The Braves sent out what is believed to be their Opening Day lineup sans Julio Teheran against the Detroit Tigers on Monday with Mike Foltynewicz getting the start on the bump.
If that serves as any kind of omen for how Atlanta’s season will turn out, then Braves fans should be in good spirits as the offense finally found a rhythm to the tune of 19 hits in an 11-3 win over the Tigers.
Foltynewicz shined once again in his final tune-up before starting the season as the fifth man in the Braves’ starting rotation. He gave up three earned runs on nine hits while recording four strikeouts through 5.2 innings pitched.
Foltynewicz received something in excess that fellow Atlanta pitchers in recents weeks have been longing for - run support.
Freddie Freeman went 3-for-4 with three runs batted in, giving him a team-high 10 RBIs in Spring Training. Dansby Swanson was a perfect 3-for-3 on the day, accounting for three runs. The Braves also received multi-hit games from Adonis Garcia (2-for-4, 2 RBIs), Matt Kemp (2-for-4, 2 RBIs) and Tyler Flowers (3-for-4, 2 RBIs).
The Braves’ offense broke through first in the bottom of the second inning as Kemp led off with an opposite-field double to the warning track in right field. After a pair of outs were recorded, Garcia doubled down the left field line to drive in Markakis and give the Braves the lead. In the ensuing at-bat, Tyler Flowers notched a double off the wall in right-center field to drive in Garcia and put Atlanta up 2-0.
Atlanta’s offensive potency continued to be on display in the bottom of the third inning as the Braves sent 10 runners to the plate and added four runs to their lead.
Ender Inciarte led things off with a single up the middle, immediately followed by a Dansby Swanson ground-rule double to put runners on second and third with no outs. Freeman singled to center, driving in a pair of runs. RBI singles from Garcia and Flowers pushed Atlanta’s lead out to 6-0 in the bottom of the third.
The Tigers strung together three consecutive singles to lead off the top of the fourth inning, the third being a Víctor Martínez RBI line drive to left field that scored Omar Infante and cut Detroit’s deficit to 6-1.
Swanson and Freeman led off the bottom of the fourth with back-to-back singles, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Kemp cleaned up with a two-RBI triple, extending Atlanta’s advantage to 8-1. Markakis followed suit with an RBI single to right, scoring Kemp and making it 9-1 in favor of the Braves through four innings.
In the top of the sixth inning, Tyler Collins singled up the middle to score a pair of runs and cut Atlanta’s lead to 9-3, effectively ending Foltynewicz’s day.
The Braves got a run back in the bottom of the sixth as Swanson doubled to lead it off and was brought home on an RBI single from Freeman. Atlanta’s final run came via an RBI single from Chase d’Arnaud, scoring Flowers from second base and putting the Braves up 11-3.
After coming on in relief in the top of the sixth, Ian Krol retired four of the five batters he faced with two strikeouts and a walk. Reliever Jim Johnson found himself in a bases loaded jam in the top of the eighth inning after a pair of one-out singles and a one-out walk, but he induced an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play to escape unscathed.
Arodys Vizcaíno took over in the top of the ninth for Atlanta, allowing just one hit while recording a strikeout in one inning pitched.
The Braves have tabbed Jaime Garcia as the starter for Tuesday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles at 1:05 ET.
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