Travis d’Arnaud Busts Out to Lift Braves to NLDS Game 1 Win

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Travis d’Arnaud had a great first season with Atlanta this year (.321 BA, .919 OPS) and continued pounding on Tuesday against Miami in Game 1 of the NLDS. The 31-year-old catcher reached base all five times he stepped to the plate, including a mammoth three-run jack in the bottom of the seventh that snapped a 4-4 tie. Atlanta went on to beat the Marlins 9-5.

Earlier in the game, an RBI double by d’Arnaud helped the Braves cut into Miami’s 4-1 lead. Marcell Ozuna, who’s also in his first year with the club, also had a notable Game 1. Right before d’Arnaud’s big blast, Ozuna singled in a run to tie the game 4-4. Both knocks came off Marlins reliever Yimi Garcia.

D’Arnaud, who signed a two-year, $16 million deal with Atlanta this offseason, was in a mini-slump before his monster game. In his last seven games (five regular season, two postseason), he hit just .192 (5-for-26) with 12 strikeouts and one RBI.

Game 2 of the NLDS will be on Wednesday, October 7th at 2:08 p.m. ET on MLB Network. Pablo Lopez will start for Miami while Ian Anderson gets the pill for the Braves.