Ender Inciarte was disregarded in the Braves lineup after a disastrous first half. His second half has been vintage Inciarte, and never more so than Tuesday night, when one hit felt like it unleashed months of demons.
In a 1-1 stalemate, thanks to a pair of dueling aces, Inciarte came through with a two-run triple to help the Braves split a doubleheader at Nationals Park, 3-1, and avoid giving up two games of ground on the Nationals in a day.
After singles by Freddie Freeman and Nick Markakis, Inciarte slipped a rare soft two-run triple down the right field line in the ninth inning. Just like that, the Braves won a game started by Max Scherzer, dropping the Nationals to 17-7 when their ace took the mound.
“The biggest adjustment I had to make was in my head,” Inciarte said. “I was probably trying to do too much. Right now I’m just trying to have fun, trying to contribute and do my part.
“God always has a plan for me. This time I’m just trusting that plan instead of trying to make it all happen on my own.”
As for the Braves’ starter situation, fans passionately pleaded for the team to acquire a frontline guy over the past two seasons. They were already developing one.
Sean Newcomb’s encore to his near no-hitter was six innings of one-run ball. He went toe-to-toe with Scherzer, whom many consider the best pitcher in the game, and faced one of the hottest-hitting lineups in the league.
Newcomb and Scherzer played to a stalemate, each allowing a run in six and seven innings, respectively.
“Facing a team in the division, never mind their ace, you have to step it up and it brings more intensity to the game,” Newcomb said.
The Braves offense against Scherzer consisted of one swing – a solo shot from Charlie Culberson in the sixth, his second in two games Tuesday – but they squandered the chance to do more.
Credit: Patrick McDermott
Credit: Patrick McDermott
Down a run in the fourth, Freeman walked and Markakis singled to give the Braves runners at the corners with none out, setting up their best scoring chance against Scherzer.
Kurt Suzuki struck out on six pitches. Inciarte required eight pitches to retire, but popped up in the infield. Johan Camargo drew a 3-0 count. Three pitches later, he grounded out to third.
It required 33 pitches, but Scherzer didn’t permit a Brave to touch home plate that inning. He pitched seven innings, allowing one run on four hits and striking out six.
As for the Braves’ frontline starter, Newcomb was exceptional. He showed no lingering effects from throwing 134 pitches last time out, a promising sign even with extra days of rest. He went an inning less than Scherzer, his only mishap a fastball down the middle that 19-year-old sensation Juan Soto demolished.
“The kid went toe-to-toe with one of the best in the game,” manager Brian Snitker said. “Historically, coming off a near no-hitter outing. After the homer he settled in and battled his rear off.”
Newcomb bolted from a dangerous situation of his own. Michael Taylor opened the fifth with a double. The lefty got Matt Wieters to ground out and Scherzer to pop out before walking Trae Turner. He struck out nemesis Soto on six pitches.
“It was a soft-hit double so I knew I didn’t give into it, just had to keep making good pitches,” Newcomb said. “Just try to get some weak contact and let the fielders make some plays.”
The same Braves that carved out two runs against Jacob deGrom - Scherzer’s near-only competition in the Cy Young race - a few days ago, couldn’t do the same Tuesday. It was Culberson, who’s so often played a pivotal role on this upstart team, that blasted a ball into left field for the equalizer.
“That was huge for us, splitting today after a tough loss in the first one,” Culberson said. “Scherzer is a great pitcher. He’s going to do that every night, I feel like. But we stayed in there and Ender came in big for us with that hit in the ninth.”
Inciarte, who seemingly slipped down the totem pole with each prospect who graduated, and each o-fer at the plate, saved the Braves from a devastating result.
“He’s swinging the bat really well, which is good to see,” Snitker said. “He’s worked hard, he’s persevered. He’s been through some tough times and he’s stayed strong mentally and performed after battling through all that.”
Washington is close to nipping at the Braves' heels in the playoff race. It dominated game one, then had the best pitcher in baseball on the mound and a one-run lead in game two.
But the Braves came through, as they’ve repeatedly done in a year that’s captured the aura of the golden days. This time, they have once-forgotten-now-remember man Inciarte to thank.
“I don’t know how I’m going to finish, but I’m going to try to finish as strong as I can,” Inciarte said. “Because this is not about Ender. It’s not about Freddie. It’s about the Atlanta Braves. And it’ll be a really nice thing if we could play some games in October and maybe win some championships, because that’s what the fans are there for.”
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