Braves win 11 in a row after back and forth start to season
By: Justin Gray
The Atlanta Braves just finished a four-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates to win their 11th consecutive game. To say the Braves needed this win streak is an understatement. Just two short weeks ago they were 23-27, definitely not what anyone was expecting coming off of a World Series title. Nothing could seem to be going right as they were 10.5 games back of the New York Mets in the National League East. The streak would get going on a 6-0 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks who the Braves managed to salvage game three of the series.
Next up would be a four-game series against the Colorado Rockies. The Braves would get off to a hot start winning game one 13-6. The next two games would go to extra innings with the Braves winning 3-1 and 6-2. The final game of the series was a back and forth affair in which the Braves would hold on for the 8-7 win that completed the four-game sweep. They would then come back home to Atlanta to welcome the Oakland Athletics for a two-game set. The Athletics got the scoring going with two runs in the first, this would be their only runs of the game. There wasn’t much offense in this one as the Braves would hit three solo home runs, two by superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. and one by Guillermo Heredia, to win the game 3-2.
In Game Two, the Athletics would take an early lead again, scoring two in the fourth inning, but it wouldn’t be the same story. The Braves would go on to score 13 unanswered runs to blow out the Athletics, 13-2. Next on the schedule would be a four-game set with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Game one would be a pitchers duel, on the mound for the Braves would be their ace and top left-handed pitcher in the League, Max Fried. He would continue his 2022 success with another stellar performance of six innings, one earned run, and eight strikeouts, in the 3-1 victory. Game two was another close game as Braves rookie Spencer Strider shined in his first home start going 5 and ⅔ innings while striking out eight and only walking one. Game 3 seemed to be the Pirates game when they took the lead in the first inning and added two more in what looked like a game they would hold on to until the Braves would burst out for an eight-run 7th inning to win their 10th consecutively.
Game four would be on Sunday afternoon. Scoring would get started early for the Braves as William Contreras and Adam Duvall hit back-to-back home runs in the second inning. Two innings later Duvall would add to the lead to make it a 4-1 ballgame. The Braves would surrender two in the fifth before tacking on one more in the eighth on a Matt Olson solo shot, as they would hold on to win 5-3 and make it 11 wins in a row. The pitching has been stout on this run, and the hitting has been just as good. Several of the Brave's star players have gotten going such as Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson, and top prospect Michael Harris II. The Braves have gained 5 games on the Mets in the East, and look to catch them in the upcoming weeks.
They will travel to Washington on Monday, June 13th, to play the Nationals in a three-game set in hopes to keep this great win streak going.
