By: Bryce Mitchell
The Los Angeles Dodgers rally behind Freddie Freeman to put away the Atlanta Braves. LA topped the Braves 8-6 in Atlanta, Georgia on Monday night.
Rocky Start
Gavin Stone, rookie right-hander for the Dodgers, yielded the first score of the night to Ronald Acuña Jr. after Murphy singled to center. Stone was called up for his second big league start.
A batter later, Stone gave Eddie Rosario a three-run homer to the right. The first inning ended at 4-0 Atlanta.
Embed from Getty ImagesWake up call
The first inning gave the Dodgers a wake up call as they ensued a rally. J.D. Martinez kickstarted the rally with a homer to left center, 401 feet, off Atlanta starter Charlie Morton.
The teams both remained runless through the bottom of the second until the top of the fourth, as the Dodgers slowly started to inch their way back into the game.
With Morton returning to the mound, Freeman doubled to center and Smith flew out to right, putting Freeman in scoring position.
Max Muncy up to bat, he hit a grounded out to first, giving Freeman home. Two batters later, Dodgers’ David Peralta tripled to right, enabling Martinez to fly home.
The Dodgers ended the top of the fourth only one run behind Atlanta.
Rookie Stone settled down after the first inning, allowing only one hit and no runs until the fifth.
Late Surge
Los Angeles surged ahead of the Braves in the fifth, Freeman leading the charge with a 354-foot homer to right, allowing Miguel Rojas and Mookie Betts to score.
Freeman, a former Atlanta star, showed no animosity towards his former team. He received a standing ovation before his first at-bat. He extended his hitting streak to 12 games.
Atlanta tried to match the Dodgers in the bottom of the fifth as Acuña Jr. scored, trailing the Dodgers by one.
J.D. Martinez put more steam behind LA with a homer in the seventh, pulling the Dodgers up 8-5.
Atlanta scored one more run in the eighth but it wasn’t enough to top the Dodgers.
Los Angeles ended 8-6 against Atlanta, and the Braves will have a chance to redeem themselves Tuesday in Truist Park. You can hear the game live on 730 The Game tonight beginning at 7:05.
