of what you knew was going to happen, I would think – you hoped would happen,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “I was hoping Kenley, we could get a save situation for him in this stadium. He was pretty good, too.”
A big change in Max Fried
When a reporter asked Travis d’Arnaud about the biggest change he’s observed in Max Fried over the past two years, the catcher looked up and took his time to think.
He came up with an answer.
“I know his demeanor on the mound is a lot different,” d’Arnaud said. “I do think closing out the game to win the World Series will do that to anybody, especially when it’s first and second after you get your foot stepped on, and get three outs, and then go five scoreless after that. His demeanor on the mound is different.”
D’Arnaud, of course, is referring to what might be Fried’s finest moment as a major leaguer: Closing out the Astros in Game 6 of the World Series.
Fried has been on some kind of run.
In August and September of last season, he posted a 1.46 ERA over 11 starts. In his third start of 2022, he allowed only two hits against the Dodgers over seven innings, even carrying a perfect game through five.
Why the change in demeanor?
“Confidence and experience, just knowing that you’re never out of the count,” Fried said. “If you’re out there between the white lines, you got to make pitches and never give in.”
Solo homers galore
Entering Wednesday’s series finale at Dodger Stadium, the Braves were tied for the MLB lead with 16 home runs.
The crazy part: 15 of those – yes, 15 – have been solo shots.
D’Arnaud’s home run off Walker Buehler on Tuesday meant the Braves’ past 15 home runs have been solo homers. The Braves’ 15 solo home runs are the most in the majors.
This streak of 15 consecutive solo home runs marks the team’s longest such streak since at least 1960. The previous record was 14, which was done twice when the club was in Milwaukee (in 1960 and 1963).
Ronald Acuña’s plays second rehab game
Ronald Acuña on Wednesday went 0-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in his second rehab game. He was the designated hitter a night after playing five innings in right field.
Acuña on Tuesday doubled in his first rehab game as he works to return from a torn ACL.
Austin Riley heads to paternity list
The Braves on Wednesday placed Austin Riley on the paternity list. They recalled outfielder Travis Demeritte from Triple-A.
Riley had been batting third in the order, so designated hitter Marcell Ozuna took that spot. Orlando Arcia was in the lineup at third base in Riley’s absence.
In 46 Triple-A at-bats before Wednesday, Demeritte hit .283 with a .996 on-base plus slugging percentage, two home runs and seven RBIs.
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