Braves vs. Yankees score, takeaways: Giancarlo Stanton helps New York extend winning streak to 10 games

The Yankees and Braves both took nine-game winning streaks into Monday's game

The two hottest teams in baseball opened a quick little two-game interleague series Monday night at Truist Park. The New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves both went into Monday's game having won their previous nine games. It was the first time since 1901 that two teams riding a nine-plus-game winning streak met. 

Thanks to the molten-hot Giancarlo Stanton, New York took the series opener, 5-1, (box score) and extended its winning streak to 10 games. The Braves reset and will look to begin a new winning streak Tuesday. Monday's game was tied 1-1 until the sixth inning, when Stanton and the Yankees jumped on the tiring Huascar Ynoa and Atlanta's bullpen.

Here are four takeaways from Monday night's game in Cobb County.

1. Stanton continues to mash as an outfielder

For the third time in his past six games and the fourth time in his past 11 games, Stanton went deep Monday night. His second-inning solo homer opened the scoring, and it was one of those home runs only Stanton can hit. He hit it off the end of the bat and was seemingly off-balance, yet the ball still carried out.

In the sixth inning Stanton broke the 1-1 tie with a booming double to left field. Ynoa left a slider up just a little bit, and Stanton hammered it. He hit the ball so hard (119.2 mph exit velocity) that it bounced off the wall farther than Adam Duvall expected, and that little extra bounce allowed Joey Gallo to score from first base.

Going into Monday, Stanton had hit .328/.434/.563 in his previous 18 games. He's also hit .294/.400/.559 as an outfielder this season compared with .262/.364/.458 as a DH. Stanton was relegated to DH duty only last year and earlier this year, though he's seen time in the outfield since the Yankees added Gallo and Anthony Rizzo at the trade deadline.

Monday is Stanton's 11th outfield start in his past 23 games. The Yankees have been using Luke Voit at DH with Rizzo at first, and Stanton joining Gallo and Aaron Judge in the outfield. Judge has moved over from right to center.

2. Swanson stayed hot

Not only did the two hottest teams in baseball meet Monday night, but two of the hottest individual players in baseball were on the field as well. Stanton had a big impact for the Yankees, and Dansby Swanson took a .365/.422/.581 August batting line into the game.

Naturally, Swanson went deep Monday. He answered Stanton's solo homer in the top of the second with a solo homer of his own in the bottom of the second to tie the score. To the action footage:

Swanson has really picked up his play since Ronald Acuña Jr. went down with his torn ACL. He hit .239/.297/.433 with 13 home runs in 88 games prior to Acuña's injury, and he's hit .296/.356/.545 with 14 home runs in 64 games since Acuña's injury. No one player can replace Acuña -- he's just too good -- but Swanson is doing his part to make up for the lost production.

3. Atlanta finally lost to a lefty

In the end, one run in five innings is solid, but it was not easy for Yankees lefty Jordan Montgomery. He allowed two hits and walked four in those five innings, and benefited from a few stellar defensive plays. He struck out only two (one of the two strikeouts was Ynoa, the opposing pitcher).

Montgomery also held Atlanta hitless in three at-bats with runners in scoring position, including stranding two runners in the fourth, when the score was still tied 1-1.

Going into Monday's game the Braves were 10-0 in their past 10 games against left-handed starters. In a fun little statistical quirk, Atlanta actually hit righties (.247/.334/.464) better than lefties (.245/.339/.443) during that stretch, which spanned 18 games dating to Aug. 3. The 10-game winning streak against lefty starters is now over, though it was hardly a dominant start by Montgomery.

4. Yankees have a 10-game winning streak

One way or another, a nine-game winning streak was going to end Monday night. Atlanta's nine-gamer was snapped with the loss and the Yankees ran their winning streak to 10 games. It is the fifth double-digit winning streak in baseball this season and New York's first 10-game winning streak since, well, last Sept. 9-19. Not that long ago.

The Yankees will look to extend their winning streak to 11 games in Tuesday night's series finale. Believe it or not, the Yankees have not won 11 games in a row since 1985 (Aug. 31 to Sept. 10). It's been nearly 40 years. Left-hander Andrew Heaney (8-8, 5.51 ERA) will face veteran righty Charlie Morton (12-4, 3.47 ERA) on Tuesday.

