Braves Drop Disappointing Series to the Pirates

Chris Sale (Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images)

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there. Today, the Atlanta Braves wrapped up their series in Pittsburgh with a rubber match against the Pirates. Atlanta managed to snatch an 11-inning win on Saturday thanks to a strong outing from AJ Smith-Shawver and continued dominance from the bullpen. But despite some encouraging pitching performances, the Braves' offense has remained cold, frequently squandering quality starts. Sunday was another chance to turn things around and back Chris Sale, who has looked sharp in recent outings after shaking off some early-season concerns. His velocity has ticked up, and the movement on his pitches has been spot-on. That was on display early on this afternoon before the fifth inning took place and before the Braves dropped a disappointing series to the Pirates.

Sale took the mound against Carmen Mlodzinski, who entered with a rough 6.03 ERA and a 1-3 record across eight appearances. But you wouldn’t have known that from the way he started. The Braves went down in order in the top of the first, all on fly balls. Sale followed with a solid opening frame of his own, facing five batters and striking out Bryan Reynolds and Matt Gorski. Andrew McCutchen recorded his first career hit off Sale, a small note from an otherwise clean inning.

In the second, Marcell Ozuna ground out before Drake Baldwin tallied the Braves' first hit with a well-placed shot to center that Alexander Canario couldn’t quite snag on a dive. Ozzie Albies followed and made decent contact, but Tommy Pham made a sliding catch to rob him. Albies continues to struggle, unable to find consistency at the plate this season.

Sale came out for the bottom of the second and struck out Canario on four pitches. His four-seamer and slider mix was sharp, fooling hitters early on. He punched out Jared Triolo for his third strikeout of the day, showing great command and effectiveness on the edges of the zone.

Michael Harris II led off the third with a single but was stranded, as Mlodzinski continued to keep the Braves quiet. Through three innings, Atlanta had only managed two hits and zero walks. In a league where offense is generally on the rise, the Braves continue to be an outlier.

In the bottom of the third, Liover Peguero jumped on a first pitch from Sale for a base hit to right. It wasn’t a bad pitch, a 94 mph fastball on the outer edge, but Peguero timed it up and put it in play. After a Hayes fly out, the Braves’ defense stepped up. Nick Allen made a leaping snag for the second out, and Michael Harris II tracked one down in center and made a beautiful sliding catch to close the frame. Both teams had only combined for five hits to that point, and only one runner had reached second base.

The Braves looked for a response in the top of the fourth. Olson and Ozuna both flew out, but Baldwin stayed hot with a double into the right field corner. He’s proving that his presence in the lineup is deserving of more opportunities. Still, Baldwin was left on base as Albies lined out to right. That made Albies hitless in his last 20 at-bats, yet he continues to hit in the heart of the order.

Allen opened the home half with a leaping snag to rob Joey Bart. Gorski singled, but Baldwin threw him out trying to steal second, flashing his improved mechanics behind the plate. Canario then doubled but was stranded, and the game remained scoreless heading to the fifth.

Even with his ERA above six, Mlodzinski pitched well through five innings, allowing only four hits with two strikeouts and no walks. His stuff didn’t overpower, but the Braves just couldn’t square him up. That has become a familiar trend this season.

The game unraveled in the bottom of the fifth. Triolo singled to start the inning. Sale responded by striking out Peguero on a slider. Hayes then singled to put two on. A double steal advanced both runners, and a passed ball by Baldwin allowed Triolo to score. Hayes moved to third. Sale walked Reynolds, then McCutchen drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Bart capped it off with an RBI single, and suddenly it was 3-0 Pirates.

The Braves went quietly in the sixth except for an Olson walk. Mlodzinski exited after 5.2 scoreless innings with four hits allowed. He didn’t necessarily dominate, but Atlanta couldn’t figure him out, as has often been the case this season. The Braves are just a bad hitting team and there is no other way to put it.

Sale returned for the sixth but still looked frustrated, issuing a four-pitch walk to Canario. He regrouped to strike out Pham and Triolo for his seventh and eighth Ks. After hitting Peguero, Sale’s day was done. Enyel De Los Santos came in and got Hayes to fly out. Sale finished with 5.2 innings, eight hits, three runs, two walks, and eight strikeouts on 99 pitches. His ERA settled at 3.97.

The seventh went quietly for both sides. Then came a spark in the eighth.

Allen led off with a single but was caught stealing after Verdugo struck out. With two outs, Riley singled, and Olson doubled to move him to third. Ozuna drew a four-pitch walk, and Fairchild entered to pinch-run. Snitker then made the call to hit Sean Murphy for Baldwin, despite Baldwin being 2-for-3 on the day. It worked. Murphy laced a two-out double to clear the bases and tie the game 3-3.

In the bottom of the eighth, Aaron Bummer came on and retired three of four batters, allowing only a walk to Pham. The Braves bullpen has continued to do its part. Atlanta went down in order in the ninth. Then Raisel Iglesias entered to try and send it to extras, but trouble found him again. Iglesias failed to hold the tie, and the Pirates loaded the bases before Joey Bart ended it with a walk-off RBI to score Adam Frazier. Pittsburgh won 4-3 and took the series.

This weekend was another frustrating chapter for Atlanta. While the pitching staff continues to show up, the offense remains unreliable. The Braves dropped two of three to a Pirates team they should have beaten, and the bats once again fell silent with the exception of one good inning. This wasn’t just a missed opportunity, it was a letdown. The Atlanta Braves falls to 19-21 on the season and returns home for a four game set with the Washington Nationals. Grant Holmes takes the mound tomorrow, as the Nationals are prepared to send out Jake Irvin.