It’s been a while since Freddie Freeman played meaningful baseball in September. A day in, he’s made the most of it.
Staked a 3-3 tie with a runner at second, the slumping Freeman made the most of it. He knocked in the go-ahead run and scored the insurance run. As a result, his Braves overcame a 3-0 deficit and defeated the Pirates 5-3 on a night they didn’t record a hit until the sixth. It ended their three-game home skid.
“Sept. 1, we got one,” Freeman said. “Coming into spring training, that’s all you can ask for. Here we are, with meaningful games and a three-game lead. This is what we play for. It’s a lot of fun. The crowd had a lot of energy tonight. Hopefully we can give them more to cheer about later on.”
Trailing 3-1 in the eighth and faced with the onerous task of hitting Keone Kela, the Braves rallied. Dansby Swanson led off the inning with a homer. Lucas Duda followed with a double and pinch-runner Lane Adams advanced on Ronald Acuna’s flyout.
Ender Inciarte was presented a situation with Adams at third. He struck out, but the ball eluded Francisco Cervelli, allowing Adams to score the equalizer and Inciarte to take first. The center fielder swiped second base to give Freeman an opportunity.
He delivered. Freeman doubled to left, scoring Inciarte and putting the Braves ahead. It was a moment of relief for Freeman and his club. The MVP candidate was hitting .143 over his past nine games entering Saturday.
“He’s Freddie Freeman,” manager Brian Snitker said. “I don’t care where he’s at or how he’s going, that guy lives for that moment right there.”
Johan Camargo’s sacrifice fly scored Freeman, who narrowly beat the throw home, capping a four-run eighth. The Pirates dropped to 55-2 when leading after seven innings.
“It was one we really needed,” Snitker said. “We’d had a couple tough losses, tough ballgames the last couple days. So that’s big, to come back from behind, lying there dead in the water a little bit. Good fight for the guys.”
Chris Archer and Kevin Gausman were the highest profile starters traded on July 31. One exceeded expectations, rejuvenated in a new environment; the other was beleaguered by the same ole struggles, unable to prove worthy of the steep bounty paid for his services.
They pitched near equal Saturday, if not for an error. The teams curated a stalemate through four innings. The Pirates were responsible for the game’s only two hits, both of which Gausman pitched around.
After Colin Moran’s single, Charlie Culberson – filling it at second base for Ozzie Albies on a day off – made a costly error. He fielded a grounder from Kevin Newman, and in an effort to get Moran at second, flipped the ball over shortstop Swanson’s head.
The Pirates were awarded two runners in scoring position with one out. Gausman coaxed a light groundout from Archer, but Starling Marte ensured the Braves wouldn’t escape deficit-free. Marte hit a towering fly ball to right. Nick Markakis leaped for it at the wall, coming up short, and Moran and Newman scurried home.
The runs were unearned. Gausman was inches away from negating Culberson’s error. Gregory Polanco tagged him for an earned run in the sixth, mashing a ball deep to center for a 3-0 lead.
Polanco tried to give it back in the seventh, when he failed to catch a routine fly out. It put Culberson at second base, but Tyler Flowers’ strikeout ended the scoring chance.
Gausman was done after six innings, allowing three runs (one earned) and striking out four. It wasn’t his sharpest night – he’s had many since coming to the Braves – but it gave the Braves a shot.
“It showed the type of battle this team has,” he said. “So it’s fun to watch and fun to be part of every day.”
Archer looked every bit of his tantalizing potential. The righty matched Gausman’s six frames, permitting two hits while striking out five. Swanson broke up his no-hit attempt to start the sixth. Acuna broke through when his hit scored Swanson.
The Braves extended their hold on the National League East to three games after the Phillies lost to the Cubs. They did so again behind the strength of their bullpen, which provided three scoreless innings. The unit owns a 0.99 ERA over the past 12 games.
“Today was huge,” Swanson said. “Just with the past couple days, to be able to fight back and show the resilience we did tonight was a good step in the right direction. Hopefully that momentum can play the rest of the season.”
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