Takeaways: Ozzie Albies, Atlanta Braves take final game vs the Los Angeles Dodgers

Ozzie Albies finishes the game in the ninth to win the final game of the series.

It felt like Atlanta needed that one - Ozzie Albies sealed the deal with a sacrifice fly to score Austin Riley in walk-off fashion to give Atlanta their 30th win of 2023.

In a close affair, the Braves continue to show their ability to fight at the plate this season. 

Raisel Iglesias stepped up and closed out the game for Atlanta. During a season where the bullpen has underperformed, Iglesias did enough to keep runs on the board despite allowing the potential winning run reach third in the top of the ninth.

In 2023, Bryce Elder eats innings for dinner

Entering the season, Elder was tabbed as a rotation piece and fringe Triple-A-type pitcher for the Braves. That has not been the case at all.

Now sporting a 4-0 record, he has gone for more than five innings in every start on the season. In a year where the Braves bullpen has left a lot to be desired, to say that is important is quite frankly an understatement. 

His slider has been on all season and while he doesn't generate a ton of strikeouts, his pitch placement makes it hard to get on base against him.  

This is another great reason to always respect your elders, kids.

Bryce Elder, Wicked 83mph Slider. 🤢 pic.twitter.com/pCKmsAXNmD

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 25, 2023

The rotation will be touch and go for the next month, or until Max Fried and Kyle Wright make their return from IL. Michael Soroka appears to be getting close with his recent surge in Triple-A as well. 

The offense got going after a quiet night

A couple of home runs got things going for Atlanta Wednesday night. Matt Olson and Marcell Ozuna got Atlanta on the board and in the lead with Elder on the mound.

After almost no action on offense Tuesday night, the Braves needed a better night at the plate and while it was far from explosive, it was enough thanks to the long ball.

Going into game three, it wasn't quite as bad as when the Braves got swept by the Toronto Blue Jays last week, but it was going to be one of their lowest run totals in a series this season before Wednesday night. Atlanta scored just seven runs against Toronto, they have seven going into Wednesday night.

The Braves are third in baseball in total home runs. The Rays (97) have a comfortable lead; Atlanta (80) trails the Dodgers (82) but have played two fewer games this season.

Quit worrying about Olson's strikeouts

Yes, the Braves' first baseman leads Major League Baseball in strikeouts (70). When watching his approach at the plate, it's easy to see that it's worth it. Not only is the tied for third in baseball with home runs on the season (14), several of the long balls that he creates generates hope, momentum, and belief across the rest of the Braves lineup.

Olson's approach of a relentless pursuit of solid contact of a pitch is well worth the strikeouts that come with it. His home run tonight injected life into Truist Park, his teammates, and revealed a hole in the armor of Dodgers pitcher Tony Gonsolin.

What's next for the Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves will host the Philadelphia Phillies for a four-game series this weekend. Thursday's action will start at 7:20 ET and will be broadcast inside Braves Country on Bally Sports South with Voice of the Braves Brandon Gaudin and is available on MLB.tv outside the local broadcast area. The radio call, with Ben Ingram, is available locally on 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan or outside the Atlanta market on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network or MLB.com.

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