MIAMI -- Down 2-1 with the bases loaded and one out in the sixth inning, Braves manager Brian Snitker stuck with his dealing rookie right-hander -- at the plate.

Seconds before Miami intentionally walked the eighth batter, Ender Inciarte, Matt Joyce was announced in the on-deck circle. Braves starter Mike Soroka had thrown just 66 pitches to this point, and with no one warming up in the bullpen, it seemed likely he would bat for himself and return to the mound.

Though Soroka struck out on the eighth offering from Marlins reliever Nick Anderson, it hiked his pitch count. Following a mound visit, Ozzie Albies knocked the go-ahead grand slam in a 9-2 victory on Saturday night at Marlins Park.

• Box score

Following the game, Snitker admitted he was going to leave Soroka in “all the way.”

“To leave him in there with the bases loaded, that’s something that’s probably going to go unnoticed, but Snit with the call of the night,” said Brian McCann, who went 2-for-4 with three RBIs. “He was cruising, and to get two more [innings], I thought that was awesome. It shows faith in the pitcher and shows us as an offense, it’s not one situation that’s going to win the game. We’re in this for the long haul. I love it.”

Albies turned on a 1-2, 95.5 mph four-seam fastball, sending it to the second deck for his third career grand slam during the decisive five-run sixth. Atlanta went from a 36.7 percent win expectancy following Soroka’s strikeout to 87 percent after Albies’ clutch knock, per FanGraphs.

“That was amazing,” said Soroka, who drove in his first career RBI with a single in the seventh. “That was the most fired up I've been for sure, when Ozzie hit that grand slam. Obviously I wanted to hit that grand slam before, but he finished the job, and I was real pumped. That was awesome.”

It was more than enough run support for Soroka, who permitted a pair of unearned runs over seven innings to improve to 3-1 and lower his ERA to 1.14.

After allowing at least one baserunner in each of the first four frames, Atlanta’s top-ranked prospect turned dominant. Soroka scattered three hits, none after Rosell Herrera’s infield single in the fourth. Paired with Albies’ grand slam, the 21-year-old righty’s scoreless sixth and seventh innings backed up his skipper’s decision to keep him in the game.

“After that grand slam and RBI and the one inning after that, [pitching coach Rick Kranitz] said, 'Hey, let’s go. You got to go back out there and stay locked in. First guy's the biggest guy. Make sure you get back in there,'” Soroka said. “That’s nice just to have somebody who resets you and have somebody you can trust.”

Credit Soroka’s devastating two-seamer, which he threw 55 times out of his 89 total pitches. He recorded eight of his 15 called strikes on the pitch. According to Statcast, Soroka entered Saturday with the lowest expected slugging percentage allowed (.234) by a Major League starting pitcher in 2019 (minimum 50 at-bats). He also ranked second with a 59.5 percent ground-ball rate (min. 25 batted balls).

“He's the real deal,” said Ronald Acuña Jr., who collected four hits before exiting with a tight back. “He’s an incredible pitcher, amazing person. I’m not just saying this now, I’ve been saying all this through the Minor Leagues. He’s the real deal, and I’m not surprised one bit to see the results he's putting up and the numbers he's putting up right now.”

About those numbers

Soroka has allowed one earned run or fewer in each of his first four starts of the season. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the last pitcher age 21 or younger to do that was Fernando Valenzuela in 1981 (seven straight), the same year he won the National League Rookie of the Year Award and NL Cy Young Award.

“It's hard to think about someone that can come in here and take the ball and to slow the game down like he can,” McCann said. “It's a rare thing in today's game. He's well beyond his years.”