Johan Camargo hits one long gone in 8-5 Braves win over Twins

The Braves crushed two home runs in Fort Meyers this afternoon. Johan Camargo was the first to go deep, and his initial go-ahead home run helped power the Braves to eight runs against the Twins today.

Johan Camargo’s home run came in the third inning with the Braves already up 1-0 following an RBI single from Pablo Sandoval back in the first inning. The dinger happened on a 3-0 pitch from Andrew Vasquez, and there was very little doubt about where it was heading once you heard the crack of Camargo’s bat. That was Camargo’s third hit of spring and his first homer of the exhibition season, so it’s good to see him doing fine as he gets ready for the season.

While it’s extremely likely that Johan Camargo will be making the team once again, Sean Kazmar Jr. is still fighting for a spot on the team. Kazmar’s definitely been doing his part to impress the brass here in spring, and I’m sure that management definitely appreciated his two-hit day today — including a three-run home run to put the Braves ahead in the seventh.

The starting pitcher today was Huascar Ynoa, and he looked good for the better part of the first three innings that he pitched. Unfortunately, the third inning was an omen for what was to come in the fourth inning for Ynoa. He walked two batters in the third frame, and then got ran in the fourth inning after he gave up two singles and a walk to leave the bases loaded for Philip Pfeifer. Pfeifer proceeded to let in all three of the runs he inherited, then added two runs to his own record following an RBI double from Luis Arraez. When the smoke cleared following the bottom of the fourth inning, the Braves had surrendered both five runs and the lead in the game, itself.

Even though Ynoa may have hit a rough patch, Touki Toussaint saved the day by coming in and throwing three really good innings from the fifth through the seventh. Touki efficiently worked his way through three scoreless innings, as he only gave up one hit while striking out one batter in the process. He also avoided surrendering any walks, so that was a huge positive to see from Touki at this point. It was also encouraging that the Twins still had a fair number of recognizable big league names in their lineup at that point, so it wasn’t like Touki was just out there fooling minor league competition today.

It was an interesting day for a handful of guys who figure to be in the mix for fringe positions on the 2021 Braves squad. The home runs from Johan Camargo and Sean Kazmar Jr. were nice to see, and Touki Toussaint’s work was a big positive as well. It was also nice to see the game on live TV today, which is another small reminder that we’re getting closer and closer to the regular season getting started and having the luxury of watching regular season baseball on TV everyday.