Atlanta Braves drop second straight to Washington Nationals, 6-4
This recap will be short and sweet, because there’s only one thing you really need to know about this ballgame. The Atlanta Braves lost the game in the first inning. Yes, stuff happened after that. Yes, they finished the game and even scored some runs. I don’t care. The game was over after the Nationals finished batting in the first inning, because the score was 4-0.
If you’ve been watching this team, and judging by the TV ratings you haven’t, then you would notice that the Braves are threatening to climb into the sewer. By the way, that was a Major League movie joke for you kids out there that were born in the late 90s. Go download it somewhere. Anyway, when the Braves have been down by just a single run the fans are questioning if they can come back to win. Being down by four runs is like dreaming the impossible dream for this team.
How did it happen? Simple. Ervin Santana gave the game away. He started off with a double, then a sacrifice, and then a walk. With runners at first and third with one out, everyone was thinking that one run would be enough to put the Braves in a bad way. Well Ervin wasn’t content with giving up just one. He was the Lays Potato Chips of pitching. A single plated the first run, then a single plated another, and then (you guessed it!) a single plated another. However, in a wild twist, the fourth run scored on sacrifice fly.
When the dust cleared, there’s the 4-0 score. The Nats added on two more later in the game, and the Braves managed to score four of their own with some help by a Justin Upton homer. The end result was still a Braves loss that occurred in the first inning. While the Braves showed some signs of life by scoring four runs, it rings incredibly hollow when you’re in a losing streak. September is a cruel month that spits in the face of “moral victories.”
The Braves will try to stay out of the sweep on Wednesday. At this point, I can say with certainty that if they get swept, the playoffs are a complete long-shot. Lose the next series, and they are nigh-impossible. Do whatever you can to get the jinx off the lineup and score some runs if you’re superstitious. The team needs all the help they can get.