The Braves earned a big win against the Angels.
The Atlanta Braves defeated the Los Angeles Angels 7-2 on Tuesday night in Anaheim. It was a matchup that saw Jorge Soler and Reynaldo Lopez involved in a fight, and the game also saw the Braves earn a statement win.
The brawl was the primary storyline from the game. It went viral, all of the outlets were talking about it and even many non-baseball fans saw the video. It was unfortunate for the teams. The way ball clubs respond after such a scenario is crucial, though.
Lopez and Soler exchanged a look and later words. The Angels slugger and Braves pitcher then began walking toward one another. Soler then ran at Lopez and punches were thrown. A benches-clearing brawl was the result.
Angels star Mike Trout ended up leading Lopez away from the fight. Trout was clearly trying to de-escalate what was occurring.
It is easy to get rattled when situations like this occur. The Braves, however, held the Angels scoreless after the brawl and even added a few more runs en route to the victory.
In the end, fighting is never the answer. Nevertheless, the way the Braves responded says a lot about the team. They are not going to let adversity stand in the way of winning.
Tuesday's victory was an emotional win. It was a win that could carry momentum into their next few games. In fact, the team could end up going on a winning streak.
Braves Defeat Angels
The Angels defeated the Braves on Monday, so Tuesday's victory represented a quality bounce back for Atlanta. The pitching performed well for the most part. Lopez was removed after 4.2 innings after allowing two runs. The bullpen did not allow a single run following his departure.
Raisel Iglesias was especially impressive out of the bullpen. While he did give up two hits, Iglesias turned in 1.2 innings in his outing. He did not surrender a run and the Braves star reliever added three strikeouts.
Offensively, Austin Riley, Drake Baldwin and Mauricio Dubon all recorded two hits. Ozzie Albies, meanwhile, had just one hit but it was a home run.
Atlanta improved to 7-5 with the victory. The Braves are now in second place in the National League East division.
The Braves and Angels will go head-to-head once again on Wednesday afternoon at 4:07 PM EST. Grant Holmes will start the game for Atlanta, while LA will give the ball to Reid Detmers.