NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Ehire Adrianza wasn’t able to deliver the additional hit the Braves needed to avoid a 7-6 loss to the Red Sox on Tuesday afternoon at CoolToday Park. But his hot bat has enhanced the odds of him landing one of the available spots on Atlanta’s bench.

When Adrianza pulled the Braves within one run with his eighth-inning homer off Boston reliever Phillips Valdez, he was in the midst of a 7-for-7 stretch that dated back to Friday. The streak included three singles, three doubles and one home run.

Thus, when Adrianza came to the plate with a pair of runners in scoring position and two outs in Tuesday’s ninth, there was reason to think his magic might continue. He flied out to center field, but Braves manager Brian Snitker remains confident in Adrianza's abilities.

“We had the right guy up there for sure,” Snitker said.

Adrianza’s hot streak has further strengthened his bid for a roster spot. He is much more versatile defensively than fellow non-roster invitees Pablo Sandoval and Jason Kipnis. Adrianza also provides the confidence the Braves may not feel if Johan Camargo is needed to play shortstop.

“It’s never too late in situations like this,” Snitker said. “It’s good to see guys swinging the bat like this.”

Continued dominance
With the perfect inning he completed on Tuesday, Will Smith has now struck out nine of the past 13 batters faced, dating back to March 5.

“His stuff has been good, just like [Tyler] Matzek’s,” Snitker said.

Matzek was one of last year’s best comeback stories as he proved quite successful during his first Major League season since 2015. Now, the lefty is looking to once again be one of the game’s most reliable relievers. He has recorded 12 strikeouts and allowed just one run over 7 2/3 innings this spring.

Another sim game for Morton
Charlie Morton extended his preparations by completing a five-inning sim game against Austin Riley and other Braves teammates on Tuesday morning. Atlanta hasn't officially set its rotation, but Morton is lined up to start the second game of the season on April 3 in Philadelphia.

Snitker believes it is more beneficial to stage these sim games on the main field. His feeling is that the players are more competitive in that environment than they are while completing these exercises on the back fields.

“I’ve just gotten the feeling, it’s a bigger deal for the hitters,” Snitker said. “You’re not cast off to some back field and just getting through it. It just adds something.”

Ynoa’s tremendous potential
While the Braves are understandably having Huascar Ynoa prepare for the season with multi-inning appearances, he continues to show his potential to be a successful high-leverage reliever.

Ynoa recorded six strikeouts and allowed seven runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks over 4 1/3 innings on Tuesday. A Jake Lamb error led to Xander Bogaerts hitting a two-out, three-run homer in Boston's five-run third.

“I really like this kid,” Snitker said. “I think he has come a long way from where he was a year ago. Last summer, we asked him to do a lot of things. He’s a big, strong guy. He’s a versatile guy. He can start games for you and bridge gaps in the middle [of games] because he can go multiple innings. He’s got pitches and he’s got weapons. He’s that guy from the right side that can get swing-and-miss for us.”

Ynoa allowed two runs and limited opponents to a .194 batting average over nine innings of relief last year. He struck out 13 of the 39 right-handed batters he faced from Aug. 17 to Sept. 15. Ynoa's emergence as a late-inning asset would strengthen a bullpen that counts left-handers Matzek, A.J. Minter and Smith as three of its top four high-leverage options.