Didier Fuentes absolutely dazzled on Sunday, carrying the Braves through nearly the entire final three innings of a wild 3-2 Game 2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers and tying the NLDS at 1-1. The dude was straight up lights out, helping the Braves completely steal home field advantage right out from under the Dodgers’ nose.
Didi Goes Deep, Way Deeper Than Anyone Planned
Remember how Braves manager Walt Weiss said he was just going to “watch and see what happens” with his bullpen before Game 2? Well, what happened was Fuentes took over and basically became a one-man wrecking crew. He got an incredible 11 outs, almost pitching three full innings of high-stakes Postseason baseball. His only real slip up was a solo homer given up to Max Muncy with two outs in the ninth, but by then, the damage was done and the Braves were basically across the finish line.
Weiss himself admitted how unexpected that outing was. “It wasn’t the plan, believe me,” he exclaimed after the game. He’d initially thought he’d split the final four innings between Fuentes and Iglesias, probably two innings apiece. But Didi was dealing. “Didi was throwing the ball so well, I didn’t want to mess with that,” Weiss said, even checking with his pitching coach to see if Fuentes felt good enough for another inning. That’s a massive show of faith, similar to how he let Ray Kerr go for as long as possible in Game 2. This kind of gutsy managing, trusting your guys when they’re hot, is what wins you games when the pressure is on.
Home Field Flipped, Sale Ready to Deal
The biggest takeaway from that gritty win? The Braves snatched home field advantage, meaning they get to host the next three games in Cobb County. And guess who’s on the bump for Game 3? Chris Sale! That’s massive. Weiss is feeling good about it, even with the Dodgers trotting out “Cy Young Award winners” for every starter. “It doesn’t get any easier,” Weiss noted, “but I like the fact that we go back home even and we have Chris Sale.”
Braves player Drake Baldwin, who was a beast getting on base three times with three walks in the game, totally agreed. “I think whenever you have Sale on the mound, you’ve seen it the last couple years about what he can do. You feel good whenever you’re playing at home and Sale’s on the mound,” he said. And yeah, “Being tied, you feel a little bit better than being down 0-2.” You can say that again, Drake! Being tied up at 1-1 heading home is a whole different ballgame.
So, get ready for Game 3, folks! It’s back to Cobb County, series tied, and Chris Sale toeing the rubber. The momentum is officially swinging, and this series just got a whole lot more interesting.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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