The Braves needed little time to vanquish the bad vibes of their latest loss. There was no Aaron Nola or Patrick Corbin this time. There was an Erick Fedde, whom the Braves used as their personal launching pad.
Scoring nine runs in the first four innings, the Braves secured an 11-8 victory in Washington on Tuesday. After a pair of aces contained the bats in recent days, Fedde — and the nine runs he served — provided the elixir. The Braves have a chance at what'd be an immensely valuable road series win over the Nationals Wednesday.
Monday’s loss focused more on the Braves’ weaknesses, what they lack and aspects that could prevent them from reaching baseball’s summit. Tuesday was the opposite offensively, though it produced an even greater showcase that the team’s bullpen is its Achilles heel.
» More: Braves trade for reliever Martin
Outfielder Adam Duvall leads the offense discussion. He’s been outstanding since his weekend callup, hitting 9-for-17 with three homers, including two Tuesday. It’s a small sample size, but the Braves should be encouraged at Duvall’s apparent comfort and the manner in which he’s implemented changes to his swing.
“I felt like it was up to me to step up,” Duvall said. “Because I felt like the team needed me to come up here and at least put together some good at-bats and try to help the team win any way I can. That was the most important thing for me, just come up here, be myself and help any way I can.”
Ender Inciarte represents another pleasant development, this time going 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles, two RBIs, a steal and two runs scored Tuesday. It was the center fielder’s first three-hit game of the year. Inciarte has looked completely different at the plate since the opener in Philadelphia over the weekend. Even average offensive production would be welcomed by the Braves, who are trying to recover from losing right fielder Nick Markakis until September.
Julio Teheran allowed two runs over 6-2/3 innings, and while his performance isn’t always predictable, he’s a reliable bet to eat innings. And he’ll need to if the bullpen pitches anything like it did in this one.
A.J. Minter walked two and allowed a run while getting only two outs. Anthony Swarzak hasn’t looked the same since returning from the injured list and allowed a homer to Yan Gomes while being charged two runs over two-thirds of an inning. Luke Jackson, pitching in the ninth since he hadn’t appeared since July 24, allowed three runs as the Nationals, once down 11-1, had the tying run on deck.
The Braves acquired Rangers reliever Chris Martin during the game, which overshadowed the simultaneous bullpen implosion. The Braves don't anticipate Martin joining the team for the series finale but he should be part of the mix when the Braves return home Thursday.
“I don’t know him, obviously, I’ve just seen the numbers,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “I got a couple texts after the game about him and everything was really positive. People like this guy. He’ll be a big addition for us.”
Martin, a true strike-thrower, addresses a glaring need. If Tuesday showed anything, it was the Braves shouldn’t stop there. They could use another arm, maybe two, to help them pilot through the regular season. The Nationals and Phillies have stayed within striking distance.
Mike Soroka and the Braves face old friend Anibal Sanchez in the finale Wednesday, a noon matinee which should end shortly before the 4 p.m. trade deadline.
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