Braves vs. Astros Game Highlights (9-18-26) - MLB Highlights

Undoubtedly a fan favorite beloved not only by the fans but as well by his teammates. We are so very happy to welcome back home Mauricio Dubon. Thank you Mauricio for all the great memories. I kind of had no idea how to go to the visiting clubhouse. But no, just good memories, good being, you know, we won a couple of times here. So it was pretty, pretty good. You know, I just, you know, seeing all faces and everything. It's pretty special, you know, the love that these fans have for me. So it's very humbling too. Peter Lambert, who's been really good lately, although he doesn't have a win to his name since the All-Star break, not necessarily his fault, hasn't been getting much run support. He's allowed three earned runs or less in every start since July, with one exception. Swing and a miss. Lambert getting the leadoff hitter Drake Baldwin on strikes to start this one. One down for Ronald Acuna. No score on the top of the first inning. That is near the bottom of the zone. In fact, Christian Vasquez is going to challenge. Christian Vasquez taking a shot here to get Acuna for the second out of the ball game. He's trying to help out Lambert. And he does. Excellent. So back-to-back strikeouts to start Lambert's evening. That'll bring up Matt Olsen. He's going to get a one, two, three inning here. This is playable. Christian Walker looking into the ceiling and makes the play. That is a strikeout, strikeout, pop-up first inning. Good start for Peter Lambert. It's a top-heavy lineup that Tyler Malley will be facing tonight in his eighth start with the Atlanta Braves. It's been an unbelievable start for Tyler Malley up to this point. We know the story, right? He's basically gotten rid of the slider. He has increased his split usage. That splitter has been excellent. Here's the thing, right? I mean, you're never going to intentionally walk a guy second batter of the game, but you don't mind the walk. He is such a dangerous bat in the box. He just looks like he's going to launch all the time. Here comes Isak Paredes. Swing and a miss. A long at-bat, but the splitter from Malley eventually gets Paredes. So two down after the strikeout. Here comes Jose Altuve. Lines is hard, but Jastrzemski is in the right spot. So a walk in the bottom of the first, but we are scoreless after one. And one down in the second inning. Well, here he is. His first at-bat back at Dykin Park, this time in a visiting uniform. On the ground, Jose Altuve is there. Brought his buddy Mauricio Dubon for the second out. Brings up Ozzie Albies. Got him. Peter Lambert strikes out Albies to end the second inning. Three strikeouts for Peter. He's retired the first six. One down for Christian Walker. Swing and a miss. So now Walker is 0 for his last 20. Malley has two strikeouts tonight. Taylor Tremella to play with two outs. And he fans the breeze going after a splitter. So Malley with a one-two-three second. Couple of strikeouts. We played two. We go to the top of the third. No score in Houston. So far, so good for Peter Lambert. Retires seven in a row now. Austin Riley's the batter. Called third strike. Austin Riley down. Looking at his four strikeouts of the first eight batters for Peter Lambert. Now he gets a ground ball on the full count pitch. Bobbled by Pena and he's unable to make the play. He had the catcher Sean Murphy running. Jeremy couldn't find the handle on that slow ground ball. Trying to be a two-out base runner on an error by Pena. Here's Drake Baldwin. Gets a soft fly ball on the left. Playable for Lamont Wade Jr. And Peter works around the two-out error by Pena. To get Baldwin to end the inning. One man left on base. Still scoreless. One down for Matt Olsen. Olsen playing in his 38th career game in his ballpark. Line drive. And there's the Braves' first hit. Olsen shoots it to left center for a one-out single. Olsen put really good wood on that one. That's a one-out single. And that's the first hit of the game for either team. Now it's Michael Harris up to the plate. So the Braves have their first hit. If they can score their first run here in the top of the fourth inning. The other way. Off the bat of Harris. Deep toward the Crawford boxes. And there she goes. Two run blast for Harris. Two to nothing Atlanta. That's what you love about that 315 down the left field line. Not just the righties who can take advantage. The lefties can go the opposite way. Michael does. And for Michael his 26th home run of the year. There's a deep drive off the bat of Dubon. Flying back. And that is off of the wall. Dubon digging for second. And he goes into second base standing. So Peter Lambert so dominant. Did not give up a hit through 11 hitters. And now it's been single. Two run homer. And a double off the wall. How quickly that changed. Ozzie digs in now. Shallow left field. Coming in for it. Lamont Wade Jr. The left fielder. And now Pena decides he wants it. The shortstop will take it. Mike Yastrzemski the batter. Swing and a miss. Lambert strikes out Yastrzemski. Two runs in on three hits. One man left will go to the bottom of the fourth inning. Now the Astros will bat in the bottom of the fourth. Looking to answer with Jordan leading off. Now he has been good tonight. Since that Alvarez walk. He's retired. Everybody yells. And Jordan on. Squids one down the third baseline. Backs into second. There's no hugging involved anymore. Because their opponents will bump him. After he hits a double the other way. Isak struck out his first time off. Paredes with two strikes goes the other way. Up the middle. And through in the center field. Jordan being on will score. It's a two to one game. Paredes with the RBI single. Runner on first base. Still nobody out. Here's Altuve. A little tapper. Altuve will hustle to first. And he's got an infield hit. Astros with three consecutive hits against Bally. After having none in the first three innings. Very similar to what the Braves did to Peter Lambert. Top half of the inning. Oh Marcio