Man, talk about a punch to the gut. Ozzie Albies singled home Matt Olson with two outs in the eighth inning, giving the Atlanta Braves a 4-3 win over the Dodgers on Tuesday night in their series opener at Truist Park. But the real kicker? The Dodgers had the tying run on third base with nobody out in the ninth. Yeah, you read that right. Nobody out, tying run at third, and they just couldn’t bring it home.
Glasnow’s Return Was a Wild Ride
Tyler Glasnow’s first major league start in over three and a half months started rough, like, *really* rough. Four batted balls found grass for singles in the first five batters, only one of them hard-hit, leading to three quick runs and a tiring 35 pitches in that opening frame. You’re watching that and thinking, “Oh boy, here we go.” But then, he just flipped a switch! Glasnow immediately got things in order in the second inning, firing off seven swinging strikes and striking out the side. That sparked a ridiculous run of five straight strikeouts, and he ended the night with seven Ks through five innings. After that 35-pitch first, he needed only 54 pitches to breeze through the next four, allowing just two singles and no runs. He only got two swinging strikes in the first, but then racked up 13 whiffs over those final four frames. Not a single walk, either. For a first game back after that long, honestly, it was a good showing overall. He settled in, big time.
The Bottom of the Order Came to Play
While the top of the lineup struggled to deliver in the clutch, the guys at the bottom were doing work. Thomas, who’s still fresh off his Triple-A call-up to help fill in for Andy Pages’ superlative defense in center, batted eighth and kept his insane streak alive. He’s now got an RBI single in all three games since getting called up, including one in the second inning that got the Dodgers their first run on Tuesday. Talk about making a quick impact! He was hitting just ahead of catcher Hunter Feduccia, who was batting ninth. Both Thomas and Feduccia weren’t even in the organization to open the season, which just shows you what kind of hustle they’ve put in. Alex Call, making only his third start in the last 29 games, batted seventh. And those three, the bottom third of the lineup? They drove in all three Dodgers runs, combined for five hits in nine at-bats, added two walks, and reached base a whopping seven times. That’s how you make a statement!
The Ninth Inning Nightmare
But all that good work from Glasnow and the bottom of the order made the ninth inning sting even more. Shohei Ohtani led off the ninth with a triple to the wall in left field. Tying run on third. Nobody out. The heart of the order coming up. You’re practically tasting that tying run, right? But then, Freddie Freeman struck out against closer Raisel Iglesias. Mookie Betts grounded out. Max Muncy was intentionally walked, putting the winning run on base, but then Tommy Edman harmlessly flew out to center. Game over. Just like that. Leaving the tying run 90 feet away with nobody out is just brutal. They’ve gotta shake this one off fast. They’re back at Truist Park tomorrow for game two of the series, and after that kind of ninth-inning heartbreak, you know the pressure is on to bounce back immediately.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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