Late-inning heroics continue with Riley's 10th-inning walk-off

ATLANTA – Austin Riley couldn’t have picked a better time to get his first RBI of the Braves’ weekend series against the Guardians at Truist Park.

After going 0-for-8 on the series heading into Sunday’s rubber match, the slugging third baseman tallied two hits -- including a 10th-inning walk-off single -- that helped the Braves take a 4-3 win over the Guardians.

Atlanta (19-7) earned a three-game series win against Cleveland (19-9) in a series between baseball's two winningest teams thus far in the season.

Riley entered Sunday with an 0-for-12 streak at the plate. In his at-bat prior to the walk-off -- an eighth-inning flyout -- Riley hit a ball 101.4 MPH, but it was flagged down in front of the warning track by Steven Kwan.

Riley was happy to finally get a result.

“You just have to keep staying after it and try to put up good at-bats,” Riley said. “It was nice to come through for the team there. I’ve been through [frustrating stretches] before, so I know what it feels like when things aren’t going your way. Then you start barrelling up some balls and you’re not getting those results. It’s all part of the mental game.”

It was the third-career walk-off RBI in the regular season for Riley, who went 2-for-4 with two singles.

“That kid has been hitting the ball so good lately,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s making good contact. He just has to stay with himself just like he always does. I was really happy for him to get that one right there.”

After a 2023 regular season in which the Braves scored 146 first-inning runs, Atlanta’s bats seem to find life in the seventh inning or later in 2024. In 26 games-played, the Braves have scored 62 of their 145 total runs in the seventh inning or later, which is the most in MLB.

The Braves scored three more late runs on Sunday – the last of which was Riley’s aforementioned RBI single that drove in Ronald Acuña Jr.

The win marked the Braves’ 11th come-from-behind win of the season and it was the team’s third walk-0ff win of 2024. The Braves are 9-4 when an opponent scores first.

For the second time in as many games, the Braves scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth to tie things up with the Guardians.

Unlike Saturday’s 4-2 loss in 11 innings, though, Atlanta capitalized Sunday.

“That’s quite an accomplishment against a club like this, with that bullpen,” Snitker said of the late heroics this season. “I don’t have any reason for why in those situations. It just shows the guys never quit.”

Elder’s game
Braves starting pitcher Bryce Elder was solid in his second start of the year, as he went 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out two in the no-decision.

Elder (1-0) has an ERA of 1.50 and a 1.33 WHIP in 12 innings pitched this season.

“It got a little erratic there for a second,” Elder said. “I get a little erratic sometimes and usually I make the adjustment quicker. Today I made the same miss four or five times in a row. I thought [catcher Chadwick Tromp] was pretty dang good back there and we made pitches when we needed to.”

Cleveland starting pitcher Ben Lively was solid for the Guardians as he went 4 1/3 innings allowing one run on four hits and he struck out five.

Running into outs
The Guardians were aggressive on the base paths against the Braves’ battery with three stolen bases over the first nine innings. The third stolen base -- stolen in the seventh by Brayan Rocchio -- resulted in Cleveland’s third run as he was driven in by Steven Kwan’s RBI single.

In the 10th, Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt opted to continue that aggressiveness.

It came back to bite the Guardians.

Following an Andrés Giménez flyout, Kwan, who was the placed runner at second, was caught stealing third for the second out of the frame. José Ramírez then singled with two outs but he was gunned down at second by catcher Travis d’Arnaud, who came on as a defensive replacement after pinch hitting in the ninth.

“Again, it’s why we scored some runs,” Vogt said of the aggressive baserunning. “It’s what we’re going to do. A couple mistakes there in the 10th; maybe a little over aggression. That’s just going to happen sometimes. It’s unfortunate, the timing of it. But we’re going to make some mistakes. At the same time, our aggression is what leads to us scoring runs.”