Braves’ Staff Blows Massive Lead, Lose 9-8 to Arizona

Only the Atlanta Braves bullpen would blow a 7-1 lead on a get-away day.  There’s a charter plane waiting on that hot Phoenix tarmac for our boys to get home.  This West Coast road trip has been a nightmare for the Atlanta ‘pen. Though the offense gelled all series, scoring 23 runs on the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Snakes take two of three from the Braves with a 9-8 victory Wednesday afternoon.

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Mike Foltynewicz outperformed Arizona’s starter Rubby De La Rosa.  That wasn’t saying much as neither pitcher made it through the sixth inning.  Folty was inconsistent in 5.2 innings with four earned runs and five strikeouts.  Though he wasn’t great his offense picked up the slack early on by scoring five runs in the top of the second inning.

Freddie Freeman had a monster day at the plate, hitting two mammoth home runs and knocking in four base runners.  His three-run blast in the second was easily 25 rows up in the right field bleachers.  He also went opposite way of De La Rosa in the fourth.  Can he hit 30 HR’s this year?  Cameron Maybin and Nick Markakis each had three hits this afternoon.  AJ Pierzynski had a pinch hit homer to deep right center in the top of the ninth.  Atlanta scored all 8 of its runs today with two outs.

And it was all squandered by our leaky bullpen.  If Atlanta’s ‘pen was a Led Zeppelin song, it would be ‘When The Levee Breaks’.  It just keeps on raining, doesn’t it.  And of course it’s raining outside now in Atlanta.  The Levee broke and it will be a silent plane ride back to Hartsfield-Jackson this evening.

Today’s guilty parties were Cody Martin and Jim Johnson, allowing a combined four runs in 1.1 innings.  When Johnson sailed that ball past Chris Johnson on a fielder’s choice in the eighth, it was over for the Braves.  When does throwing the ball to third base ever end up being the right call?  It didn’t work in tee-ball so why would it work now?  That throwing error made it 9-7 Diamondbacks for no reason whatsoever.

Atlanta should have swept the Diamondbacks with how well its offense and starting pitching played.  Instead the Braves come home with sub-.500 record on a sub-.500 West Coast road trip to face the red-hot Pittsburgh Pirates at Turner Field.  Tomorrow’s another day but John Hart needs to do something because this bullpen is ruining our team.  Atlanta has all the other pieces to make a Wild Card run.  This leaky bullpen needs fixing, now.