The chance that a runner scores from third base with fewer than two outs is as high as 90%. For that run to be Shohei Ohtani, in a 4-3 game in the ninth inning, with the heart of the Dodgers’ lineup due up at Truist Park on Tuesday? Well, without checking the math, those scoring odds could have soared to more like 99.9%.
But Braves closer Raisel Iglesias struck out Freddie Freeman, got a slick play from shortstop Mauricio Dubón on a slow chopper by Mookie Betts and, after an intentional walk, got Tommy Edman to fly out to right-center field, preserving a Braves one-run victory.
“My mentality is to always try to record the first out of an outing or an inning. Obviously when (Ohtani) got that triple, that didn’t work out,” Iglesias said via Braves team interpreter Franco García. “So I think at that moment you kind of have to rely on the mastery of your craft, intelligence, your veteran knowledge and sort of pull out all the stops. And I mean, that’s what we had to do.”
It was Iglesias’ 28th save of the season and few, if any, have been bigger.
The Braves (77-55) were playing their fifth of seven straight games against first-place teams, and have now won three of those after beating the Brewers on Sunday and the White Sox on Thursday.
Ozzie Albies, hitting .300 over his past eight games, provided the offensive heroics by hitting a two-out single in the bottom of the eighth that broke a 3-3 tie and drove in Matt Olson, who had doubled to lead off the inning. It was Iglesias, however, who deserved much of the spotlight.
“(Ohtani) gets to third, with no outs, 90% of the time the guy will score,” Albies said. “There’s so many things that can happen: Sac fly, base hit, a passed ball. For ‘Iggy’ to come in and shut the door after that triple, I gotta give him all the props tonight. I mean, that’s sick.”
The Braves improved to 17-5 in series openers at home, 20-19 in one-run games and 66-2 when leading after eight innings. Iglesias’ save was the 281st of his career and he is two saves shy of his sixth 30-save season.
He has also converted four straight save opportunities, none tougher than the one Tuesday.
“Like I said, I think just time and experience, time in the league — I think I’ve been fortunate to face a lot of the hitters that I’ve come up against, and so I kind of know a little bit about them,” Iglesias said. “When you find yourself in that situation, maintain your focus. Focus, focus, and just put yourself in the hitter’s shoes. You start thinking about how they’re going to try to attack you, so you kind of start attacking a little differently. Just maintain the focus and sort of get the result that you want.”
A 3-3 game through 5½ innings had turned into a battle of bullpens. Dylan Lee, Víctor Mederos and Dylan Dodd (4-1), respectively, all combined to put up zeros to bridge the gap to Iglesias. Alex Vesia, Jack Dreyer and Evan Phillips, respectively, kept the Braves at bay before Tanner Scott gave up the lead in the eighth.
Ohtani’s triple in the ninth came off a 1-0 sinker off the plate. The Dodgers’ leadoff man hit it 379 feet to the warning track in left, where a leaping Lane Thomas had the ball go off his glove.
Freeman struck out on a 3-2 changeup tumbling toward the dirt, and Betts chopped an 0-2 sinker off the plate over the mound into Dubón’s glove, who threw to first for the second out. Max Muncy was intentionally walked before Edman hit a 1-2 fastball in the air — that looked like trouble off the bat — but it fell harmlessly into Michael Harris II’s glove in right center.
“We’ve had some tough and good saves this season,” Iglesias said. “But I think I’m comfortable saying that’s probably one of the more important ones that we’ve had this season.”
Long before the late-inning drama, Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow, who hadn’t pitched since May 6 because of a back injury, took the mound to face the Braves in the bottom of the first inning — and was quickly in trouble.
Singles by Drake Baldwin and Olson brought Dubón to the plate with one out, and Dubón lined a two-strike single to right, making it 1-0. Dubón was hitting cleanup in the order for just the third time this season.
Harris made it 2-0 with a two-strike single of his own that rolled into right field. Albies made it a 3-0 game with a sacrifice fly to deep center.
Albies’ 13 sacrifice flies this season are a Braves franchise record, surpassing the 12 that both Hank Aaron and Del Crandall totaled in 1960.
“That’s pretty cool,” Albies said. “I heard about (it) a couple weeks ago, about I was a couple away or whatever. But didn’t know it was a franchise (record) in a single season. So very cool. Pretty cool stuff to accomplish.”
After the Braves jumped out to the 3-0 lead, the Dodgers (80-52) came right back with a 2-spot in the second, getting RBI singles from the bottom two hitters in the order, Alek Thomas and Hunter Feduccia, respectively. Braves starter Bryce Elder struck out Ohtani with two on and two out to end the inning.
Credit: AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser
Credit: AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser
In the fourth, Alex Call’s soft single to right center scored Edman, making it a 3-3 game.
Elder didn’t allow another run from there, and although he didn’t have his best night, battled to complete six innings. He allowed eight hits and struck out five while throwing 95 pitches. The top four hitters in the Dodgers’ order — Ohtani, Freeman, Betts and Muncy — went a combined 1-for-12
Glasnow was virtually untouchable after the first inning. He retired eight straight — including four with strikeouts — at one point, and allowed just two singles after the first inning. The right-hander threw 89 pitches over five innings and finished with seven Ks.
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