The Atlanta Braves needed a series win against the Los Angeles Dodgers. They got it Wednesday night at Truist Park.
Ha-Seong Kim, the unlikeliest name on the roster, ripped a pinch-hit single in the ninth to finish a 6-5 win. It was his first hit since June 3. He came in 5-for-76. The Braves kept him around through a brutal slump. That swing paid it off.
Tuesday had already given them a 4-3 win. Ozzie Albies singled home the go-ahead run in the eighth. Raisel Iglesias got the save after Shohei Ohtani led off the ninth with a triple. Two late comebacks in two nights. That’s how you take a series from a first-place club.
Smith-Shawver Survives the Test
AJ Smith-Shawver made his third start of the season and lasted five innings. That was longer than either of his first two trips, both of which ended at 4.1. He allowed three runs on five hits, walked three, and struck out three.
The command problems were still there. The Mets had gotten two earned runs out of him. The Twins got four. His xERA sat at 5.75 coming in. He had only 8.2 innings on the year before Wednesday.
There were still pieces worth keeping. He limited hard contact at a 35.7 percent clip. He is throwing the fastball less than he did last season and mixing in more curveballs. The heater still plays. He punched out Ohtani on four pitches, one of them a 98.4 mph fastball.
The Dodgers did damage anyway. Hunter Feduccia singled in a run. Tommy Edman hit a two-run homer. Freddie Freeman doubled to lead off an inning. Smith-Shawver did not dominate. He just stayed on the mound long enough for the lineup to catch up.
Sasaki Didn’t Last Either
Roki Sasaki started for Los Angeles. He has a 4.42 ERA this year and did not make it out of the fourth. He allowed four runs in 3 1/3 innings, then left with a blister on his pitching hand. The Dodgers planned to put him on the injured list after the game.
Matt Olson had already gone deep in the first, a 1-2 pitch for a 1-0 lead. That homer put him three away from 40 on the season. The rest of the night was singles, walks, and whoever was still standing in the late innings.
The Bullpen Held the Door
When Smith-Shawver came out, the game was still a mess. Didier Fuentes threw two scoreless innings and escaped two bases-loaded jams. He struck out Max Muncy with a splitter to end the eighth. Fuentes has 1.8 fWAR, 10th among big-league relievers, with a 2.37 FIP and 3.10 xFIP. He is the youngest pitcher in baseball. Nights like this are why.
The Braves also claimed right-hander Ricky Vanasco off waivers and sent him to Triple-A. Depth move. Not the headline.
Kim Ends It
Lane Thomas doubled with two outs in the ninth. Another runner was on. Kim stepped in as a pinch hitter and fought an eight-pitch at-bat. The last one found left field. Thomas scored. Truist Park emptied onto the grass.
This was not pretty baseball. It was two nights of grinding against a roster that still has Ohtani in the three-hole. Smith-Shawver showed he can take the ball on a big stage and not fold in five minutes. Kim showed why the club never cut him loose.
The Braves can live with that kind of win.
