Before Sunday, the last Braves catcher to collect five hits in one game was Johnny Estrada in 2004. That 22-year wait ended when Drake Baldwin sent his second home run beyond the center-field wall in the eighth inning at Truist Park.
Baldwin went 5-for-5, homered twice, stole a base and scored three runs as Atlanta defeated Texas 8-5. The victory gave the Braves two wins in the three-game series and a strong opening weekend after the All-Star break.
Austin Riley supplied nearly as much damage. Together, Baldwin and Riley helped Atlanta score at least six runs for the third consecutive game. It was a welcome change for a lineup that had stumbled through a 10-19 stretch before the break.
Baldwin and Riley power Atlanta’s fast start
Atlanta scored once in each of the first four innings. Baldwin opened his afternoon with a single and later scored on Michael Harris II’s sacrifice fly. Riley followed in the second by staying back on an 0-2 curveball from Nathan Eovaldi and driving it 416 feet into the second deck in left field.
An inning later, Baldwin took Eovaldi deep. With the count at 2-2, he connected with a 73.1 mph curveball and sent it 394 feet to right-center field. The swing gave Atlanta a 3-0 lead and produced Baldwin’s 17th homer of the season.
Riley struck again in the fourth. His drive on a 95.1 mph fastball cleared the center-field wall after leaving his bat at 109.1 mph. All three Atlanta home runs had come against Eovaldi, and the Braves led 4-0 through four innings.
Rangers rally before Atlanta answers
The Rangers finally punched back in the fifth. Wyatt Langford doubled home a run, Josh Jung added a sacrifice fly and Jake Burger delivered a two-out RBI single. In a matter of minutes, Atlanta’s four-run cushion had been cut to 4-3.
Starter Grant Holmes limited the damage and completed five innings. He allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks while earning his sixth victory of the season. Texas had created pressure, but Atlanta’s lineup still had another answer.
Riley provided it in the seventh. With the bases loaded, he drove a two-run double into the outfield to restore breathing room. Brewer Hicklen followed with an RBI single, pushing the advantage to 7-3.
Baldwin caps his career afternoon
Baldwin put an exclamation point on his career afternoon in the eighth. He turned on a 3-1 fastball from Ben Peoples and launched it 392 feet to center. The ball came off his bat at 107.9 mph and gave him his fifth hit, second homer and 18th home run of the season.
“Baldwin is back to form. I think it’s official now,” Weiss said.
The historical weight of the afternoon matched the raw numbers. Baldwin’s stat line was staggering: five hits and two home runs. He became the first Atlanta player to produce that combination in one game since Ozzie Albies in 2021. Andruw Jones and Gary Sheffield are the only other Atlanta players to accomplish it during the 21st century.
His full weekend was just as impressive. Baldwin finished the series 10-for-14 with three home runs, eight RBIs and five runs. No Texas pitcher found a reliable way to keep him off base.
Baldwin leaves his injury struggles behind
The production also ended a difficult stretch following Baldwin’s right oblique injury. Before suffering the strain on May 18, he ranked fourth among National League hitters with a 155 wRC+. After spending nearly a month on the injured list, Baldwin returned on June 16 and went 5-for-63 over his next 16 games. That worked out to a .079 batting average and a .274 OPS.
Those figures reflected a hitter trying to recover his timing after a long interruption. Weiss described it as a short struggle following Baldwin’s return, not a confirmed recurrence of the injury. His swings began improving shortly before the break, and the series against Texas removed any remaining doubt about his current form.
Braves show signs of an offensive revival
Riley’s turnaround may be nearly as important. He entered the break batting .207 with nine home runs and a .618 OPS through 95 games. Following a few days away from daily mechanical work, he opened the second half by going 6-for-12 with three homers against Texas.
Atlanta needs that production. The Braves scored six or more runs only five times during their final 29 games before the break. Across the three games against the Rangers, they won 15-1 on Friday, lost 7-6 on Saturday and took the finale 8-5.
One series cannot erase every concern created by the previous month. Still, it can show what the lineup looks like when Baldwin is healthy and Riley is driving the baseball with authority.
If the Braves are going to maintain their position in the National League race, they need this version of Baldwin. At his best, he sees the ball early, refuses to waste plate appearances and punishes mistakes. Sunday’s five-hit, two-homer performance made that point impossible to miss.
READ MORE: The Braves need Austin Riley to find his swing before the trade deadline
FAQS
1. What did Drake Baldwin do against the Rangers?
Baldwin went 5-for-5 with two home runs, three runs scored and a stolen base in Atlanta’s 8-5 victory.
2. When was the last five-hit game by a Braves catcher?
Johnny Estrada recorded the previous one in 2004. Baldwin ended the franchise’s 22-year wait for another five-hit game by a catcher.
3. How did Austin Riley perform in the series finale?
Riley collected three hits, hit two home runs and drove in four runs. His power gave Atlanta crucial support around Baldwin.
4. What were Drake Baldwin’s numbers for the full series?
Baldwin went 10-for-14 with three home runs, eight RBIs and five runs during the three-game series against Texas.
5. Did the Braves win the series against the Rangers?
Yes. Atlanta won two of the three games, including an 8-5 victory in the series finale.
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