Wednesday's Braves Report: Well, that was a hump day to forget; days off turn into work days for Swanson and Freeman; observations
Braves-Red Sox turn into a Six Flags ride, but Boston exits happily
Atlanta led 2-0, 2-1 and then 7-1.
And lost.
Brandon Phillips’ two-run homer in the top of the ninth capped a huge finish for Boston in a 9-8 win over Atlanta in an afternoon game.
Mike Foltynewicz left after six, with five strikeouts, two walks, two hits and a run, boosted by a five-run Braves fifth.
The Red Sox turned a nice Braves win into a roller coaster, with four runs against Dan Winkler and two against Jonny Venters – he of the sub-1.00 ERA entering the game – in a six-run eighth to tie it.
Freddie Freeman almost saved the day, coming in as a pinch-hitter in the eighth and delivering a two-out solo homer to give Atlanta a 9-8 lead.
Boston got the momentum back with Andrew Benintendi’s one-out single, and then Atlantan Phillips’ bomb to left an out later.
Craig Kimbrel then gave up a two-out walk and finished it with a strikeout.
Swanson sits after plunking (but played)
And Freddie gets a break (but played)
From beat writers Gabe Burns/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Mark Bowman/MLB.com, and David O’Brien/The Athletic on Twitter (and others when notable)
Freeman didn't put up much of a fight when told he wouldn't play today. His wrist is fine. He's just learned it's not wise to remain stubborn regarding the insistence to start 162 games./MB
As Freeman accepted a day off with the hope it will prove beneficial down the stretch, he once again said his wrist is fine. But his recent power decline and average exit velocity since the fracture create cause for concern/MB
With his two-run triple in the fifth, Albies is now hitting .451 (23-for-51) from the right side since the break. He has hit .146 (14-for-96) from the left side during this span./MB
Winkler since July prior to today: 14 appearances, 0.00 ERA, 13 innings, 8 hits, 3 walks, 14 strikeouts, .174 opp. avg, .436 opp. OPS. If that’s ineffective, what’s effective?DOB
Just the run of the mill day off for Freeman, whose eighth-inning homer gives the Braves the lead/MB
There have been plenty of head-scratching decisions regarding when Snitker takes out starters. Just seems so random at times./DOB