Braves’ Pitchers Walk 10, Lose to Snakes 7-6

Tonight’s game between the Atlanta Braves and the Arizona Diamondbacks had a Little League feel to it.  Clean innings for both teams were hard to come by.  Runners were almost always on base and the game took forever because of it.  Arizona surrendered 10 Braves’ hits and fell apart in the sixth inning.  The Snakes blew a 4-1 lead as Atlanta plated five to take control of the game for the moment at 6-4.  And the Atlanta bullpen happened again…

Though Cody Martin and Luis Avilan pitched great in the fifth and eighth innings respectively, Nick Masset and Brandon Cunniff each walked two men and their three combined earned runs proved costly as the Braves lost 7-6.  Atlanta walked ten batters tonight.  Ten in eight innings!  Shelby Miller walked a season high six hitters in a forgettable start (4.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 6 BB, 2 K).

Jun 2, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Shelby Miller reacts as he looks on from the dugout after being pulled from the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

I’ll give Miller a break tonight as he was the best pitcher in baseball during the month of May.  Going into tonight’s start, Shelby and Zack Greinke led the Majors with a 1.48 ERA.  It seemed like Miller couldn’t make the adjustments on his grip with the dry air of Phoenix.  His fastball location was lackluster at best tonight.  It’s not easy to pitch in Phoenix as the ball flies out of the park, especially when the roof is open like it was tonight.  As good as he has been for the Braves this season, this was his worst start in an Atlanta uniform, no doubt about it.  I’m not overly concerned as most pitchers struggle throwing in Chase Field.  Just look at Arizona’s staff members’ ERA.  They play in a launching pad.

It’s a bummer how this game ended as the offense and defense did all they could to offset tonight’s pitching woes.  Juan Uribe continues to dazzle defensively at third.  He looked better than Simba today, as Simmons made some questionable choices in the fourth at short that costs the Braves a run.  Todd Cunningham played a great game tonight.  In addition to his stellar defense in center, Todd led the way for the Braves by going 3-4 with two RBI’s tonight.  It looks like he’s well on his way out of an 0-19 slump at the plate.

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Arizona took advantage of Atlanta’s inability to throw strikes tonight.  It actually was a surprising close game as the Diamondbacks left 12 men on base tonight.  The only D-Back starter to not reach base tonight was RF Mark Trumbo.  He left nine men on base in his five at bats.  If only our pitching staff could have faced Trumbo 27 times tonight.  Instead AJ Pollock hit one into the Pool, Ender Inciarte stole two easy bases, and Paul Goldschmidt walked four times.  It just wasn’t a good day for Roger McDowell and his Atlanta staff.  But at least we got that awesome Shelby Miller picture out of tonight’s ball game.  It’s hysterical!

Looks like the Braves need to win this series tomorrow in the finale in the desert.  First pitch coming at 3:40 PM ET.  Let’s end this West Coast road trip on a high note.  Go Braves!