Braves Bullpen Gives Up 6 To Buccos, Lose 10-8

The Atlanta Braves bullpen is the elephant in the room.  There is no escaping the inevitable nightly collapse.  The relief corps’ ERA is now over 5.00 and we don’t play 81 games at Coors Field.  I really don’t want to start pulling my hair out but this is truly awful to endure.  Atlanta has scored at least six runs in the last three ball games and the ‘pen has found a way to give up more.  It’s like we’re being forced to play hot potato with an Easter egg someone found in a bush Fourth of July weekend.  We know it’s going to collapse, we know it’s going to end up being awful, but still we have to play this game.

Tonight the bullpen gave up six runs in four innings of work as the Braves fall to the Pirates at home 10-8.  Williams Perez didn’t have it tonight as the Braves starter.  He again walked four batters and only lasted five innings.  Perez still has amazing tilt on his breaking ball, allowing him to record five strikeouts.  But the walks were inopportune as a leadoff walk to Starling Marte in the top of the fifth led to a Neil Walker three-run blast to take the lead.

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While Brandon Cunniff pitched a marvelous 0.2 of an inning, Luis Avilan, Trevor Cahill, and Nick Masset allowed a combined six runs in 3.1 innings.  The saddest part of tonight’s bullpen collapse was that NO Braves reliever walked a batter, not even Cunniff.  Avilan finally surrendered his first home run of the season on an opposite field two-run blast off Starling Marte’s bat.  It got so bad Andrelton Simmons literally threw his glove at a deflected ball off Juan Uribe in the eighth inning.  That’s Little League stuff, Simba, but I totally understand your frustration.

At least our offense is on an absolute tear this last week.  It has been over a week since the Atlanta Braves have scored few than six runs in a ball game.  Offensive production is coming from everywhere in the batting order.  Kevin Seitzer has been a revelation for Braves hitters this season.  I wonder what he knows about pitch location, changing speeds, and mechanics.  I hope Eddie Perez is doing okay out there in the ‘pen with all this madness.  Every Braves starting position player had a hit tonight.  Andrelton Simmons, Freddie Freeman, AJ Pierzynski, and Pedro Ciriaco each had two.  Cameron Maybin led the way with three hits batting leadoff as Jace Peterson will have a few days off to recover from a thumb injury.

Perhaps what is most painful about this bullpen nightmare is how it continues to squander the best offensive stretch Atlanta has had in nearly two years.  For now, Fredi Gonzalez’s team has to win slugfests just to stay competitive.  But even this offense tear isn’t sustainable and it could be all gloom and doom in the Atlanta locker room if the Braves front office doesn’t rectify this bullpen problem.  If not, it will be a very long summer for Atlanta and football season won’t get here fast enough.