Daysbel Hernández, Raisel Iglesias help Braves win series in Miami

MIAMI — The Braves knew they needed to to win their series vs. the Marlins this weekend. In the hunt for a postseason berth, Atlanta entered the series opener on Friday two games back from the Mets and D-backs for the third National League Wild Card spot.

Three games later, Atlanta departed Miami having narrowly avoided a series loss after a 5-4 win in the finale on Sunday at loanDepot park. The Braves (85-71) are 1 1/2 games behind the Mets (86-69) for the final NL Wild Card spot as of final out in Miami. New York and Philadelphia are set to face off at 7:15 p.m. ET.

Until the seventh inning, it was the long ball that gave Atlanta trouble: Of Miami’s five hits entering the seventh, four were solo home runs. The Braves’ staff was delivering results, but a few errant pitches proved destructive.

After Aaron Bummer allowed two singles and a sac bunt that was thrown wide of third to open the seventh before getting a strikeout — the Braves grasping a tenuous one-run lead — Atlanta brought in Hernández looking to escape the bases-loaded jam.

A strikeout and a lineout later to right, Hernández did just that. Following Hernández, Raisel Iglesias flirted with ruin in the eighth but stranded two to work his way out of the inning before a 1-2-3 ninth.

Atlanta pulled ahead early after Ozzie Albies hit a solo homer in the first inning — his first long ball since returning from the injured list (fractured left wrist) on Friday. Some small ball and a solo homer from Gio Urshela — who finished a triple shy of the cycle — helped the Braves hold a one-run lead, relying on the bullpen to seal the deal.