ATLANTA — The Braves were in danger of being swept by the Marlins in a four-game series for the first time in franchise history. Then they rediscovered the late-inning magic that’s saved them so many times before.
After blowing a ninth-inning lead, the Braves rallied against Dylan Floro in the bottom of the inning, with Dansby Swanson’s walk-off single pushing them past the Marlins 7-6 on Thursday afternoon at Truist Park. It stopped the Braves’ losing streak at four, which equaled their longest skid of the past three seasons.
The win ceased one of the more frustrating stretches the Braves have endured in recent years. It also spared them the embarrassment of getting swept by a Marlins team they swept in October in a National League Division Series.
In the first game of this series, the Braves squandered a late lead and lost in extras. In the second game, after the Braves tweaked their lineup, the offense performed but the pitching faltered, with starter Max Fried getting lit up before he injured his hamstring.
The Braves rallied from a 5-0 deficit in the third game, ultimately falling short again in 10 innings. Then came Thursday, when it appeared to be more of the same as Ian Anderson and his team fell into a 3-0 hole.
It started with who else but Ronald Acuna, who smashed his MLB-leading seventh homer in the fifth inning, pulling the Braves within a run at 3-2. The shot was his 20th career home run against the Marlins, his most against any opponent. Acuna has scored at least one run in the Braves’ past seven games.
The rally continued in the sixth. Pablo Sandoval entered as a pinch-hitter and did what’s already done three times this season. His three-run homer flipped a 3-2 deficit into a 5-3 lead. Sandoval leads the majors in pinch-hit homers and is one shy of the franchise record for pinch-hit blasts in one season.
With Will Smith unavailable after pitching four times in five nights, the Braves turned to lefty A.J. Minter in the ninth with a 5-4 lead. He issued a leadoff walk, and Adam Duvall, a former Brave who’s haunted them throughout the series, hit a game-tying double. Garrett Cooper’s two-out single out Miami ahead.
Yet the Braves worked quickly in the ninth. Ender Inciarte and Acuna started with singles against Floro. Freddie Freeman drew a 10-pitch walk to load the bases without any outs. After Travis d’Arnaud struck out, Ozzie Albies drew a walk that tied the game. That set up Swanson, who singled to end it.
During their four-game skid, the Braves were outscored 32-22. Making matters more anger-inducing is the fashion in which they lost. Two of the losses were in extra innings, as mentioned earlier, and the first one was the infamous botched replay call Sunday against the Phillies.
That made Thursday’s comeback a bit sweeter. The Braves finally figured it out in the later innings, stopping the bleeding to finish their homestand. And while the difference is only one game, a 5-8 record looks much better than 4-9.
Thursday concluded the Braves’ run of facing all-division opponents in the first 13 games. There were mixed results. They were swept against the Phillies, lost three of four to the Marlins and took two of three in other series against the Phillies and Nationals. The Braves’ next five series are against non-divisional opponents. They’ll next face an NL East foe April 4 against the Nationals.
The Braves now embark on a five-game trip. Drew Smyly starts the opener of their three-game series in Chicago on Friday against the Cubs. The Braves also will face the Yankees twice in New York next week.
