Verdugo Sparks Braves in 4-3 Win Over Twins, Clinches Series Victory
- Charles Mays
- Apr 19
- 3 min read
At 7:16 PM EDT in front of 39,278 fans, Chris Sale delivered the first pitch to Byron Buxton as the Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins squared off in game two of the series at Truist Park. Sale entered the night still seeking his first win of the season, carrying an 0-2 record and 6.63 ERA. Opposite him, the Twins were looking to recover after their eighth-inning collapse on Friday.
Buxton led off with an infield single before rookie standout Luke Keaschall stayed hot with an RBI double to open the scoring for Minnesota. Sale quickly settled down, striking out the next two of the next three batters to minimize damage.
Alex Verdugo, making just his second start since being recalled, immediately showed why he was brought up, roping a single to left. Marcell Ozuna followed with a base hit of his own before Matt Olson, hitting .209 coming into the game, delivered a milestone moment. Olson’s RBI double off the right-field wall scored Verdugo and marked the 1,000th hit of his MLB career, tying the game at 1-1.
Sale’s slider was sharp early, notching back-to-back strikeouts to Harrison Bader and Jonah Bride, in the second. Minnesota opted for a quick change on the mound, turning to scheduled starter Simeon Woods Richardson to open the second. He struck out Michael Harris to begin a clean inning.
In the third, Buxton tripled with one out, but Sale responded by striking out Keaschall with a 96 mph fastball and working out of a two-on jam after a walk to Ryan Jeffers.
Verdugo stayed hot, leading off the bottom of the third with a double. Riley moved him to third, and Ozuna’s shallow flyout kept runners in place. Olson then came through again with his 1,001st career hit, an RBI single to put Atlanta ahead 2-1.
Carlos Correa answered back with a solo home run off Sale in the fourth to tie things up once more. Despite the blemish, Sale struck out two more in the frame, pushing his total to eight.
Into the fifth, Sale had thrown 98 pitches and ran into trouble. After loading the bases with one out, he exited having allowed two runs on six hits and three walks with eight strikeouts. Rafael Montero entered and bailed him out in electric fashion, fanning both Correa and Harrison Bader to escape unscathed.
The Twins managed to reclaim the lead in the sixth on a sac fly by Buxton, but the Braves offense was just getting started.
Michael Harris launched a solo homer into the Chop House to start the bottom half, tying the game at three. After a single by Nick Allen and an aggressive baserunning play on a Kelenic hit, Verdugo delivered again, ripping an RBI single to give the Braves a 4-3 lead. Atlanta's offense came through when it counted, with timely hits that finally matched their potential.
From there, the bullpen locked it down. Daysbel Hernández tossed a 1-2-3 seventh, Dylan Lee followed with a clean eighth featuring two strikeouts and a 14-pitch battle with Christian Vázquez, and Raisel Iglesias slammed the door in the ninth for the save.
Verdugo sparks Braves' offense and finishes the night 4-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored, and an RBI, igniting the top of Atlanta’s order in a way it has sorely needed.
Final Thoughts:
Alex Verdugo looked like the spark plug Atlanta’s offense desperately needed. His 4-for-5 performance with two runs and an RBI gave the Braves life.
The Braves went 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position, a major improvement from recent outings.
Chris Sale showed signs of progress. His eight strikeouts and movement on the slider were promising, though command faltered late.
The bullpen was stellar, combining for 4.2 innings of one-run ball and closing the game with authority.
With the 4-3 victory, the Braves move to 7-13 and secure their second series win of the season, and their first back-to-back wins of the season. They'll go for the sweep Sunday at 1:35 PM EDT behind Grant Holmes, with Joe Ryan set to start for the Twins.
Baseball reminder of the night:
Even when a team seems down and out, all it takes is one inning, one bat, or one call-up to flip the script. The last two nights, Atlanta proved exactly that.
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