Inside the Braves’ exciting return to the Diamondbacks and what it means moving forward

The Braves faced a loss at Chase Field on Monday and turned it into a win. They stunned the Diamondbacks and their home crowd with Shawn Murphy’s game-tying home run in the ninth inning, which kept the Braves alive.

Until their final attack in the ninth, the Braves held on for a 5–4 victory over Arizona in 11 innings. With this, they ended the streak of 28 consecutive defeats when their opponent scored at least four runs.

“It was great,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “It was a team effort there. “We were lying there dead in the weeds, and (Murphy) breathed a little breath into us.”

Five comments on this incredible win:

1. The Braves promoted Eddie Rosario to the big league team on Monday after three days in Triple A. By around 8:50 pm local time, the game depended on his bat. He stepped up to face Arizona closer Paul Seewald.

On the second pitch of the fight, Rosario fouled out a high four-seam fastball. Then he swung through another four-seamer at the top of the zone.

So on the fourth pitch, Seewald threw a fastball over and away from the zone. It was so high that it would have been close to Rosario’s collarbone.

And somehow, he hit a single to right field.

“I’m not surprised. I’ve done it before,” Rosario said about hitting that pitch. “It’s no surprise to me.”

The next batter, Murphy hit a two-run shot to right-center field. With this, Seewald was saved for the third consecutive time.

Braves fans traveling to Phoenix went wild. The team also did the same. He had another chance. It looked like it might be a huge loss, but they had hope.

“I mean, pretty quiet,” Murphy said of being in the batter’s box at the time. “You just try and get your best swing. Keep the line going. Obviously, I hit Homer. But (my mentality) was just to bring the next guy up, and see what happens. But it went my way and left the ballpark.”

The Braves scored once in the 10th inning and Arizona tied it. Then Atlanta scored a run in the 11th.

With a runner on second base, Joe Jimenez earned his second save.

It all started with Rosario’s insane swing.

“It was unbelievable,” Murphy said. “We know this from Eddie. Eddie can attack anything, and he knows it. He is not afraid to go there and swing. He’s dangerous no matter where you throw him.”

From the clubhouse, Bryce Elder – who started the game – watched that ninth inning. He saw the location of the pitch hit by Rosario.

And what would he think if he were Seewald?

“I’d probably be confused,” Elder said. “Especially with his fastball and the way he plays, I would probably be really confused. But Eddie took a good swing at it, so we’ll take it.”

2. Knowing baseball means understanding that the game’s greatest moments may not come in the ninth inning or later. The unsung heroes often arrive well before the game’s conclusion.

A Brave Hero: Grant Holmes.

He entered the game with the bases loaded in the sixth inning and issued a walk that allowed one run – a run credited to Elder, not Holmes – and then did not surrender another. Holmes did not give up an earned run in three innings.

The Braves fell behind by two runs as Holmes recorded nine outs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. They kept the deficit at two runs.

“He just comes in and he knows his role and he knows he’s there to throw strikes and get outs and give us some innings,” Murphy said. “And when he gets there, he does exactly the same thing. He places his foot on the pedal and applies pressure to the other attack to swing the bat. Man, he was great tonight. All credit goes to him.”

Think about it this way: If Holmes hadn’t pitched well, the Braves would have faced a steeper climb in the final few innings. Rosario and Murphy recorded hits that will be remembered, but Holmes kept Atlanta within striking distance.

Holmes has allowed two earned runs in the first 15 2/3 innings of his career. He is the first Braves reliever since Taylor Phillips in 1956 to allow two or fewer runs in at least 15 2/3 innings in the first seven games of his career.

Then there was your closer Raisel Iglesias, who threw two innings playing for the Angels for the first time since 2021. He threw only 11 pitches in the ninth inning and looked to return in the 10th inning. Snitker said that if the Braves had scored in the 10th, which they did on Ozzie Albies’ sacrifice fly, he would have used only Iglesias. Iglesias allowed an inherited runner to score the extra, but he did his job and tied it.

“It means he wants to win, and at the end of the game that’s the kind of guy I want with the ball,” Murphy said of Iglesias going two innings.

In the 11th, with a runner on second, Jiménez ended the game.

“This is huge,” Jimenez said. “I think when you get in those situations, especially now in extra innings, you have to try your best to hold the runner, especially if we have a lead. It’s crazy, but cool.”

3. Joc Pederson, a former Brave, remained at third base as the D-backs continued to threaten in the sixth. Holmes tried to get out of it.

With one out, Gabriel Moreno threw a ball behind first base in foul territory. Olson accelerated toward the ball, which went deep into foul territory down the right field line.

With his back to the ball, he slid, extended his glove and snatched the ball, and in the same motion, slid around on his knees and threw home. Somehow, he got the ball to Murphy at home and Pederson ran back to third base.

“I mean, he was fantastic,” Murphy said. “I was thinking, ‘Man, I kind of want to give up on him.’ “But he had the wherewithal to slide and throw, (that) he caught the runner. That saved a run right there.”

He had to catch the ball. And then he had to find a way to make a good throw.

It was incredible.

“I don’t know how he did it,” Snitker said. “And just get up and launch it home.”

4. The Braves took a one-run lead in the bottom of the sixth. They left with a deficit of two runs.

In the frame, the Braves made an error and walked three straight batters – two from Elder, one from Holmes.

And it seemed as if it would be very difficult for the batsmen to overcome this innings.

Three batters into the game, Austin Riley provided a key moment reception to Arizona’s Yilber Diaz – a 23-year-old player making his MLB debut. Riley swung a fastball inside at 97 mph and deposited it over the concourse beyond the high wall in center field.

It turned out to be the Braves’ only run against Diaz. The right-hander held Atlanta to that one run over six innings. He made do with some jam.

The Braves have suffered from an inability to capitalize on key opportunities this season. And on Monday, they went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.

Then came the ninth, when he tied the game against Seewald and erased whatever had come before Murphy’s blast.

5. Up to this point, the Braves have struggled to gain momentum. They will win several games, then revert to their old habits. For fans, it’s been confusing and frustrating.

This kind of win – back on the road against a good team – could be the start of something new.

“I mean, I think it’s good,” Elder said. “I think winning hard is what keeps you going. “Looking at the last few weeks shows that these are wins that can take us forward.”

The Braves are known for their aggressive offense that can stun opponents late in a game, if it has not already stunned them. But up to this point, the Braves have been quiet — by their standards, at least — in the final stretch of the game.

not this time.

On this night, they attacked late and won a signature victory. This could be the best win of the season.

What could it do for them going forward?

“I don’t know. I think we’ll find out,” Snitker said. “It’s a good win. It’s a hard, hard-fought win.”

stat to know

2-33 – Before Monday, the Braves were 2-33 when trailing after eight innings.

quotable

“Yes, I would say it does. Hopefully this will give some more momentum going forward. I think we all felt pretty good about tonight.” – Murphy on whether comebacks like this give the team extra momentum

next

We’ve got a big matchup on deck: On Tuesday, Sale will take the field against Diamondbacks legend Jack Gallen. First pitch is at 9:40 pm