Braves news: Drake Baldwin felt win over Cubs was 'good experience' for playoffs

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After dropping the first game of their three-game series against the Chicago Cubs, the Atlanta Braves returned the favor. Atlanta got key hits from their stars that helped them overcome an early 3-0 deficit. Drake Baldwin was one of the heroes of this game, nailing a two-run blast in the ninth inning to fully put the Cubs away.

After the game, Baldwin said that the atmosphere in Wrigley Field was amazing. The Braves catcher likened the atmosphere to a playoff game with how intense the fans were in cheering for their home team.

“I haven’t been in the playoffs, but obviously, I’ve watched some playoff games from the seats as a kid,” Baldwin said, per TNT Sports. “This crowd was into it. It’s a really good team over there. So we got down early and had some momentum build at the end there. So it put us in situations that we know we’re going to be in later this year. So it’s good to have these experiences, and it’s good to pull through there.”

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The Braves found themselves down 3-0 by the fourth inning after clutch hits from the Cubs’ offense. However, they were able to capitalize on a rare Kevin Gausman mistake. Ronald Acuna Jr punished a hanging ball from Gausman by hitting a two-run homer to put Atlanta closer to their opponents. They also got at Chicago’s bullpen, with Ozzie Albies hitting another two-run blast in the seventh inning to give the Braves the lead.

It seemed like the Cubs were going to mount a comeback in the ninth inning after some crucial mistakes from the Braves. After Brewer Hicklen was picked off at first base, it seemed like Chicago would be able to mount a comeback. However, Baldwin shut down that possibility by hitting yet another two-run blast to give the Braves a 6-3 lead. Raisel Iglesias recorded the save in the bottom of the ninth to secure the victory.

The Braves are now closing in on a division title. With just ten games left, Atlanta’s magic number is five. That means they’ll need to win five more games in order to clinch the division title over the Philadelphia Phillies. The real question is… what will this team look once the playoffs hit?

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