The Braves saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end Monday with a 7-3 loss to the Giants at Truist Park, a makeup game originally scheduled for June 18.
Despite leading 2-1 and 3-2, the Braves watched the Giants score four in the sixth to put the game out of reach and to finish the season 5-1 against the NL East leaders. After a seven-game homestand, the Braves were scheduled to depart Atlanta on Monday for Washington, D.C., for two games against the Nationals on Tuesday and Wednesday.
On Monday, Rafael Devers put the Giants up early with a one-out, solo home run in the first off Braves starter Bryce Elder. Devers’ 403-foot shot down the right field line was his 30th homer of the season and third in seven career at-bats against Elder.
The Braves (82-56) got that run right back in the bottom of the inning against former Braves pitcher Anthony Molina when Drake Baldwin doubled to the gap in right, went to third on Ronald Acuña Jr.’s fly ball to deep right and scored on Matt Olson’s RBI grounder to shortstop.
Michael Harris II put the Braves up 2-1 in the second with an opposite-field home run, his 23rd of the season, that just cleared the wall in left-center.
Elder (8-8) gave up the lead in the fifth. A two-out walk to Devers preceded a single by Bryce Eldridge that moved Devers to third. Jonah Cox then pushed a bunt toward first base past Olson’s right for an infield single.
Once again, the Braves countered with a two-out bloop single to left off the bat of Baldwin. But then Osleivis Basabe began the top of the sixth with a solo home run to deep left, tying the game at 3-all.
“Got him down 0-2 and just made a terrible pitch,” Elder said. “And then after that, a single and another single. I just kind of unraveled. I guess you maybe find a few good things in there, but just overall I wasn’t really happy with it (the outing).”
Following Basabe’s homer, Elder was pulled after giving up back-to-back singles and a sacrifice bunt. Dylan Lee, who has struggled mightily as of late, gave up a two-run double into the right field corner to pinch-hitter Turner Hill.
That closed the book on Edler, who was charged five runs over 5 1/3 innings. The Giants (57-81) collected eight hits off Elder, who also walked three and totaled 84 pitches. The right-hander allowed two home runs in a game for the sixth time this season and at least five earned runs for the sixth time.
“I’m pretty pissed off about it, honestly. I didn’t think it was very good at all. I didn’t think my stuff was very good,” Elder said. “I thought I was gonna maybe sneak out of there, you know, a couple runs and it just kind of fell apart there at the end. I wasn’t very pleased with it at all.
Lee allowed a third run in the sixth on an Eldridge RBI single that gave the Giants a 6-3 lead. Lee has allowed six earned runs and 12 hits in his previous 4 2/3 innings and indicated after the game he is concerned he may be tipping his pitches.
“Possibly,” he said. “I mean just seeing their reactions on swings and pitches that I’ve thrown and got ‘em out, and looking at reports — it’s a little bit easier to hit the ball when you know it’s coming. Just going to clean it up and fix it.”
Molina (2-0), traded from the Braves to the Giants on Aug. 2, matched a career-high with five innings. He struck out six, including five in a row during one stretch, and walked none.
Jonah Cox hit a solo home run in the ninth off Braves’ left-hander Ray Kerr.
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