The Braves went 19 years without winning a postseason series. They’ve now reached the National League Championship Series in consecutive Octobers, the latest one thanks to their MVFree.
A topsy-turvy Game 4 ended with reigning National League MVP Freddie Freeman homering off All-Star Brewers reliever Josh Hader in the eighth, leading the Braves to a 5-4 win over the Brewers on Tuesday at Truist Park. They won the NL Division Series, 3-1. Unlike the previous three games, this one featured plenty of offense and just enough timely hitting.
Resiliency is these Braves’ modus operandi. They were eight games back in June. They didn’t cross the .500 mark until early August. They were crossed off by the masses multiple times. Yet they’re four wins from a World Series berth.
Game 4 was another showcase for their battle-back mentality. They fell behind two runs and immediately answered with two runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Known for slugging their way past the opposition in the second half, the Braves had to defeat the Brewers in a low-scoring, high-stress series with their pitching and clutch hitting.
The Braves scored all five runs with two outs Tuesday. They were 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position overall, yet it was enough because Freeman’s two-out shot sealed it.
The game’s madness started in the fourth inning, when the Brewers took their first lead since Game 1, thanks to finally converting with runners in scoring position.
Entering Game 4, the Braves and Brewers were a combined 2-for-33 with runners in scoring position (the Braves had both hits). Milwaukee reached 0-for-20 in such situations before Omar Narvaez’s one-out single scored a run.
It ended Braves pitching’s 22-inning scoreless streak. It also ended Charlie Morton’s outing. Morton went 3-1/3 innings in his second postseason start on short rest.
Enter Jesse Chavez, who surrendered an RBI single to Lorenzo Cain before eventually stranding the bases loaded with a strikeout of Willy Adames. During the inning, the Brewers had lefty starter Erik Lauer bunt rather than replace him with a pinch-hitter.
The Brewers scored as many runs in the fourth (two) as they did across the previous three contests. They were dreadful at the plate, striking out 33 times and leaving 41 on base over those games. Their fortune finally flipped the other way.
But the lead didn’t last long. Third baseman Austin Riley singled to start he fourth, setting up the wildest sequence of the contest. Outfielder Adam Duvall popped out in foul ground, with infielder Luis Urias catching the ball at the ground after it ricocheted off Narvaez’s glove.
The ball appeared to hit the ground as Urias was making the catch. The umpires went to a rule check and discovered under MLB rules, only catch plays in the outfield are reviewable. Duvall was ruled out and Truist Park – full of fans fed up with their team drawing the short stick in replay scenarios – erupted with thunderous boos.
After outfielder Joc Pederson’s popup, catcher Travis d’Arnaud walked and outfielder Guillermo Heredia was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Manager Brian Snitker turned to Eddie Rosario as a pinch-hitter, and Rosario rewarded him with a two-run single up the middle to reset the game. Urias then made a stellar play at third to rob Swanson of a go-ahead hit and end the inning.
Milwaukee regained its two-run advantage three hitters later. Outfielder Christian Yelich hit a hard single that bounced off first baseman Freeman’s glove. An out later, slugger Rowdy Tellez – the man responsible for the game-winning homer in Game 1 – deposited a hanging slider from Huascar Ynoa into center field.
The Braves battled back, as they have throughout the season. Second baseman Ozzie Albies produced a one-out infield single. Riley followed with a four-pitch walk. Duvall was hit by a pitch to load the bases. The Braves were back in business against the hard-throwing Aaron Ashby.
Pederson, the star of the series, hit a chopper that resulted in a fielder’s choice and scored a run. Pederson beat the throw at first to avoid the double play. D’Arnaud tied the score by hitting a ball just past Tellez at first.
The Braves had consecutive two-out hits against Ashby in the sixth. Stuck in a dangerous spot with runners at the corners, Milwaukee turned to starter Brandon Woodruff, who retired Riley on one pitch.
Milwaukee lifted Woodruff for Hader in the eighth, intending for him to log the final two innings. That plan - and the Brewers’ season - was ruined when Freeman punished a hanging slider into left center. It was Freeman’s fifth career postseason home run.
The Braves avoided a winner-take-all Game 5 in Milwaukee. They instead tuned into Dodgers-Giants later Tuesday to see who their opponent will be in the next round. If the Giants win, the Braves will travel to San Francisco for Game 1 om Saturday. If the Dodgers advance, the Braves would host Game 1 on Saturday because the Dodgers, despite 106 wins, are a wild-card team.
Left-hander Max Fried is set to start Game 1 of the NLCS. He pitched once in the NLDS, logging six scoreless innings. The Giants could advance with a win over the Dodgers late Tuesday night. Otherwise, the teams will play a winner-take-all Thursday in San Francisco.
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