The Atlanta Braves defeated the Minnesota Twins 8-6 in 10 innings, rubbing off a 4-0 lead in the late innings to pull out the victory. They have won their fifth straight series and 12 of their last 17.

Overall, the Braves scored eight runs on eleven hits and achieved an impressive batting average of 6 out of 15 (.400) with runners in scoring position.

After shooting a perfect 5-for-5 on Monday night, Whit Merrifield went a brutal 0-for-6 from the first pitch on Tuesday. That’s baseball, folks. He put the ball in play five of those times, as you can see.

However, halfway through the order it worked.

Michael Harris II opened the scoring, batting from sixth place for a change and scoring the 2-0 lead with a two-run shot in the second inning.

Harris has shown some improvement in August, with an OPS of .736 since returning on August 14 – he had an OPS of .653 before his injury. He has also hit three home runs and 10 RBIs since returning.

Marcell Ozuna scored two more runs with a single in the fourth inning, increasing the lead to 4-0.

Starting pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach had to throw 106 pitches in 4 2/3 innings, but he managed to keep the Twins scoreless throughout the game.

One would have expected the Braves to have the upper hand for the rest of the game, but that was far from the case. The Twins scored three runs in the seventh inning and another in the eighth to tie the game.

Relief player Jesse Chavez hasn’t looked like himself lately. He allowed three of the six runs allowed on the night. That’s part of an undeniable trend. He hasn’t pitched a scoreless run since Aug. 13. In his last three games, he’s allowed a total of seven runs in 3 1/3 innings pitched. Since the All-Star break, he has an ERA of 8.22. His overall ERA for the season has increased from 1.56 to 3.40.

Everyone has a rough patch from time to time, but this is starting to become a problem. Luckily for the Braves, the bats were still there and took them into overtime. Matt Olson reached first base on a fielder’s choice and Jarred Kelenic scored to make it 5-4. Travis d’Arnaud scored with a single to make it 6-4. Ramon Laureano capped off the Braves’ scoring drive with a two-run double to make it 8-4.

Pierce Johnson gave up two runs in the second half, but the Braves held on and won. The fourth through seventh positions in the lineup combined for six of the eight runs, with the sixth and seventh batters scoring four of them, including the game-winning runs.

The Braves have a history of taking the first two wins in a series and then letting off the gas in the finale several times recently. They can’t afford to do that against the Twins, as the Phillies won their fourth in a row on Tuesday. It helps that Chris Sale is on the mound for the Braves, who won on Wednesday.

The first pitch is scheduled for 7:40 p.m.