Sound familiar? Soler comes up clutch for Braves

ATLANTA -- Jorge Soler knows a thing or two about clutch hits in a Braves uniform.

With Atlanta losing to Miami by one run in the bottom of the eighth on Friday night, the outfielder and 2021 World Series MVP who was brought back to the Braves in a deal with the Giants at this year’s Trade Deadline, hit a game-tying RBI single that set the table for Austin Riley and Marcell Ozuna.

Riley followed Soler with a double to put two in scoring position for the dangerous Ozuna, whose sacrifice fly wound up being the game-winner in the Braves' 5-3 victory over the Marlins at Truist Park.

Atlanta dropped six of seven out of the All-Star break -- including a six-game losing streak which was the club’s longest in a single season since Sept. 25-30, 2017 -- but turned things around in dramatic fashion. The Braves have won four in a row and six of their last seven after the six-game losing streak.

It was Atlanta’s 23rd comeback win of the season.

“It was a big win, especially to come back late like that,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “[Starting pitcher Spencer] Schwellenbach was really good again. I liked how he kept pitching. We couldn’t do anything with [Marlins starting pitcher Valente Bellozo]. It was just a good fight back and an emotional win.”

Bellozo was strong in his third MLB start. He went five-plus and allowed two earned runs on two hits while striking out five and issuing two walks. The rookie held Atlanta hitless until the bottom of the fifth, when Orlando Arcia continued his torrid run at the plate with a solo home run to get the offense going and extend his career-high hitting streak to 13 games.

Arcia wasn’t done there. He tallied an RBI single in the eighth to provide insurance by extending Atlanta’s lead to 5-3.

“I think the important thing for us is, even though they got off to an early lead, it’s more about the way we finished the game,” Arcia said through Franco García, the Braves’ director of player relations.

Arcia has homered four times over his last six games. It was the second time he’s homered in consecutive games this season.

“I’m just going to keep being the same and keep making adjustments little by little to get things going the way we want them to be,” Arcia said.

Atlanta’s offense scored five unanswered runs, sparked by Arcia’s solo homer.

“I don’t think it was the home run. I think any hit would have gotten the offense started,” Arcia said. “That’s sort of the team we are, and thankfully, we were able to get the win.”

Schwellenbach got off to a rough start, as he allowed a two-run homer in the first and a solo shot in the third. But the rookie was nails from there and didn’t allow another run. He went seven innings and struck out 10 without issuing a walk.

Schwellenbach is the only pitcher since 1901 with at least 70 strikeouts and 10 or fewer walks within his first 11 games. Though late, the Braves provided him with run support in the no-decision.

“It was only a matter of time,” Schwellenbach said. “We have really good hitters. It’s kind of hard to hold us down for nine innings.”

The Braves have hit 19 home runs over their last seven games, but the script flipped on Friday, with small ball leading to three eighth-inning runs.

It started with a leadoff walk issued to Jarred Kelenic. Whit Merrifield moved Kelenic over to second with a sacrifice bunt, and Soler singled to right to tie the game.

“I enjoyed it for sure,” Soler said through García. “Obviously, I haven’t gotten a hit since I’ve been here. I was able to get that one, and it felt like it came at a good time.”

Another big run came in the bottom of the sixth. Merrifield led off with a triple, and Riley’s one-out groundout drove in the Braves’ second run of the game.

“It’s really good, and I thought Jorge had a really nice at-bat,” Snitker said. “It was more contact and doing what the pitcher gave him. It was a big run. You don’t think about the [Marlins’] infield [playing] back [with one out in the sixth]. Austin grounded out to second and scored a big run to get closer.

“Those are huge at-bats right there, where you don’t have to get a hit. You can make a productive out. When you start doing stuff like that as a team, you’ve got a really good chance of staying in games and coming back in games.”