The Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs met in the rubber game of a three-game series on Sunday night.
The 2021 season has gotten off to an…….well, let’s call it an uneven start for the Atlanta Braves. The Braves have not been consistently good in any facet of the game in the early going this season and have had to deal with a myriad of injuries on top of that.
After a 13-4 drubbing at the hands of the Cubs on Saturday afternoon, Atlanta would turn to NLCS star, Bryse Wilson, to try to right the ship on Sunday.
The Braves wasted little time getting on the board in this game as they clobbered four home runs in the 1st inning off of Cubs starter, Kyle Hendricks.
The Cubs started chipping away at the 6-0 lead immediately by getting 2 runs in the first and another in the third.
The Braves got a run back in the fourth, but the bigger story of the inning was the abdominal discomfort that Ronald Acuna, Jr. seemed to be feeling after diving back to the first base bag during a pickoff attempt.
After a visit from the trainer and Brian Snitker, Acuna would stay in the game and later score the lone run in the frame. But after sliding into home plate to score the run the grimace on Acuna’s face said it all and he was promptly lifted from the game.
The Braves broke the game open for good in the sixth as consecutive hits from Freeman, Ozuna and d’Arnaud started the inning. After a couple of hit by pitches loaded the bases the Braves pushed the lead to 10 runs after Guillermo Heredia hit his second home run of the night, a grand slam that capped off the scoring in the very productive sixth inning.
When the dust settled the Braves were on the right end of a 13-4 final score, winning both the game and the series against the Cubs.
The Atlanta Braves got a much-needed win on Sunday night.
After a bit of a shaky first inning, Bryse Wilson settled in and pitched a nice game. He definitely made a strong case to get at least one more start while Max Fried and Drew Smyly recover from their injuries.
Wilson’s first-inning: 2 runs (1 earned), 4 hits, and 1 walk
Wilson’s next four innings: 1 run, 3 hits, and no walks
The Braves bench players that were pushed into starting roles were definitely a bright spot in this game as well. Both Guillermo Heredia and Ehire Adrianza had great games tonight.
Adrianza: 2-4, 2 RBIs, 1 run scored
Heredia: 3-4, 2 HRs, 6 RBIs, 2 runs scored
Even though the Braves played a really good game tonight it was hard to completely enjoy it as the story of the night was Ronald Acuna leaving this game and the uncertainty of his status moving forward.
It is possible that Albies will be back in the lineup on Tuesday. However, Acuna’s status remains up in the air and given the Braves’ cautious approach to injuries, it wouldn’t be surprising if Acuna lands on the 10 day IL. Let’s hope this is not the case.
The Braves get a much-needed day off on Monday before starting a two-game set on Tuesday in New York versus the Yankees.