Atlanta Braves Fall to Reds 4-3
The Atlanta Braves took on the Cincinnati Reds Tuesday night in the second game of a three game series. Rookie flamethrower Mike Foltynewicz took the mound against Anthony DeSclafani in the battle of pitchers with difficult to pronounce last names.
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The Braves fell behind early for the second night in a row when Todd Frazier launched a two-run homer deep into the leftfield stands to give the Reds a 2-0 lead in the first inning. However, Atlanta would not stay down for long.
They grabbed both runs back in the third inning to tie the game at 2. First, Kelly Johnson doubled home Andrelton Simmons, followed by an Alberto Callaspo sacrifice fly that would score Freddie Freeman.
In the fourth inning the Braves would take their first lead of the game. After reaching base on a double, Jace Peterson would come home on a Nick Markakis double to give Atlanta a 3-2 lead. They would keep that lead until the seventh inning when Marlon Byrd‘s sacrifice fly scored Brayan Pena to tie the game at 3.
The game remained tied at 3 until the bottom of ninth inning. Fredi Gonzalez elected to bring closer Jason Grilli in to try and get the game to extra innings. Grilli has been dealing with a nagging back injury and had not appeared in a game since May 6th. Grilli’s rust showed as he allowed a single to Brayan Pena and then a double to Devin Mesoraco that scored pinch-runner Michael Lorenzen, giving the Reds a walk-off 4-3 victory.
The win snapped a three game losing streak for the Reds and stopped the Braves from actually starting a winning streak.
Grilli’s ERA with Atlanta has now risen to 5.23 and he has allowed at least one run in three of his last four outings. It may be time for the Braves to explore other options for the closer role. Though, those options are likely limited to Cody Martin, Brandon Cunniff, and Jim Johnson. The bullpen woes continue.
Mike Foltynewicz turned in another good outing, though fastball command is still an issue. Folty pitched 6 and 2/3 innings allowing 2 earned runs on 6 hits. He struck out 7 Reds, but also walked 4 batters.
I’m of the opinion that Fredi Gonzalez left him in an inning too long. I understand the bullpen is a dumpster fire right now, but I thought he should have taken his six innings of fine work and built on it for his next start. Instead he surrendered the lead and probably feels like he cost the team the game. Nevertheless it was a good performance and something to feel positive about moving forward with his development.
The Braves pounded out 12 hits, but left 12 men on base and went 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
The rubber game of the series begins tomorrow evening at 7:10 PM when Eric Stults will take on Raisel Iglesias as the Braves try to squeak out a series win.
Notable Performers
Nick Markakis: 2-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 2B, 1 BB
Kelly Johnson: 2-for-3, 1 RBI, 1 2B, 1 BB
Jace Peterson: 2-for-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 BB
Mike Foltynewicz: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 7 SO, 4 BB