7/31/23 Hometown Broadcasting Sports Monday
31 July 2023 Sports
Matt Olson says it’s no mystery why he’s leading the majors in RBIs. In the Atlanta Braves’ powerful lineup, Olson is often hitting with runners on base.
Olson drove in five runs with two homers, including a go-ahead, two-run blast in the eighth, and the Braves beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-6 on Sunday to cap their sweep of the high-scoring series.
Olson has 35 homers, the most in the NL, and 88 RBIs, the most in the majors. The Braves scored 29 runs in the three-game sweep in the matchup of NL division leaders.
The only player in the majors with more homers than Olson is Shohei Ohtani, with 39. Ohtani will bring the Los Angeles Angels into Atlanta for a series beginning Monday night.
With the sweep, the Braves won five of six against the Brewers in the last two weeks, including two of three in Milwaukee on July 21-23.
The Brewers lost despite holding leads of 1-0, 3-2 and 6-5.
Atlanta began the day leading Philadelphia by 11 games in the NL East. The Brewers led Cincinnati by 1/2 game in the NL Central.
Orlando Arcia led off the eighth with a double to left field off Joel Payamps (4-2). With one out, Olson’s tie-breaking 35th homer landed in the Atlanta bullpen in right-center, giving the Braves the lead. It was the first earned runs allowed by Payamps, who took a 1.68 ERA into the game, in a span of 18 appearances since June 8.
Kirby Yates (5-0) pitched a scoreless eighth. Raisel Iglesias earned his 20th save by striking out the side in the ninth.
Olson’s three-run homer drove in Ronald Acuña Jr., who singled and stole second, and Austin Riley, who walked, to give the Braves a 5-3 lead in the third. Collin McHugh blew the 5-3 lead by giving up three runs in the sixth. William Contreras doubled in two runs for Milwaukee.
Riley continued his power surge for Atlanta by hitting his eighth homer in the last 11 games, his 24th, in the first. The two-run shot off Colin Rea carried 463 feet to left-center.
Rea allowed five runs in five innings.
Carlos Santana, acquired from Pittsburgh on Saturday, hit his first homer with the Brewers in the third. The liner over the right-field wall gave Milwaukee a 3-2 lead. Christian Yelich led off the third with his 16th homer. Atlanta rookie AJ Smith-Shawver, recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett before the game, allowed three runs on four hits and four walks in five innings.
Brewers: RHP Corbin Burnes (9-6, 3.46) is scheduled to pitch Monday night’s opener of a three-game series at Washington against RHP Jake Irvin (3-5, 4.96). First pitch is at 7:05.
Elsewhere in the NL Central Sunday the Pirates beat the Phillies 6-4, the Cardinals shutout the Cubs 3-0 and the Reds blanked the Dodgers 9-0. The Brewers trail the Reds by a half-game in the division while the Cubs are 4 games out.
In the Midwest League Sunday the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers shutout Cedar Rapids 4-0 at Fox Cities Stadium. The T-Rats improve to 42 and 52. There are no games scheduled today.
In the Northwood’s League Sunday the Dock Spiders notched their fourth straight win on Sunday afternoon as they bested the Mallards 4-1.
Dock Spiders reliever Eric Sipling received the win, his second of the season. Mallards starter Andrew Guardino (Tennessee Tech) was tagged with his second loss of the season. Kade Walker registered his second save of the season. The Dock Spiders improved to 27-33 on the season, 14-11 in the second half. With the win, The Dock Spiders are now tied with the Mallards for first place in the Great Lakes West Division as the Mallards sit in first. The Dock Spiders will be back at home on Monday night as they take on the Green Bay Rockers. It’s Season Ticket Holder & Host Family Appreciation night at Herr-Baker Field. First pitch is at 6:35.
The Packers return to the practice field today.
On Saturday in Day 4 of training camp, it was the defense watching the offense doing up-downs. That was the punishment for the losers of the two-minute drill. The defense won in large part because of the second and third teams.
Jordan Love had his best day yet of camp.
It was highlighted by a third-down, 33-yard pass along the sideline to Samouri Toure.
Jordan Love was 15-21 and held a strong t-minute drill, going 6-11 on team drills, and finding his grove in front of a packed house.
Matt LaFleur said they’re still trying to learn the strengths of their new QB1, but said Love has grown in his decisiveness?
“Exponential,” the head coach said. “It’s hard to put a real value on that. He’s going to continue to learn and grow. That’s what so exciting. You’ve seen the jumps that he’s made, but ultimately you got to go out and do it on Sunday. It’s not just him, I keep hitting that point. It’s got to be everybody. Show me a good quarterback, I’ll probably show you some good weapons around him.”
On the defensive side first-round pick Lucas Van Ness got first team reps for the first time.
The Packers put on the pads today for the first time.
On the PGA Tour Sunday Lee Hodges cruised to a victory in the 3M Open. Hodges finished -24 under for the tournament to win by seven strokes over J.T. Poston, Kevin Streelman and Martin Laird. The win was Hodge’s first career PGA Tour victory. Sam Mayer moved from Wisconsin to North Carolina as a teenager to pursue his racing dreams more seriously with JR Motorsports. A return to his home state Saturday ended with the 20-year-old’s first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory.
Mayer pulled ahead for good in the next-to-last lap of a wild second overtime session to win at Road America, about an hour’s drive from his hometown of Franklin, Wisconsin. That elusive first victory came in his 72nd Xfinity start.
Mayer won by 0.368 seconds over Parker Kligerman on the sprawling 14-turn, 4.048-mile road course. They were followed in order by Austin Hill, Sage Karam, and Riley Herbst.
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