Braves Lose Ugly Slugfest Because of Uggla

That was the ugliest baseball game I have seen the Braves play since the Brooks Conrad Game of 2010.  It was more sickening than entertaining tonight.  I would equate it to eating an entire basket of Halloween candy. As awesome as it was starting out, by the end of the night we were all rolling on the floor wondering why we ate twelve Snickers bars.

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After annihilating rookie pitcher AJ Cole in his major league debut, the Braves let a 10-2 lead fall to the way side.  Outside of Jim Johnson, the Braves bullpen was rancid tonight.  Luis Avilan and Jason Grilli combined for 6ER runs in their two innings of work.  Please don’t punch any lockers tonight boys.  Your hands will not fail you this badly tomorrow!

Julio Teheran didn’t fair any better as tonight’s starter.  His inability to retire Denard Span best exemplified his rocky night, 5.2 IP, 7 runs (3 earned) on 10 hits.  If there was one positive to Julio’s start, it was his outstanding breaking ball. Outside of the one he hung to Span, it wasn’t being touched as Teheran struck out four with his big hook.

Offensively the Braves could not have played any better. Freddie Freeman went 4-5, scoring three runs.  AJ Pierzynski went 4-4 with 4 RBI’s and a walk.  Saying that this man is on fire would be like saying Bill Gates is rich. (More on AJ in the morning).  Every starting position player recorded a hit and score a run.  Yet the Braves find a way to lose?

Besides Denard Span, there was one Washington National that destroyed the Braves tonight.  It wasn’t Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmermann, or Jayson Werth.  It was Dan Uggla!  So far in this series Dan Uggla has had two triples. He had four his entire time in Braves uniform.  When he stepped into the batter’s box in the top of the ninth to face Jason Grilli, I was thinking that there was absolutely no way Dan Uggla was going to give the Nationals the lead.  Instead, he took Grilli to moon with a homer that Ryan Howard or Giancarlo Stanton would have gawked at in awe.  Bryce Harper has never been happier in his entire life.

Let’s hope that this 13-12 victory for the Nats doesn’t get them out of their early season lull just yet.  The series finale begins tomorrow at 7:10 ET when Alex Wood and Jordan Zimmermann square off.