For much of the Atlanta Braves contest against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night, things weren't going according to plan. Their ace Spencer Strider got tagged for five runs over four innings, and the Braves lineup was struggling to get create runs. But then Matt Olson led a rally in the ninth inning to force extra innings, where Travis d'Arnaud ended up delivering a walk-off RBI single.
d'Arnaud obviously helped the Braves close this game out, but he may have inadvertently helped them extend it too. After the game, the veteran catcher revealed that he was poking fun at Olson in the dugout ahead of his huge RBI double in the bottom of the ninth, and he believes that fired him up to go out and deliver a big hit for Atlanta when they needed it the most.
“In the ninth inning, I made fun of [Olson] before he got his big double. I don’t know if that loosened him up or made him angry. I don’t know what it did. But I know our team chemistry is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It wasn’t PG.” – Travis d'Arnaud, MLB.com
Matt Olson, Travis d'Arnaud didn't panic despite big deficit
It's not a comeback if you can't finish it off, and d'Arnaud certainly helped the team do that in this one. But Olson got them there by mashing a big double, and then coming around to score on a game-tying double by Jarred Kelenic. These sorts of rallies are tough to pull off, but Olson believes that Atlanta's chemistry, such as his playful banter with d'Arnaud, helps them stay calm in these pressure-packed situations.
“I think it’s part chemistry and part not a lot of panic. We have the confidence we can come back in any situation against anybody. When you believe that, it’s going to happen more than if you don’t.” – Matt Olson, MLB.com
While they've only played six games, the Braves have raced out to a quick 4-2 start, and picking up this sort of victory against the 2023 National League champion in the Diamondbacks isn't something that can be overlooked. Atlanta is battle-tested when it comes to these sorts of contests, and the makeup of their team is what helps them deliver in the biggest moments.
Nobody is doubting the Braves regular season pedigree, but after a pair of disappointing playoff defeats over the past two years, everyone is going to be paying attention to see if they can go on a deeper run this year. Wins like this one over the Diamondbacks surely help, but it won't mean much to some fans until the postseason comes around. If d'Arnaud and Olson can keep pushing each other's buttons and finding ways to motivate the rest of their team, though, the Braves are going to become even more dangerous than they already are.
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