Jorge Soler HR Gives Braves Game 4 Win over Astros to Take 3-1 World Series Lead

The Atlanta Braves are one win away from their first World Series title in 26 years after a 3-2 victory over the Houston Astros in Game 4 on Saturday night.

The Braves sent rookie Dylan Lee to the mound for the biggest outing of his young career. The 27-year-old had pitched in only four games, including the playoffs. He did throw 0.2 innings in Houston's 7-2 win in Game 2.

Zack Greinke started for the Astros. The six-time All-Star had made just two relief appearances this postseason and hadn't pitched more than 2.1 innings since Sept. 19.

The Astros led most of the way, carrying a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth. Austin Riley got the Braves on the board with an RBI single. Dansby Swanson and Jorge Soler turned the tide by hitting back-to-back solo homers in the bottom of the seventh. 

Atlanta's patchwork pitching staff did a phenomenal job of keeping the Astros offense at bay. Manager Brian Snitker used six pitchers to get the win. Chris Martin, Tyler Matzek, Luke Jackson and Will Smith combined to allow just two singles over the final four innings. 

Notable Game Stats

• Dansby Swanson (ATL): 1-for-3, Solo HR, RBI
• Jorge Soler (ATL): 1-for-1, Pinch-hit HR, RBI
• Eddie Rosario (ATL): 2-for-4, 2B, run scored
• Jose Altuve (HOU): 2-for-5, Solo HR, RBI, 2 runs scored
• Zack Greinke (HOU): 4 IP, 4 H, 3 K

Late-Inning Power Surge Has Braves on Brink of History    

Atlanta's pitching staff looked to be on shaky ground even before the game started. Lee's lack of experience seemed like a particularly bad matchup against an Astros lineup that can score runs in bunches. 

Sure enough, one of the worst-case scenarios for manager Brian Snitker happened. Lee allowed a single and two walks, though he did get Alex Bregman to strike out, before being pulled. 

Even though the Astros did get a run in the inning, that felt like a win for Atlanta all things considered. 

The Braves' luck on the mound would continue throughout the game. Houston left 11 runners on base and went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. This has been an ongoing problem for the AL champs in this series.

Just as A.J. Minter saved the Braves by throwing 2.2 innings in Game 1 after Charlie Morton's injury, Wright's ability to work his way out of trouble during his 4.2 innings of work was a huge boost to the pitching staff and keep things close. 

It took until the sixth inning before Atlanta's offense was finally able to breakthrough. Riley's single got the team on the board. Swanson and Soler went back-to-back in the bottom of the seventh to make it a 3-2 lead for the Braves. 

Once the offense did enough to put the Braves out in front, they needed one more great defensive play.   

Altuve drilled a line drive into deep left field that looked like it was going to be a trouble, but Eddie Rosario was somehow able to snag the ball while simultaneously looking at the wall to make sure he wasn't going to crash into it. 

Rosario added to his postseason legend both with that catch and by recording two more hits in the game.

Everything is working right for the Braves right now, as Rosario's catch seems to illustrate. Baseball can be a cruel game where things turn on a dime, so they can't afford to take their foot off the gas pedal right now. 

The Braves have one more game in front of their home fans. Based on how this series has gone thus far, that could very well be all they need to put the finishing touches on this series and a surprise championship no one would have predicted after Ronald Acuna Jr. tore his ACL on July 10. 

Bullpen Collapse Leaves Astros Scrambling for Answers

You couldn't have scripted a better start for the Astros in their quest to tie this series. They had the lead early and got a surprisingly strong start from Greinke. The right-hander had his best outing since tossing seven shutout innings Aug. 13 against the Los Angeles Angels.

Greinke's night came to an end when Dusty Baker sent Marwin Gonzalez up to pinch hit in the top of the fifth after Kyle Tucker singled and Yuli Gurriel was intentionally walked with two outs. 

Gonzalez flew out to Rosario to end the threat and the inning. 

Even though four innings doesn't sound like a lot by normal standards, Jose Urquidy is the only Astros pitcher with a longer start in the series (five in Game 2). 

Unfortuanately, Houston's bullpen was unable to hold the lead. Phil Maton gave up an RBI single to Riley in the bottom of the sixth. Swanson tied it up with a solo homer off Cristian Javier in the seventh. 

Another problem for the Astros has been how quiet their bats have been, outside of Game 2 when they scored seven runs.

One of the big takeaways from Game 3 was the limited impact Altuve was having in the series up to this point. The former AL MVP's struggles this season have often led to struggles for the Astros. 

Altuve found his hitting stroke Saturday night. He's homered in two games this series. 

In Houston's last two trips to the World Series, Altuve has struggled to get going. He had a .303/.294/.394 slash line in seven games against the Washington Nationals in 2019. The 31-year-old entered this game with a .676 OPS through the first three games against Atlanta. 

The Astros needed Altuve to step up because their lineup continued to struggle against Braves pitching. The stage was set nicely for this to be a blowout, especially when three of their first four hitters reached base in the top of the first, at which point Kyle Wright replaced Lee. 

Carlos Correa did drive in a run on a groundout, but that would be all the scoring Houston could get in the inning. 

Altuve was at his best in this game, but Michael Brantley, Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez combined to go 1-for-12 with four strikeouts. 

Now that they will be playing elimination games for the rest of this series, the Astros need to get all of their big bats on the same page if they want to force a Game 6 back in Houston.     

What's Next?

Game 5 between the Astros and Braves will be played at Truist Park at 8:15 ET Sunday night. 

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.