The Braves left Truist Park late Tuesday night in a 3-2 hole. They did little to climb out of it Wednesday in what became a 7-2 loss to the visiting Giants.
An Austin Riley double in the seventh was all the Braves (46-26) could manage in the first six innings against Giants pitcher Robbie Ray. Ray was pulled with one out in the eighth after allowing a single to Matt Olson. Mauricio Dubón lined out to end the inning.
The Braves got two on with one out in the ninth, forcing the Giants to bring in closer Caleb Kilian, who struck out both batters he faced.
The Braves are 1-5 in their past six games. Since June 7, they are 9-for-48 with runners in scoring position.
“We’re kind of going through it right now. Nothing’s coming easy for us right now the past week or so,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “These things are virtually inevitable over the course of the season. Just got to fight your way through it. We’ll get through it.”
The two squads were scheduled to play again at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Wednesday’s continuation of Tuesday’s contest began in the bottom of the second with the Braves trailing 3-2. The Giants (30-43) had scored three off Braves starter Grant Holmes (4-3) on a sacrifice fly in the first inning and a bases-loaded walk and sacrifice fly in the second, while the Braves got a solo home run from Drake Baldwin and an RBI single from Dubón in the bottom of the first.
Baldwin had been reinstated off the injured list Monday and his home run was his first since May 16.
“I think coming back from injuries like that, it’s just knowing you’re ready to play at game speed, and being able to have a swing like that definitely builds confidence,” Baldwin said Wednesday. “It’s just great to be with this group of guys again, getting out there.”
The Giants handed the ball to Ray, a left-hander originally scheduled to start Wednesday’s night game. James Karinchak pitched a 1-2-3 third for the Braves before Dylan Dodd took over in the fourth.
Dodd retired the first five hitters he faced but then hung a 1-1 slider that Rafael Devers belted to right for a solo home run. Dodd’s next pitch, another hanging sinker, was ripped into the seats in front of the Chop House by Jung Hoo Lee, giving the Giants a 5-2 lead.
Reynaldo López bridged the gap for the Braves between the sixth and eighth with two scoreless innings giving way to Anthony Molina. Molina served up a one-out homer to Willy Adames, making it 6-2, and gave up another run in the ninth on a fielder’s choice off the mitt of Matt Chapman.
If there was a positive for the Braves in defeat, it’s that they didn’t have to use any of their high-leverage bullpen arms. And Carlos Carrasco joined the team after Wednesday’s loss (Molina was optioned back to Triple-A Gwinnett) and catcher Jair Camargo was called up to give the club three catchers on the roster.
“Our bullpen will be good for the second game,” Weiss said. “We got multiple innings out of a few guys. That’s a silver lining in a loss if there is one.”
Ray, meanwhile, had thrown five no-hit innings (with a pair of walks mixed in) before Riley’s double to the corner in left began the bottom of the seventh. The 34-year-old Ray recovered to get a pair of strikeouts sandwiched around a weak fly ball to left to end the threat, then left after Olson’s late single in what was one of his best outings of the season.
Ray (5-6) fanned eight, got 13 whiffs and 16 called strikes.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
