Dominic Smith Is Hitting .375 With a Walk-Off Grand Slam in His First Week as a Brave and the D-backs Are in Trouble

Nobody saw this coming when Dominic Smith signed that minor league deal with Atlanta back in February. The guy's best position is first base, and Matt Olson, the Braves' locked-in first baseman, hasn't missed a game in over four seasons. One start missed since 2022. One. But Smith walked into Chase Field on Thursday and absolutely demolished the Diamondbacks in a 17-2 rout that was the most lopsided win the Braves have ever had in Phoenix, topping a 14-0 blowout from July 2007.

Smith homered and scored twice in that series opener. The 30-year-old is now batting .375 with two homers and five RBIs through five appearances. But here's the wild part: last Saturday, in his literal team debut, Smith hit a walk-off grand slam to beat Kansas City 6-2. He's the first player in baseball history to end a game that way in his first game with a team. Let that sink in. The guy was basically a non-roster camp invite and he's already etched his name into the record books.

A Suspension Opens the Door, Smith Walks Through It

The opportunity came when Jurickson Profar got slapped with a season-long suspension for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs for the second time. Suddenly, the designated hitter spot opened up wide, and Smith made sure Atlanta noticed. Manager Walt Weiss was glowing after Thursday's blowout. "When the suspension happened, I said there would be an opportunity for some guys, and guys are going to step up and shine and he's certainly doing that," Weiss said. "Dom is taking advantage of the opportunity and we always talk about him giving a professional at-bat. He's showing off some power too."

Smith's 71st career homer came in that demolition job. Matt Olson had his own huge night, going 3-for-5 with a homer, two doubles, three RBIs and three runs. Mauricio Dubon and Jorge Mateo also went deep. The Braves are now 5-2 on the season.

Arizona Falls Apart, Lawlar's Debut Sours

The Diamondbacks got shredded, especially in the fifth inning when Atlanta plated eight runs. Arizona had a three-game winning streak snapped. Manager Torey Lovullo wasn't making excuses. "It's about execution, that's the bottom line," he said. "If you don't execute, you're going to have games like this."

Jordan Lawlar did belt his first career homer for Arizona, but he got hit by a pitch on his right wrist in the seventh and had to exit. X-rays came back negative, and a CT scan is planned for Friday.

Round two goes Friday night at Chase Field. Rodriguez takes the mound for Arizona with a 0.00 ERA through one start this season. Atlanta counters with Grant Holmes, who gave up three runs over five innings in Sunday's loss to Kansas City.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.