Eddie Rosario slams Diamondbacks as Braves take series
Late game heroics from Eddie Rosario helped seal the series win for Atlanta as they took down the Diamondbacks 8-5.
Ozzie Albies got things going in the top of the second with a line drive single. Albies followed his hit with excellent baserunning as he would steal second and then reach third on a throwing error.
After a walk to Marcell Ozuna, Orlando Arcia bounced into a double play, but Arcia scored giving the Braves a 1-0 lead. Arizona would answer right back in the bottom of the second as Geraldo Perdomo doubled home Jake McCarthy to tie it up 1-1.
The Diamondbacks took the lead in the third as Arizona’s rookie sensation Corbin Carroll hit a line drive homer to left center to make it 2-1. Carroll’s homer would then be followed by three straight singles which would result in another run giving Arizona a 3-1 lead going into the top of the fourth.
The Braves would refuse to be down long though as Travis d’Arnaud got things started in the fourth with a line drive single. Two batters later Ozzie Albies stepped to the plate and delivered a two-run homer tying the game back up at 3-3.
Once again, Arizona answered right back taking a 5-3 lead on a two-run homer by Ketel Marte. The homer would be followed by a double and then a walk which led to Michael Soroka’s day coming to an end.
Soroka finished his day with 3 2/3 innings pitched and gave up five earned runs, seven hits, and four walks. Collin McHugh replaced Soroka and struck out Emmanuel Rivera to end the inning.
McHugh worked a scoreless fifth and then gave way to 20-year old rookie A.J. Smith-Shawver for his Major League debut. Smith-Shawver turned in an outstanding inning against one of the top lineups in baseball as he retired the side three up three down and also recorded his first major league strikeout.
Atlanta’s lineup would look to get things going again in the seventh with the score still sitting at 5-3. Ronald Acuna Jr. got things going with a lead-off single and then stole his 25th bag of the season. Matt Olson delivered an RBI single to cut the deficit to 5-4.
Smith-Shawver returned for the seventh and added two more strikeouts to his ledger in a perfect inning. He came back out to start the eighth, but walked Jake McCarthy to start the inning. After a fly out by Geraldo Perdomo, Brian Snitker would turn to A.J. Minter who struck out Gabriel Moreno and then got Pavin Smith to ground out to strand the runner at third.
The Braves would complete the comeback in the ninth. Micahel Harris II walked to start the inning and then advanced all the way to third on a single by Acuna. Acuna then stole second, but Olson struck out for the first out. Arizona walked Austin Riley intentionally to load the bases for Travis d’Arnaud who lined out softly to Perdomo at shortstop. That would leave it Eddie Rosario who jumped on a 1-0 sinker in the middle of the plate and drove it over the wall in right for a grand slam to put the Braves in front 8-5.
Raisel Iglesias walked Marte to start the ninth, but he was erased as Carroll grounded into a 3-6-1 double play. Christian Walker grounded out to Riley at third to end the game.
Atlanta takes the series and improves to 35-24 on the season. They complete their road trip with a 3-3 record. They will enjoy an off day Monday before opening up a big three-game series against the New York Mets on Tuesday.
Source: Battery Power
