The Braves’ summer malaise is getting close to a free fall after yet another loss, this one at the hands of the visiting Cardinals at Truist Park on Tuesday.
Against Cardinals’ starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore, the Braves mustered just one hit and one run through five innings of an eventual 5-3 loss. It was the team’s 13th loss in the past 17 games, and they’re now on their third losing streak of at least three games during that stretch.
Because the Phillies blew out the Pirates on Tuesday, the Braves’ lead in the NL East is now down to 2½ games.
Braves’ manager Walt Weiss indicated there has already been a point, or points, where as a manager he’s had to address the team’s poor play. Those conversations, or any that may occur in the near future, will stay behind closed doors.
“I’ve done stuff like that. That’s kind of in-house stuff,” the first-year Braves’ skipper said. “I’ve got in front of ‘em. It just comes down to, it’s up to us to turn it around. You say, ‘It’s gonna happen, it’s gonna happen,’ and I believe it will, but we have to make it happen.
“And you know, the guys are doing what they can. I mean, as far as preparing for the game, working before the game, the information is good, all that stuff. But it’s just been one of them tough stretches.”
Even though Braves starter Martín Pérez gave up four earned runs Tuesday, it was the offense that was to shoulder much of the blame. In five straight innings the Braves got the leadoff hitter on base, yet scored just one run.
They left 11 men on base and went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position. Liberatore (4-5) had a 10.34 ERA in four June starts before Tuesday. Then the lefty went out and held the Braves to one hit through five innings before exiting after a lead-off walk to Matt Olson in the sixth.
It made for another excruciatingly frustrating night at the ballpark.
“As we get older, that’s the only good thing that comes with getting older is you have more experiences and more perspective,” Weiss said. “I think if you’ve been in their shoes, you can share some perspectives that make sense and hits home. I’ve done that from time to time.
“That helps a little bit, but at the end of the day, you can get all the best information, we got to go out and execute.”
For the 45th time this season, the Braves (49-34) scored first on their opponent, taking a 1-0 lead in the third by manufacturing a run. Jorge Mateo got the start at shortstop because Braves’ manager Walt Weiss said pregame he was, “looking for a spark” offensively, and Mateo provided that with a single to left and steal of second.
Mateo went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Ozzie Albies’ one-out RBI sacrifice fly to left.
But Pérez (6-5) gave that run right back and then some in the fourth. His 3-2 cutter to Nelson Velázquez was hit 444 feet over the center field wall.
Later in the inning, with two on and two out, Pérez threw a 2-2 changeup to Nathan Church that Church smacked 391 feet on a line into the seats in front of the Chop House to put the Cardinals (44-38) ahead 4-1.
“I think it was one pitch. I think the sequencing to the lefty (Church) was bad. Throwing many corners outside and I don’t throw him nothing in. When I throw my changeup, he was ready for that pitch,” Pérez said. “The first homer I was OK with that. But I think we gotta be better to the sequencing to the lefties.”
Pérez got through five innings. Reliever James Karinchak came in for the sixth and promptly walked Mason Wynn. Wynn stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Blaze Jordan’s RBI sacrifice fly to deep right.
The Braves’ offense, for a split second, awakened in the seventh thanks to a two-out walk by Mateo against reliever George Soriano, a bloop single from Drake Baldwin (ending an 0-for-36 slump) off reliever JoJo Romero and RBI single to left from Albies. But Matt Olson, the Braves’ best hitter in June, was jammed and grounded out up the middle to end the rally.
And in the eighth, a pair of one-out singles brought the tying run to the plate. But Austin Riley, now hitting .207, struck out swinging against Ryan Fernandez.
Fernandez threw a wild pitch with pinch-hitter Rowdy Tellez at the plate. That allowed Mauricio Dubón to score from third before Tellez and pinch-hitter Dominic Smith both walked. Baldwin grounded out to second for the inning’s final out.
“We basically emptied the tank in the eighth trying to at least tie that game or take the lead there, and we had opportunities,” Weiss said. “Thought the guys took some really good at bats there in the eighth. Fell short.”
Cardinals closer Riley O’Brien earned his 21st save of the season by working around a one-out double in the ninth thanks to a pair of groundouts after that.
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