It was an explosive performance from the Atlanta Braves Saturday as they beat the Colorado Rockies, 11-8, which snapped a six-game losing streak. Braves manager Brian Snitker spoke about the outing after the game and talked how significant of a moment it is for the ball club.
Atlanta is at that point of the season where every game is important as they try to win back their divisional crown that is currently owned by the Philadelphia Phillies as they are 7.5 games ahead. However, Saturday was a great start to get back on pace for the Braves as Snitker called the win “huge” as there were points where the team had to rally to win the game according to ESPN and The Associated Press (AP).
“As hard as it’s been for us to put together a game, it’s huge,” Snitker said. “That could have been a ‘here we go again’ type of thing, but these guys have played here long enough to know these games are never over until they are over.”
There was multiple scares in the game that could have led to Atlanta's seventh straight loss as they were down 3-0 early and even at one point lost an 8-5 lead, but still managed to win the game. Braves fans are hoping that the win over Colorado can be the start of a spark or build some momentum to finish out the month of August strong.
Braves offensive explosion starts with Matt Olson, Marcell Ozuna, etc.
Atlanta had an offensive explosion scoring 11 runs which was in part due to first baseman Matt Olson who had a huge game hitting two home runs while also tying a career-high six RBIs. Saturday also marked the second in 10 games where Olson hit two dingers in the same game as the last was on July 31 against the Milwaukee Brewers where he spoke about wanting to “pull the ball” after Marcell Ozuna hit a double in the seventh inning.
“I just wanted to pull the ball,” Olson said. “Just had to try to get him to third base. Was able to kind of lift the changeup a little bit. The quality of at-bats have been better than they were earlier in the year, but there is always room to grow.”
On the season, Olson has hit a .230 batting average with 20 home runs and 60 RBIs as the 30-year old had one of his best games this season. Ozuna and Jorge Soler would also hit dingers for the Braves which was fortunate since starting pitcher Max Fried struggled with five runs (four earned), allowed seven hits, walked three, though he recorded nine strikeouts.
“Just out of synch, out of rhythm,” Fried said via ESPN and The AP. “I take the ball expecting to be myself and give us a chance to win. Fortunate guys really picked me up tonight.”
At any rate, it was still a win the team can build off of and if anything, it still proved that Atlanta is a resilient team that still has legitimate aspirations come playoff time. The Braves look to win the series against the Rockies Sunday afternoon as they are 61-55 so far.
Follow Us
Subscribe