ATLANTA (AP) – The Braves were eager to make up for their embarrassing performance the previous day.
They brought in a little extra help.
Call it the Power of Sage.
Atlanta scored four runs in the first inning, Freddie Freeman added a three-run homer, and Atlanta overcame a grand slam by Kris Bryant to beat the Chicago Cubs 8-7 Monday night.
The Braves were coming off two shutout losses to Arizona the previous afternoon – managing just a single hit over 14 innings. Madison Bumgarner held Atlanta without a hit in his seven-inning victory, though it did not qualify as an official no-hitter.
Looking for an edge in a superstitious sport, Dansby Swanson burned sage throughout the bowels of Trust Park before the game, hoping the herb would spark the team.
It sure seemed to work.
The Braves finished with ten hits. Heck, Swanson even hit an opposite-field homer.
“Every bit of area I could find in this place, I went into,” Swanson said. “I might have to bring some tomorrow, too.” The Braves pounded Zach Davies for four runs and five hits in the first inning. Travis d’Arnaud’s two-run single was the most significant blow.
“It was nice to get four runs in the first inning; calm everyone down,” Freeman said.
The Cubs tied it on Bryant’s sixth career grand slam, a shot off Charlie Morton (2-1) that landed in the Chicago bullpen with two outs in the third.
“I believed we were going to win the game after that,” Cubs leadoff man Nico Hoerner said.
But Freeman broke a 5-all tie with a mammoth, two-out shot, driving one deep into the right-field seats against Brandon Workman (0-2).
Freeman got the Braves only hit Sunday, a single off Zac Gallen in the opener of the twin bill.
Despite surrendering five runs in 5 1/3 innings, Morton scraped out the win.
Willson Contreras hit a two-run homer off Tyler Matzek in the seventh, but three other Braves relievers combined to preserve the win. Will Smith worked around a walk in the ninth for his fifth save.
DAVIES DOWNER
It was another rough outing for Davies, who has not made it past four innings in any of his last four starts. He was lifted after 3 2/3 innings against the Braves, allowing six hits, five runs, and four walks. His ERA climbed to 9.47. “It comes down to pitch execution,” Davies said. “It’s just not there. It’s probably one of the worst stretches of my career.”
LEADING OFF
With SS Javier Báez sitting out the game with a sore hamstring, Hoerner started shortstop and batted leadoff.
Manager David Ross wanted to reward a player swinging the bat well. Hoerner kept it going with two more hits and is batting .429.
“Nico is having some good at-bats, so we wanted to get him to the top and see what happens,” Ross said.
HOT HEREDIA
Guillermo Heredia has been a pleasant surprise since being called up by the Braves.
Playing with his fifth team in six seasons, Heredia was plugged into the lineup after injuries to Cristian Pache and Ender Inciarte left a hole in center field.
Heredia had two more hits, drove in a run, and raised his on-base percentage to .417 in his ninth start.
BIG LEAGUE DEBUT
Called up before the game, 27-year-old Trevor Megill pitched a scoreless sixth inning for the Cubs in his big league debut. He escaped trouble after surrendering a walk and a single.