the batter. Round ball to the right side. Olsen. Wheels. Fires. There's one at second. And Dubon holds. Marcio just two feet of foot. To have a return throw to first base. To attempt a double play. That'll be a fielder's choice. Putting runners on the corners with one out. Now Christian Walker the batter. To center field. Harris charging. Paredes at third. Are they going to send him? No. Too shallow. And all the runners stay put. They're at the corners now with two down. Here's Taylor Trammell. Ground ball. Olsen has it. And Malley keeps the Braves on top. Two to one. Working around the traffic. Olsen leading it off of the Braves in the top of the sixth inning. It's a two one lead for the Braves. Olsen out to right field. Altuve can't get to it. And the Braves first baseman is two for three tonight. Here comes Michael Harris. It was Harris with the homer in the fourth inning. And he smokes one up the middle. Boy that jumped off his bat. Base hit in the center field. So two hot shots by Olsen and Harris. To the Braves in business. First and second from Mauricio Dubon. In the air to center. Sending Marshall back. Tagging at second is Olsen. Marshall makes the play. Olsen will get to third. As Dubon flies out to pretty deep center for the first out. First and third now with one away. Ozzie with a chance to drive in his 72nd run of the season. He can walk the rest of the way to second base. But a decision here for Joe Espada. I think he's got to go get him. That's a pretty bad miss and a full count right there. And that's what he's going to do. That'll be the night for Lambert after 87 pitches. So Lambert is out. A.J. Blubaugh is in here for the 60th time this year. Atlanta has loaded the bases with one out. Olsen at third. Harris at second. Albies at first. And Mike Yastrzemski the batter. Yastrzemski 0-for-2. Got him. Big strikeout for Blubaugh. Coming back from 2-0 in the count. To strike out Yastrzemski with the next three pitches. That's a big step towards getting out of this inning. Austin Riley two strikeouts against Lambert. Now he sees a new pitcher here in A.J. Blubaugh. With two down and the bases loaded. Broken back. Caught by out two. Braves strand the base and loaded. What a job by A.J. Blubaugh. A strikeout and a soft line out. To get through the inning. Walking Baldwin here. With one out of the seven. Now Cunha coming to the plate. He's 0-for-3 tonight. But you look at what he's done over the last few weeks. He's done a great job getting the fastballs. You can see it there. He's now reached base in 17 and 19. Oh there it goes. Deep to left. And gone. Another two run shot to the Crawford Boxes. Four to one Atlanta. Cued up perfectly by one Christopher John Nitkowski. We don't see it a lot from right where he gets upset. He clearly was angry about a couple of his at bats. He knows this guy's got a good heater. He has been better against the heater. He sat on one. He got started early. He was on time. Two down for Michael Harris. Michael's had a good night. Single at a two run homer. There's another hit. A three hit game for Michael Harris. He has the third most three hit games in Major League Baseball this year. And he strikes again here on September 18. Two outs for Duboff. This time he takes an 0-2 pitch and deposits it into center field for a single. Back to back two out hits. Harris and Duboff. Albies walked in the sixth inning. Been the only time he's been on base tonight. Outside of that a strikeout and a pop out. Grounded to the right side. Altuve's going to have to hurry. And he does to get Albies for the final out of the inning. Braves get two in the seventh on the two run home run by Acuna Jr. They end up with three hits and a walk in the inning. And they lead it four to one. Malley retired the last nine that he faced. And now Fuentes looking for four in a row retired since entering. This one looped into left center. Duboff out. Coming in Yastrzemski. It drops right in between them. That'll be a leadoff base hit for Lamont Wade Jr. To start the eighth. Now Yiner Diaz will bat. Struck him out. 99. Beat him to the spot. Pena 0-3 tonight. And a fly ball to left. In line with it. Yastrzemski trots in. And that falls into his glove for out number two. So now two down for Alvarez. This is a crossroads right here. Because you're thinking you have the lefty Lee up. For a potential matchup with Alvarez. But Fuentes pitching so well. They're probably thinking let's stick with him. And see if he can get the big guy out. He did not want a piece of Jordan. Even though it brings a tying run to the plate. A four pitch walk. So now two on. With two outs. And he's so great as the batter. There's a ball in the left field for a base hit. In to score Lamont Wade. B.I. single for Isak Paredes. For the second time tonight. It's now four to two game. Altuve an infield hit in three trips. Struck out his last time. Altuve to right field. Acuna charging. He got it. To end the eighth and keep it four to two. Ronald Acuna makes the catch and holds on. And that saves the day. Drake Baldwin the batter. He's singled walked and scored in four trips. Baldwin. Crushes it. Right center. Off the wall. Just missing a homer. He'll settle for a lead off double. A couple of singles tonight for Matt Olsen. He hasn't had a double in 15 games though. Rare for Matt. He's got 33 of them on the season. Olsen with a fly ball to deep left. Way on back and way gone. It's another two run home run. And it's the 40th of the season for Matt Olsen. How about another lefty going into the Crawford boxes. These guys love it here. And that just feels like a back-breaking blow. To Houston here tonight. Right hander Raisel Iglesias. And he's been consistent. No save opportunity tonight. Just need a zero. One and two with two down here in the night. Braves win. And they are in. Atlanta's 90th victory. Punches their ticket to October. And they will be going back to the postseason. They expect to be going back as division winners. But they certainly can enjoy the moment here tonight.