[Aug 23, 2021 at 9:45 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Whoops, Gary Sanchez is on deck, not Odor. Point stands though. I wouldn't give Voit anything to hit here.

[Aug 23, 2021 at 9:43 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Should probably walk Voit with first base open here. He's red hot, Rougned Odor is ... not.

[Aug 23, 2021 at 9:36 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Loaisiga dominates again

The Yankees have had some bullpen problems the last few weeks, but Jonathan Loaisiga is not one of them. The 26-year-old has taken the next step this season and becoming a dominant late-inning reliever. He struck out four in two scoreless innings Monday, and needed only 25 pitches to do.

Loaisiga went into Monday's game with a 2.37 ERA and a stellar 61.5 percent ground ball rate. He misses plenty of bats too, though he's at his best and when he's generate weak ground balls. Loaisiga has been Yankees manager Aaron Boone's most consistently excellent reliever this season, and if you gave him a truth serum, I bet he'd say he trusts him more than any other reliever too.

[Aug 23, 2021 at 9:09 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Stanton strikes again

Giancarlo Stanton opened the scoring with a second inning solo homer and he continued his August heater with a go-ahead two-run double in the sixth inning. It broke the 1-1 tie. Here's the video:

Stanton hit the ball so hard (119.2 mph exit velocity) that it took a bigger bounce off the left field wall than Adam Duvall expected, and it got away from him. That allowed Joey Gallo to score all the way from first base. Huascar Ynoa left a slider up a little too much, and Stanton did not miss it.

[Aug 23, 2021 at 8:51 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

It all works out. Montgomery gets through the fifth inning scoreless.

[Aug 23, 2021 at 8:43 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Montgomery has been laboring all night. Not sure I would've let him hit with a runner on second and two outs there, only to send him out to face the top of the lineup a third time.

[Aug 23, 2021 at 7:59 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Swanson goes deep again

On July 10, the Braves were dealt a devastating blow when Ronald Acuña Jr. tore his ACL trying to make a catch at the wall. Atlanta was 44-44 and four games out in the NL East at the time. Acuña was having an MVP caliber season and his injury could have derailed the Braves completely.

Instead, the Braves are 24-12 since Acuña's injury, thanks in large part to Dansby Swanson. The club's shortstop hit .239/.297/.433 with 13 home runs in 88 games prior to Acuña's injury, and he's hit .296/.356/.545 with 14 home runs in 64 games since Acuña's injury. On Monday, he swatted home run No. 25 of the season.

Replacing Acuña is impossible. There are so few players in the game as productive as him. It was always going to take multiple players stepping up their game to get the Braves back in the NL East race, and Swanson has certainly done that.

[Aug 23, 2021 at 7:51 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Stanton stays hot

For the third time in his last six games and the fourth time in his last 11 games, Giancarlo Stanton went deep Monday night. His second inning solo homer opened the scoring. It was one of those home runs only Stanton can hit. He hit it off the end of the bat and was seemingly off-balance, yet the ball still carried out.

Going into Monday, Stanton had hit .328/.434/.563 in his last 18 games. He's also hit .294/.400/.559 as an outfielder this season compared to .262/.364/.458 as a DH. The Yankees have started playing Stanton in the outfield more often since acquiring Joey Gallo and Anthony Rizzo at the trade deadline, and it has coincided with an uptick in offense.

Monday is Stanton's 11th outfield start in his last 23 games. The Yankees have been using Luke Voit at DH with Rizzo at first, and Stanton joining Gallo and Aaron Judge in the outfield. Judge has moved over from right to center.

[Aug 23, 2021 at 7:20 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Howdy folks, Yankees and Braves about to get underway in Atlanta. First time in over 100 years two teams with a 9+ game winning streak are meeting.

[Aug 23, 2021 at 6:14 pm ET · Stephen Pianovich]

First pitch set for 7:20 p.m. ET

The Yankees and Braves have vaulted themselves into playoff position during August and Monday's meeting is the first of this week's two-game series. One team will enter Tuesday on a 10-game winning streak, and Monday's meeting is an MLB rarity. Read more about the historic matchup here before first pitch.

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