Good Braves Return, Beat Nationals 11-8

Viva

LA

Vida!

Yea, that is a tribute to our newly acquired reliever!

The Braves beat the Nationals tonight 11-8. Freddie Freeman called it a must win, and the Braves absolutely delivered. Adam Duvall and Josh Donaldson combined for three home runs, while the top of the order absolutely made the most of their opportunities. Ender Inciarte also contributed three hits, two runs, and two RBIs.

However, even more important than the offense was Julio Teheran. He pitched 6.2 inning and gave up seven hits, two earned runs, and two walks while striking out six. He ended his month of July just as well as he started it. This was the first time Teheran threw 70 or more strikes in a game since September 28th, 2017.

Atlanta also got further validation of where there needs clearly reside. The production of Inciarte and Duvall is especially good to see. With Austin Riley continuing to struggle, both outfielders will likely see their roles continue to increase, barring something happening over the next sixteen hours. With Inciarte’s history as a second half player and Duvall’s supposed adjustments that were made in Triple-A, hopefully both will continue producing as the season progresses (yes, another outfielder would still be ideal.)

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Luke Jackson and Anthony Swarzak. After both pitchers had several days of rest, Swarzak gave up a three-run home run and Jackson gave up three runs of his own. It is unknown if something is ailing either reliever, but this production in their returns is quite concerning. While Chris Martin is certainly a start, Atlanta hopefully will make another move or five to help the bullpen.

All in all, the Braves are now guaranteed to finish this brutal July schedule with at least a .500 record and enter August with at least a 4.5 game lead in the East. While the season is far from over, the Braves have weathered this storm quite well so far.

Hopefully Alex Anthopoulos and his staff have another trick or two up their sleeves for the stretch run and the playoffs. While time will tell what the ultimate value of this stretch means, the Braves have proven how good of a team they are. Hopefully the experience will continue to make this season special.