Braves Bullpen Blows Lead: Devers Walks-Off

Braves Manager Brian Snitker

Last night, the Atlanta Braves grabbed a 4-2 win over the Boston Red Sox in Chris Sale’s emotional return to Fenway Park. The victory not only gave Atlanta its first look at Sale’s vintage dominance in a Braves uniform, but it also pushed them above .500 for the first time this season. It took until game 45 to get there, but it’s a step in the right direction.

Tonight, Grant Holmes was handed the ball as the Braves looked to build on that momentum and improve to 24-22. While some fans are still unsure where this season is heading, it’s not time to hit the panic button. The Braves, despite an underwhelming offense at times, have done just enough to keep themselves in the mix, and much of that credit goes to the starting pitching staff. Let’s take a look at how this one started to unfold.

Lucas Giolito opened the game for Boston, and his night got off to a rocky start. After getting Alex Verdugo to ground out, he ran into trouble with Austin Riley. Riley worked a tough at-bat and reached, and then Matt Olson stepped to the plate and sent a message. Olson crushed a two-run homer, his fourth career shot off Giolito, to put Atlanta ahead early. Marcell Ozuna followed up immediately, absolutely launching a 417-foot no-doubter over the Green Monster. Just like that, it was 3-0 Braves. Maybe a little road trip to Boston was exactly what the offense needed.

Holmes came in with a rare early cushion, something he hasn’t often been afforded this season. He wasted no time taking advantage, striking out Jarren Duran and Rafael Devers before getting Alex Bregman to ground out. Quick and clean, exactly what the Braves needed. In the second, Eli White and Nick Allen both singled, but nothing came of it. Still, the Braves had already tallied four hits through two innings. It’s not an eye-popping number, but considering the struggles at the plate this season, it felt like a win.

Holmes cruised through the second inning and the Braves came back for more in the third. Ozuna drew a walk, and then rookie Drake Baldwin delivered another big-time swing. Baldwin crushed a 416-foot homer to right, a two-run blast with an exit velocity of 112 mph. That swing made it 5-0 Atlanta and reinforced just how valuable Baldwin’s presence has been in this lineup. The kid continues to show why he deserves to be in there every day.

With a five-run lead, Holmes looked like he might really settle in, but the bottom of the third brought some pushback from Boston. After two quick outs, Duran jumped on a middle-middle four-seamer and sent it out for a two-run homer, his third of the season, to cut the Braves’ lead to 5-2. Kristian Campbell nearly made it worse with a deep drive to center, but Michael Harris II tracked it down with a great catch at the wall to end the inning.

In the fourth, the Braves added some insurance. Eli White got on base, and Riley came through with an RBI single to make it 6-2. Olson added another hit, and Atlanta looked like they were keeping their foot on the gas, something that’s been missing far too often this season.

Holmes navigated his way through the fourth and fifth innings with help from his defense. Harris and White covered ground well in Fenway’s sprawling outfield, turning potential extra-base hits into routine outs. Through five, Holmes had allowed just two runs on two hits with three strikeouts and four walks. His command wasn’t as sharp as in previous outings, and the Red Sox weren’t chasing much outside the zone, but he kept things under control.

In the sixth, the Braves had a chance to break it open. Verdugo singled, Riley walked, and Olson followed with a base hit to left. Third base coach Matt Tuiasosopo sent Verdugo home, but Duran came up firing and nailed him at the plate. It was a deflating out in a moment where Atlanta could’ve slammed the door.

Holmes came back out for the sixth and finished his night strong. He added two more strikeouts, bringing his total to five. His final line: 6.0 innings, 3 hits, 2 runs, 4 walks, 5 strikeouts. Not his sharpest outing, but more than enough to put the Braves in position to win. His ERA now sits at 4.01.

Then came the unraveling.

Aaron Bummer took the mound in the seventh and couldn’t get through three batters. Ceddanne Rafaela doubled, and Devers drove him in with a single. A wild throw from Verdugo allowed Devers to move up, and that ended Bummer’s night. Enyel De Los Santos came in to try and stop the bleeding, but it didn’t happen. Bregman hammered a double off the Monster, scoring Devers and cutting the lead to 6-4.

The Braves’ offense couldn’t respond in the top of the eighth. Rafael Montero was next out of the bullpen, and what followed was all too familiar. Montero allowed two more runs, one of which came after Pierce Johnson was called in to clean up. It was too late. The Red Sox had tied it 6-6 heading into the ninth.

Snitker stuck with Johnson for the bottom of the ninth, and Rafael Devers made him pay. Johnson left a curveball up and over the heart of the plate, and Devers sent it out for a walk-off homer. Just like that, the Braves lost a game they had led 5-0. A game where Grant Holmes gave them everything he could. A game where the offense finally woke up.

This one falls squarely on the Braves bullpen. Holmes deserved a win. The offense did enough. And yet, two innings of relief work undid it all. Atlanta’s bullpen gave up five runs unanswered runs and turned a comfortable lead into a crushing loss.