BALTIMORE -- Matt Olson’s 27th home run of the season will surely rank among his biggest.
Olson connected for a three-run drive in the 10th inning off Andrew Kittredge, and the Braves rallied from behind twice to a 7-6 victory over the Orioles on Friday night to open their first road series of the second half.
Olson’s Statcast-projected 416-foot shot to right-center put the exclamation point on NL East-leading Atlanta’s sixth win out of eight since the All-Star break, after Jim Jarvis’ fielder’s choice plated the automatic runner to put the Braves in front.
It was Olson’s seventh homer in July, and his second since returning from his fourth All-Star appearance, the other coming in a 15-1 rout of the Rangers in the first game back.
Elieser Hernández worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth inning in his first MLB appearance since 2024 after the Braves selected his contract on Sunday.
Dylan Lee allowed three runs in the bottom of the 10th, two on Christian Encarnacion-Strand’s opposite-field shot with two retired, before striking out Sam Huff to seal it.
Drake Baldwin’s solo home run off Rico Garcia’s changeup tied it 3-3 in the eighth inning. Before that, Mauricio Dubón’s sac fly and Austin Riley’s first single evened things at 2 in the fourth against otherwise impeccable O’s lefty Trevor Rogers.
Baltimore retook the lead in the bottom of the fourth on Jackson Holliday’s sac fly, the last run allowed by Grant Holmes in his five innings. He struck out five while allowing six hits and two walks in his 12th consecutive start allowing three or fewer runs, but also his seventh in a row failing to work more than five frames.
While searching in vain for a key hit until the late stages, the Braves made several fine late defensive plays to stay in it.
Center fielder Michael Harris II’s warning-track grab robbed Pete Alonso of extra bases in the third. Holmes escaped the fifth when shortstop Jorge Mateo made an exceptional backhanded stop and throw against his former team to retire Taylor Ward. And in the sixth, Dubón laid out to prevent Chadwick Tromp’s flare from dropping in for a single that would’ve plated at least one Baltimore insurance run.