Today's Three Things: Atlanta drops series finale to Arizona
The Atlanta Braves had plenty of opportunities to put runs on the board in this one, but the heart of the order just couldn't get it done.
The Atlanta Braves dropped their series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-4 in Chase Field on Sunday afternoon.
Here’s Today’s Three Things from the contest.
The Turning Point
Arizona starter Brandon Pfaadt came back out for the 7th inning and the Braves made him wish he hadn’t. Eli White got on via an infield error to open the frame, followed by Drake Baldwin singling and then Nick Allen driving in White via a single back up the middle. That spelled the end of the day for Pfaadt, but Atlanta wasn’t done. Verdugo picked up his fourth hit of the day, driving in yet another and narrowing the deficit to only one (4-3), but after that, the Braves were silenced. Austin Riley and Marcell Ozuna struck out (Ozuna via some uncharacteristic chase of a heater out of the zone) and after Matt Olson walked to load the bases, Ozzie Albies popped out to foul territory to kill the rally before Atlanta could take the lead.
Making it even worse, he popped out on this pitch:
For the season, Ozzie’s now 2-for-17 with RISP and two outs - he got another opportunity with two outs and a RISP in the 9th inning, but despite a steady diet of pitches down the middle, all he could manage was a sub-95 mph flyout to center field.
While we all know that manager Brian Snitker would never do this, I would have welcomed Sean Murphy pinch-hitting for Ozzie in that situation.
Today’s Player of the Game
Alex Verdugo. The left fielder went 4-4, driving in two, as well as picking up an outfield assist when he gunned down Eugenio Suarez at home in the fourth inning when he tried to score from first on a double to the left-field corner.
It was really a weird send, as Verugo has one of the strongest arms in the league, while Suarez isn’t exactly fleet of foot (26.3 ft/sec, 31st percentile). The ball was in the air soon after Suarez rounded the bag and he was out easily.
(It’s also not the only weird send from Shaun Larkin - after his 2nd triple of the game, this one coming in the bottom of the 7th, Corbin Carroll broke on contact on a chopper to third and Austin Riley easily gunned him down at home to keep the Arizona lead from growing.)
Since joining the Braves, Verdugo has two different four-hit efforts in just eight starts, both Braves wins. The energy he brings to the dugout is also palpable. This feels like an underrated addition and I’m starting to wonder what the Braves do when Jurickson Profar is ready to return.
What You’ll Be Talking About
Missed opportunities for the Braves.
Against Pfaadt, the Braves got the leadoff hitter on base in five of his seven innings.
Prior to the 7th inning, they scored exactly once, coming in the 5th inning after Alex Verdugo cashed in Eli White’s leadoff double to get the two-out RBI and put the Braves on the board. They were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position across the majority of Pfaadt’s outing, leaving five on base before the mini-rally in the 7th inning.
Even after the 7th-inning rally, the Braves then went down in order in the 8th and stranded two in the 9th to finish just 4-for-15 with RISP, leaving ten on base for the contest.
What’s Next for the Braves?
The Braves are on to Colorado, where they’ve got three lined up against the Rockies. First pitch in the series opener is scheduled for 8:40 PM ET and Atlanta has Bryce Elder (0-1, 5.57 ERA) on the mound opposite righty Ryan Feltner (0-1, 3.86).