Stanton homers, but Braves walk off vs. Fish

September 9th, 2017

ATLANTA -- padded his Major League-leading home run total to 54, but it was the Braves who charged back from a four-run deficit and claimed another walk-off win over the Marlins.
drew a two-out, four-pitch bases-loaded walk in the ninth inning off , as the Braves edged the Marlins, 6-5, on Saturday night at SunTrust Park. It was Atlanta's eighth walk-off of the season, and fourth against Miami, including two this series.
"I was actually swinging until I got to 2-0, and then I saw he was really struggling to throw strikes," Inciarte said. "So, I was just going to see if he could find the zone and get back in it. … It's just one of those games where you just have to be patient and let them try to do something because they're the one in control of that situation."

The Marlins have now lost 11 of 13 and are on the brink of elimination in the National League East. Washington's magic number to clinch is two, and Miami lost ground in the NL Wild Card standings.
"You're up 4-0, and you kind of just don't lock it down there and let them back in," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "We've swung the bats a little better here, and guys have had better at-bats. Obviously, it's disappointing losing like that."
With Hurricane Irma nearing landfall in Florida, the Braves are offering complimentary tickets all series to displaced residents from states in mandatory evacuation areas. Just under 7,300 tickets were handed out to people from Florida, Georgia and South Carolina on Saturday.

Stanton's 54th homer, a no-doubter off lefty , was the second-longest tater tracked by Statcast™ at SunTrust Park, with a projected distance of 456 feet and an exit speed of 113.7 mph. It marked the second-longest home run at the Braves' new home. Stanton set the ballpark standard with a 477-foot smash on Aug. 4.
Fried limited the Cubs to one run over five innings in his Major League debut at Wrigley Field last weekend, but he struggled to get a feel for his curveball in this outing and was chased after allowing four runs (three earned) -- in just 3 2/3 innings.
"I felt like I was having a hard time putting guys away," Fried said. "Fortunately for me, my teammates picked me up. It was an unbelievable game."

After falling behind by four runs, the Braves rallied back. hit a two-run homer off in a three-run fourth inning.
"With Camargo there, changeup," Conley said. "Looking back at that, just thinking, 'Man, I threw that into the guy's barrel.' Whether it is execution of that, the pitch selection, I'm thinking, I'm not getting the job physically done."
Camargo showcases highs and lows of youth

Miami built a 5-3 lead on J.T. Realmuto's RBI single in the fifth, but Atlanta knotted it at 5 on Freddie Freeman's run-scoring single off in the sixth.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Walk the walk-off: , Thursday night's walk-off hero for the Braves, started the ninth with a single to center off Barraclough. came in to pinch-run. Dansby Swanson, who was attempting to bunt, walked. Camargo's sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third. The Marlins then went with a fifth infielder, moving left fielder to play toward second base. grounded to at short and threw out Johnson at home.
"It finally worked," Mattingly said of using the fifth infielder. "Usually, when you get to that point, you're not in great shape. Miggy made a nice play there."

, who entered as a defensive replacement in the ninth inning and is nursing a sore right wrist, walked to load the bases before Inciarte took four straight balls to seal the Braves' win. Markakis told Braves manager Brian Snitker just before the start of the game his right wrist, which he injured Wednesday night, had improved enough for him to be used as a pinch-hitter.
Kemp goes airborne, turns two: The Marlins took chances against Matt Kemp in left field. In the fourth inning, Ozuna scored from first on Realmuto's triple to left after Kemp was slow getting to the ball in the corner. But in the seventh, Kemp made the defensive play of the night in a tied ballgame. With , who doubled over Kemp's head, on second, Ozuna lined the ball into the gap in left-center with no outs. Yelich took off, believing the ball would drop. But Kemp made a diving catch, and with Yelich charging toward home, the left fielder threw to second to complete the double play.
"That's a tough one because Yeli gets great reads, and he's had a couple of those that were right on," Mattingly said. "It looked like he was going to be right on again, and that one just hung a little bit and Matt made a nice play." More >

QUOTABLE
"I told [bench coach] Terry Pendleton, I don't think I've ever been a part of one. I've seen them on TV. But this is the first I can remember I was a part of." -- Snitker, on the walk-off walk
"Really, it's pretty much been frustrating all year. I feel like my mind and the work I'm trying to do throughout the week is good. I just haven't been able to physically go accomplish what my plan is with these guys." -- Conley, on exiting after 4 2/3 innings and struggling to preserve a four-run lead
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Dee Gordon, who stole his 50th base on Friday night, singled in the fourth inning to extend his hitting streak to 13 games. That matches his career high, now done four times.
STANTON REACHES 54
Sensing he was laboring, Mattingly gave Stanton Friday off, although he was intentionally walked and scored a run as a pinch-hitter in Friday's 7-1 win. Refreshed, Stanton connected on Fried's 2-1 fastball. It marked the 25th time in MLB history that a player has reached 54 homers, with of the Blue Jays (2010) being the last to hit that many. Stanton has 26 go-ahead home runs, the most in the Majors since Mark McGwire's 30 in 1998. More >

WHAT'S NEXT
Marlins: The four-game series with the Braves wraps up at 1:35 p.m. ET on Sunday at SunTrust Park. Right-hander (0-3, 3.57 ERA) gets the nod for Miami. Despaigne is making is fifth start, getting the chance to show whether he fits into the rotation's future plans.
Braves:R.A. Dickey will take the mound when these two teams conclude the series on Sunday. Dickey's ERA has risen from 3.89 to 4.14 as he has allowed at least four earned runs in three of his past four starts.
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