Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: The Atlanta Braves went for the sweep of the Washington Nationals, but came up just short.  The offense that scored eight runs on back-to-back nights didn’t have their best game on Thursday.  Atlanta had only six hits and scored just two runs…those two runs came off of Ozzie Albies bat when he drilled an opposite field two-run homer in the 6th inning.  It should have been a three-run homer though…
Ender Inciarte had a 3-1 count against Nats pitcher Tanner Roark with Rio Ruiz on first.  The 3-1 pitch came in low and inside, but the umpire called it a strike.  Definitely not a strike, but the Nats catcher, Pedro Severino, did a great job selling the pitch.  Anyhow, the ump called a strike and it went to a 3-2 pitch.  Ender then grounded out, but got a few words in to show his displeasure in the call.  The ump didn’t say much back to Ender so maybe he knew he had made a mistake?  Yeah, let’s go with that.
On the flipside, Matt Wisler came in to pitch for the Braves in the 6th inning…great idea.  The dude is getting shelled every time he takes the mound.  I’m not sure why he has a jersey, still pitches or is even still with the organization.  Great kid, but geeeeez.
For a full recap, check ours out here
Braves lose 5-2
| Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | PA | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ender Inciarte CF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .307 | .352 | .411 | .764 |
| Ozzie Albies 2B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .292 | .358 | .481 | .839 |
| Freddie Freeman 1B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | .317 | .415 | .607 | 1.023 |
| Matt Kemp LF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .280 | .322 | .470 | .792 |
| Nick Markakis RF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .279 | .361 | .395 | .756 |
| Kurt Suzuki C | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .269 | .343 | .504 | .847 |
| Johan Camargo 3B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .304 | .338 | .478 | .816 |
| Dansby Swanson SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | .236 | .320 | .337 | .658 |
| Mike Foltynewicz P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .048 | .048 | .048 | .095 |
| Â Â Â Rex Brothers P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Â Â Â Rio Ruiz PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .205 | .277 | .316 | .593 |
| Â Â Â Matt Wisler P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Â Â Â Matt Adams PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .273 | .317 | .531 | .848 |
| Â Â Â Ian Krol P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Team Totals | 33 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 34 | .182 | .206 | .273 | .479 |
| Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Foltynewicz, L (10-13) | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4.79 |
| Rex Brothers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8.05 |
| Matt Wisler | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8.60 |
| Ian Krol | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5.55 |
| Team Totals | 8 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 5.62 |
Nationals stave off sweep with win in finale against Braves
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: The Washington Nationals have their own young bright star in Victor Robles.  The 20-year-old from the Dominican Republic had a terrific night at the plate against the Braves on Thursday.  Batting in the six-hole, he went 2-4 with a RBI and two runs scored.  One of his hits was a triple.  Joe Simpson said on the broadcast that he’s like a six-tool guy…can hit for power, average, speed, arm, defense.  Dude looks like our Ronald Acuna.  This should be fun for the foreseeable future in the NL East.
After the Braves and Ozzie Albies cut the lead to 3-2 — Albies hit an oppo two-run homer — the Nats and Robles tacked on two more runs in the 6th.  Braves couldn’t fight back on this night and fell to the Nats 5-2.  Braves are now 66-79 in the 2017 season.
"Rookie Victor Robles was a part of a pair of two-run rallies, Tanner Roark pitched six strong innings, and the Washington Nationals beat the Atlanta Braves 5-2 on Thursday.Washington salvaged the final game of the three-game set to earn its first victory since clinching the NL East on Sunday.In his second career start, Robles, who entered the year as the top prospect in the Nationals’ organization and made his major league debut last week, offered a few more glimpses of his coveted skillset."
Next: A Correction: Free Agents/Qualifying Offers
Minter showing why he could be future closer
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: Braves fans have been screaming for Minter all year and now we’ve finally got him up to the big leagues.  The 24-year-old lefty has appeared in nine games with the Atlanta Braves — 8.2 innings pitched — and holds a 3.12 ERA with 12 strikeouts and zero, yes 0, walks!
This should be another battle as we head into the 2018 season — will Arodys VizcaÃno keep his closer duties or will Minter overtake him?  That’s for the 2018 manager — whoops, I meant Brian Snitker — to decide.
Minter definitely proved himself this season in the minor leagues. Â He jumped from Single A Rome all the way up to the Atlanta Braves. Â He appeared in 26 games for all four minor league teams in 2017 before getting the call in September to join the Braves. Â Minter was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 2nd round of the 2015 MLB Draft out of Texas A&M University.
"It took A.J. Minter a little longer to get to the majors this season than expected because of a couple of injuries in the spring, but now that he’s here, the rookie left-hander is demonstrating why some believe he’s a potential future closer."
"Minter struck out three in a scoreless eighth inning in the Braves’ 8-2 win against the Nationals on Wednesday night, giving him 12 strikeouts with no walks in 8 2/3 innings over his first nine relief appearances, only the second Braves pitcher in more than a century to start his career with nine walk-free appearances.Minter, who turned 24 this month, features a mid-to-upper 90-mph fastball and devastating slider. He was a second-round draft pick by the Braves out of Texas A&M in 2015, and likely would’ve been a first-rounder if he weren’t recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery at that time."