Braves rally behind Smith

Dominic Smith turned a 5-3 deficit into a 6-5 Braves win Tuesday night, lining a two-out, three-run double in the eighth inning against Miami. (mlb.com) The hit came with the bases loaded at Truist Park on April 14, after Miami reliever Pete Fairbanks hit Ozzie Albies to force in Smith’s at-bat. Smith’s drive to center scored three and gave Atlanta its first lead of the night. (mlb.com) Atlanta had opened the eighth inning down two runs and finished it ahead by one. Raisel Iglesias then worked a perfect ninth inning for his third save of the season and the 100th save of his Braves tenure. (ajc.com) The comeback kept Atlanta from dropping consecutive games to Miami after a 10-4 loss on April 13. It also preserved the Braves’ status as the only Major League Baseball team that had not yet lost a series, according to the club’s game recap. (espn.com) (mlb.com) Smith’s swing landed hard because he has become a central part of Atlanta’s lineup in the season’s first three weeks. Through his first 41 plate appearances, he was hitting.395 with a 1.099 on-base plus slugging percentage, and he was 6-for-9 with runners in scoring position. (mlb.com) His roster spot also traces back to Jurickson Profar’s 162-game suspension in early March, which opened designated-hitter at-bats against right-handed starters. Braves manager Walt Weiss said after Tuesday’s game, “This has turned into a great story.” (mlb.com) Tuesday’s double was not Smith’s first late-game jolt of the season. MLB’s recap noted that he also hit a walk-off grand slam in a 6-2 win over Kansas City on March 28. (mlb.com) The box score showed Smith finished 3-for-4 with four runs batted in, while Atlanta improved to 11-7 and Miami fell to 9-9. The clubs were scheduled to finish the three-game series Wednesday night in Atlanta. (mlb.com)