Today's Three Things: Atlanta's bats erupt late in blowout of Miami

The Atlanta Braves have officially clinched the season series with tonight's win

The Atlanta Braves routed the Miami Marlins, 11-2, on Tuesday night from loanDepot Park in Miami.

Here’s Today’s Three Things from the contest.

The Turning Point

I’m going to go with the bottom of the 4th here, believe it or not.

Hurston Waldrep was on the struggle bus today, really having issues with the command of his fastballs and suffering through a four-hit, one-run first inning that cost him over 25 pitches.

But the game could have gotten away from him in the 4th. After giving up a leadoff double to Liam Hicks and hitting Heriberto Hernández, Waldrep walked Troy Johnston to load the bases with no outs.

No matter. He got a weak tapper back to the mound off the bat of Derek Hill, making the play at home for the first out before getting two flyouts to escape the bases loaded, no-outs jam without relinquishing Atlanta’s 2-1 lead.

Waldrep’s sinker allowed him to re-establish the strike zone and stop needing to throw his splitter for strikes and instead go back to getting chase. He finished 5.1 innings with one run allowed on eight hits, walking one and not recording a strikeout.

Per FanDuel Sports Network analyst CJ Nitkowski, Waldrep’s just the 7th Braves pitcher since 2000 to go five or more innings with one run or less and no strikeouts, joining such luminaries as World Series winner Ian Anderson (2021), Braves Hall of Famer Tim Hudson (2012), and National Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux (2003).

Today’s Player of the Game

Ozzie Albies.

The embattled second baseman, struggling to a career-worst .228 average and .625 OPS entering tonight’s action, went 3-5 with two homers and four total RBI in the blowout.

His first homer was a solo shot off of Sandy Alcantara in the fourth inning, coming in an impressive at-bat where he fouled off four potential strike threes before getting a center-cut 99-mph fastball and launching it to right field’s second deck.

The second homer might have been more impressive, coming in the ninth inning on a 0-1 slider.

The big thing here was he hit the homer off of lefty Josh Simpson while batting as a righty, the first right-handed homer of Ozzie’s 2025 season. It’s his first multi-homer game since July of 2023 and potentially a sign that any sort of lingering effects of his 2024 wrist injury are (hopefully) behind him.

What You’ll Be Talking About

Atlanta’s backups.

The Braves got five RBI from players who didn’t begin the game in the lineup. Drake Baldwin came in to pinch-hit for Nick Allen and then stayed in the game behind the plate. He ended up with a two-RBI single in the nine-run ninth inning. Vidal Bruján, who came in to play shortstop, ambushed the first pitch he saw in the 9th against his old Marlins club for a RBI double. Eli White, who entered the game after designated hitter Marcell Ozuna walked to leadoff the 9th, came back around and got a two-RBI single to push Atlanta’s lead to six.

Baldwin’s the notable one here to me. Sitting against almost all lefty starters this season, he’s been in a mostly even timeshare with Sean Murphy behind the plate and is no longer getting regular run at DH. But he’s also significantly outplaying both Murphy and Ozuna at the plate, with Ozuna sitting on a .217 mark and Murphy a dreadful .094 mark in the last 30 days. With Baldwin locked in a tight battle with not only Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Isaac Collins but also Chicago Cubs starter Cade Horton for Rookie of the Year, Atlanta needs to go with the hot hand and have Baldwin’s bat in the lineup four to five days a week for the rest of the season.

What’s Next for the Braves?

Atlanta’s hoping to take this series in the early afternoon finale. Joey Wentz (4-4, 5.25) takes on Ryan Gusto (7-6, 5.05) at 1:10 PM ET.