ATLANTA -- What had the makings of a disastrous weekend proved to be quite memorable thanks to the contributions of a suddenly effective bullpen and the organizational depth that has proven to be very valuable as the Braves have overcome a growing rash of injuries.\n\nHad you not been paying attention to Triple-A Gwinnett’s stats this year, there’s a good chance you weren’t familiar with the name
But in the end, the Braves left the potential postseason preview feeling celebratory. Fried turned his rough first inning into a strong five-inning effort and was supported by four scoreless innings from the bullpen and the grand slam Ortega drilled against [Dustin May](https://www.mlb.com/player/dustin-may-669160), the heralded Dodgers rookie whose career had previously consisted of three promising starts earlier this month.\n\n• [Grand slams mean 30% off pizza](https://www.mlb.com/sponsorship/papaslam)\n\nApproximately 48 hours after some Atlanta fans began fearing the division lead might drop to 2 1/2 games by the end of the weekend, the Braves found themselves with the same 5 1/2-game lead they carried into this series. At the same time, they gained some confidence against the Dodgers, who entered Saturday having won 12 of their past 15 matchups.\n\n“It’s a huge series win,” Braves catcher Brian McCann said.\n\nOrtega’s slam came when he jumped on a center-cut, 1-2 sinker and drilled it into the Braves’ bullpen beyond the right-center-field wall. This was the extension of the power he’d shown while tallying 21 homers for Gwinnett this year. But few could have expected this contribution from the 28-year-old journeyman, whose only previous homer had come during an Angels loss to the Rangers on May 25, 2016.\n\nOrtega has gone 3-for-10 with a double and a homer since making his season debut on Tuesday.
“Our organization has done a really good job of having Major League ready guys in Triple-A,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “That’s huge. They did a good job of identifying and finding guys like that. It might not be immediate. But at this time of year we get those kinds of guys that have been there and know the routine, that’s really good.”\n\nTime will tell what the Braves will experience over the final six weeks of the season, but they are benefiting from the improved organizational depth general manager Alex Anthopoulos has built this year. He could have saved money by bidding adieu to Duvall at the end of Spring Training. But he kept him around to team with Ortega, creating the outfield depth that has proven quite valuable as three key outfielders --