Braves Steal Game 2 to Even Series vs Dodgers — SkimNews
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- Ray Kerr and Didier Fuentes combined for 19 of the Braves' 27 outs — Kerr (recovering from Tommy John surgery) handled the first 8, while Fuentes retired 9 straight from the sixth through the eighth before yielding a 397-foot homer to Max Muncy in the ninth.
- Walt Weiss used six relievers to hold the Dodgers — baseball's most star-laden lineup — to 2 runs and hitless in 8 at-bats with runners in scoring position, with Raisel Iglesias recording the final out on a foul popup from rookie Josue De Paula.
- Freddie Freeman led off the fourth with a solo homer, and Michael Harris II tripled and scored on a wild pitch in the fifth before doubling home an insurance run in the seventh.
- Max Muncy turned on a 99 mph Fuentes fastball with two outs in the ninth to pull the Dodgers within one, three pitches before Iglesias sealed it.
- Blake Snell, a two-time Cy Young winner, was knocked out with two outs in the fourth after throwing 90 pitches as the Braves built a 2-1 lead.
- Chris Sale, originally lined up for Game 2 on four days' rest, is now set to start Game 3 in Atlanta after the Braves spent two days agonizing over whether to use him in relief Thursday.
Why it matters: The Braves stole home-field advantage without their ace, shutting down the most star-studded lineup in baseball with a third bullpen game in four days. Sale is now lined up for Game 3 at home, and if Atlanta takes one of two against Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, they close out the two-time defending champions.
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