Unsung heroes lead Braves to victory over Red Sox

1. The final highlights were two runs in the eighth inning: one on Marcell Ozuna’s single, the other on Orlando Arcia’s ground ball. Ozuna gave the nod and Arcia added up front, so both deserve credit.

Before them, however, the unsung heroes had their moment.

Jarred Kelenic hit his first home run in a Braves uniform. Aaron Bummer kept the match tied with two massive takedowns. Adam Duvall saved the game with a catch to left field.

“The team needs them,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “We need everyone, the 26 we have. We need their input if we want to do anything. It’s good to see all these guys compete in a really good game.

Let’s go through all of this.

2. Entering the game, Bummer received a ground ball – except he hit it and the tying run scored. It was bad luck, as that grounder could have been a double play if it hadn’t bounced off Bummer as it passed.

“I mean, I was sitting there thinking, I was like, I knew it was coming straight back to me. If I had it, I would go straight home. And I looked behind me, and Ozzie (Albies) was standing right behind me – so I was (upset) that I didn’t get out of the way, because Ozzie was standing right there,” Bummer said.

Then Bummer was dazzled.

The bases were loaded. The game was tied. Bummer then had two battles – one with Jarren Duran, another with Rafael Devers.

Bummer struck out Duran on six pitches. Then came a seven-pitch battle with Devers, who is one of baseball’s elite hitters. On the seventh pitch, Bummer had Devers chase a sweeper under the zone.

“I think it was just trusting (receiver Travis d’Arnaud) the fingers he was throwing,” Bummer said. “And really, I just kind of keep attacking. It was about being able to execute throws and just being able to continue to execute throws.

So far, Bummer has had his struggles. He entered this appearance with a 4.76 ERA. But Bummer did a wonderful job here.

Can we see more?

Two guys who know him well think so.

From Reynaldo López, Bummer’s former teammate with the White Sox, via interpreter Franco García: “I certainly had the privilege of watching him pitch over the last few seasons. I know what kind of pitcher he is and I know what he’s capable of, and I think that’s what we saw tonight. I think as he continues to throw and gains confidence, the pitcher you saw tonight will be the pitcher you continue to see moving forward.

From Joe Jiménez, Bummer’s current teammate who considered him an adversary for years: “Absolutely. I saw him when I was in Detroit, against Chicago a lot, and I saw him (be) nasty. I saw a pitcher who dominated righties and lefties. I know the pitcher he can be. This also happened to me last year, at the beginning of the year, just to fit in. You’re just trying to get comfortable. It’s difficult when you join a team to do good right away. It’s really difficult. I think he fits in perfectly where we need him.

3. When he saw Tyler O’Neill touch the ball, Jiménez thought he was destined to find the grass.

“I mean, obviously I missed my spot because it wasn’t supposed to be in the middle (part of the strike zone),” Jiménez said. “But yeah, when I saw that ball hit, I thought it was going to go between the two outfielders.”

Then Duvall robbed his old team with a terrific play in the eighth inning, on a ball that seemed certain to score a run and give Boston a lead.

Duvall ran to his left, slipped and made a great grab. No racing. The round is over.

“It’s awesome,” Snitker said. “Really good play. People don’t realize the ball comes out of the lights right there, and it’s tough.” And he has already worked a lot in this area. It was obviously a huge play, a huge play, and probably a game-changer.

The Braves offense is dangerous and often puts up comebacks, but in its current state, who knows what would have happened? This catch could have saved the game for Atlanta.

4. It has been since June 9, 2023, and over a period of 232 at-bats, that Kelenic had hit a home run. In the meantime, he fractured his foot, returned to action, then experienced the second exchange of his career.

On Tuesday, the moment came: Kutter Crawford threw Kelenic a juicy cutter, and he lit it up and sent it to the Chop House for a two-run homer. The blast gave Atlanta a 2-0 lead.

“He’s been great,” Snitker said. “He handled everything. He continued to believe in himself and work. It was good to see the power. I’m sure it felt really good to him. That’s why we love it. You see what he can do, what he can bring. You see it in the outfield, defensively, the speed on the bases and everything. I hope tonight will be a good springboard for him.

5. López pitched well – until the last batters. It was a tough ending to an otherwise great beginning.

He had gone 5 1/3 innings, but failed to get the final two outs to reach six. And the Red Sox didn’t touch him.

No, he walked three batters. Three walks in one inning after issuing 11 walks in 35 innings previously. And Arcia’s error, which allowed former Brave Vaughn Grissom to reach, didn’t help.

The Red Sox scored a run on López’s third walk in the sixth inning. Snitker went out to get him.

“I think it was a little humid tonight,” López said. “In the sixth inning, I just think I tried to do too much. I really wanted to finish the sixth and I wanted to finish it strong, so I feel like I was maybe putting a little more pressure on myself to finish that way when I should have just stayed calm and got my game going “

But López’s teammates rewarded a performance in which he kept his team in the game and pitched well.

It’s a team game, and the Braves exemplified that in Tuesday’s win.

Stat to know

12-4 – The Braves are an MLB-best 12-4 at home this season. In 2023, they went 52-29 at Truist Park, which was the third-best home record in the majors.

Quotable

“Yes, it’s great to see how the team behaves, how the team gets along and how we fight until the very last out. I know things didn’t go our way, but luckily we were able to come together and keep fighting. – López on the team’s mentality

Following

On Wednesday, Chris Sale will start for the Braves against his former team. First pitch is at 7:20 p.m.