The legend of Eddie Rosario lies in his ability to heat up at any moment, and when he does, seize a game’s biggest moment. Time and again, he has proven clutch, regardless of the big-picture outlook on his season.
On Saturday, Rosario launched a go-ahead, two-run home run in the eighth inning to give the Braves a 6-5 victory over the Giants at Truist Park. Atlanta has won five in a row and eight of its last nine.
Five observations:
1. When Tyler Rogers saw where his pitch went – right down the middle – and how Rosario connected with it, and then heard the crowd’s ensuing reaction, he forcefully whipped his head down in frustration.
He knew it.
Rogers is a submarine righty. His pitches can be difficult to pick up. Sometimes, hitters need to see one before proceeding.
This time, Rosario swung at the first pitch – a sinker right over the heart of the plate – and sent it 441 feet out to center field.
“I think tonight, it was just my night,” Rosario said through interpreter Franco García. “I feel like they could’ve thrown one underground and I would’ve still been able to hit it.”
Rosario went 4-for-4 with three RBIs. He saved his best for last.
He loves those moments. The ones that define a game. The ones in which his team needs a lift.
“I think I concentrate more than normal,” Rosario said. “I feel like I’ve always been that way my entire life. I don’t really get nervous in those moments. I think it’s the opposite – it helps me to focus more.”
Rosario has three home runs in five games this homestand. He has 13 RBIs over his last nine games … after totaling 17 over 39 contests before this stretch.
Rosario has endured his share of struggles this season. At certain points, he hasn’t performed up to his level.
“When he gets hot and in that groove,” manager Brian Snitker said, “he’s pretty dangerous.”
2. You could probably hear the chants everywhere – from Marietta to College Park, Alpharetta to Buckhead, Decatur to South Fulton.
“Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!”
They rang through the ballpark after Rosario’s home run. It is rare to find a player as beloved as Rosario, who is still remembered for his magical NLCS hot streak.
“It’s special and it’s something really beautiful,” Rosario said. “I can’t help but feel grateful. It really just brings back a lot of good memories from the postseason.”
The fans chanted his name after the home run. He took a curtain call, which ignited them even more. When he ran out to left field to warm up for the top of the ninth, the scoreboard focused in on him, and the crowd loudly cheered him again.
And, of course, they are always loud for his big at-bats.
“Sometimes, it adds even a little bit of pressure on you just because, I think, you want to perform and it’s exciting that they want you to do well,” Rosario said. “You definitely want to just perform and live up to the expectations. But it feels good.”
3. This victory represented Braves baseball. It is why they have won so many games since 2018, why they won a World Series in 2021 and why they could take home another.
They. Just. Do. Not. Give. Up.
“I feel like it’s been that way all season long,” Rosario said. “I feel like someone at some point during the season just heats up and that’s the person that helps us win the games. It’s really nice how it can be up and down the lineup. This entire lineup is capable of it.”
The Braves fell behind, 2-0, then, against talented starter Logan Webb, tied the game. The Giants scored two runs in the top of the fourth, and the Braves responded by scoring once in the fourth and again in the fifth to tie it. San Francisco plated another in the sixth.
Rosario homered in the eighth.
The Braves don’t die.
4. Yonny Chirinos, who allowed four runs over four innings, has surrendered 16 runs in 13 2/3 innings over his last three starts.
Is the plan to give him another start?
“We don’t have any plans right now,” Snitker said. “We’ll talk about it. It’s five days away. There’ll probably be a lot of conversation about everything, everybody, everything – not just that situation.”
Instead of Chirinos, would Snitker rather have someone who can consistently give the Braves five solid innings out of that spot?
“Well, yeah, I’d rather have Tom Seaver, but he’s not available,” Snitker said.
In Triple A, Michael Soroka has a 3.24 ERA. Allan Winans, who shut out the Mets over seven innings last weekend, leads the International League with a 2.79 ERA – which is more than a run lower than the next-best mark.
5. The Braves are the first in the majors to reach 80 wins.
They did it in 122 games, which matched the 2003 team’s pace. The 1998 club is the only Braves team to reach 80 wins in fewer games, doing so in 121.
Stat to know
13 - The Braves have 13 wins when trailing in the eighth inning or later, most in the majors.
Quotable
“It felt like a playoff game out there with the excitement, energy.” - Snitker
Up next
Max Fried will start against San Francisco in Sunday’s series, which begins at 1:35 p.m.
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