BALTIMORE — The Braves escaped, in any definition of the word, with a 3-2 victory in 11 innings over the Orioles at Camden Yards on Sunday.
After blowing a 2-1 lead in the ninth inning, and somehow getting out of a base-loaded, none-out jam in the 10th, Austin Riley provided the game-winner with an RBI single in the top of the 11th. It was the 23rd series win for the Braves (62-43) and 11th victory in a rubber game.
Riley’s winner came after the Braves were two outs away, perhaps just one play away, from winning two innings prior.
Closer Raisel Iglesias began the ninth, with his team leading 2-1, by walking the leadoff hitter. Then after a strikeout, Iglesias got a Taylor Made double-play ball off the bat of Leody Tavares - but Ozzie Albies at second let the ball roll right through his legs into right field.
Pinch-runner Coby Mayo went all the way to third, then scored to tie the game on Jackson Hollday’s groundout to second, a grounder that Albies dove to his left to stop and, momentarily, save the game.
The Braves had first and second and nobody out in the 10th only to have Michael Harris II pop up to shortstop, Mauricio Dubón foul out to first and Dominic Smith fly out to center field.
Starting the bottom of the 10th, with a runner on second, left-hander Danny Young walked Dylan Beavers – who was trying to bunt – and then Pete Alonso was intentionally walked. With the infield drawn-in, and with Dubón brought in as an extra infielder, Gunnar Henderson ripped a line-drive to first base that Olson got before stepping on the bag for a double play.
Tyler Kinley came in to face the right-handed Taylor Ward and got Ward to pop up a 3-1 pitch to Olson at first. Kinley got two easy outs to start the 11th, then walked a pair (one intentional) before getting Sam Huff to roll out to third.
Hours before, Braves starter Reynalod López went 5 2/3 scoreless innings, his longest outing since March 28 (the second game of the season) and struck out six. His fastball only averaged 92 mph, and he only got five whiffs on 41 swings, but 15 of his 56 strikes were called strikes and 10 of the 17 outs he recorded were harmless fly balls.
In his previous two starts, López (5-3) had allowed nine earned runs on 14 hits over 9 1/3 innings.
After López got the first two outs of the sixth and then gave up a slow-rolling single to Christian Encarnacion-Strand, lefty Dylan Dodd came in and got the final out of the sixth before pitching a 1-2-3 seventh.
Dylan Lee followed and gave up a solo home run to Pete Alonso with one out in the eighth, a 419-foot shot to left on an 0-2 slider. It was Alonso’s 22nd homer of the season.
That run proved to be crucial ahead of the chaotic final innings.
Michael Harris II led off the second inning by lining the first pitch from Orioles starter Shane Baz into center field for a base hit. Harris went to second when center fielder Colton Cowser bobbled the ball, then to third on Mauricio Dubón’s fly out to deep center.
Smith slapped an RBI single to down the third-base line giving the Braves the lead. It was the 39th time this season the Braves have scored first on their opponent.
Smith put the Braves ahead 2-0 in the fourth when his two-out, two-strike single to left scored Matt Olson from third. Left fielder Colton Cowser just missed making a diving, run-saving catch.
Baz (4-10), after throwing 90 pitches, was lifted after a one-out walked to Drake Baldwin in the fifth. Of the two runs Baz allowed, only one was earned, and the righty navigated around two walks and six hits.
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