Just one night after things were looking up, the Atlanta Braves were back on a downward spiral. Shortly after the Mets pulled off a late come-from-behind win over the Blue Jays, the Braves were once again dominated by Jake Irvin and eventually lost 5-1 to the Washington Nationals.
Both teams tossed scoreless innings to start the game, as the Braves had gotten used to Jake Irvin throwing fastballs almost exclusively, and the Nationals tried to figure out Max Fried. He was finally figured out in the third inning, and the stretch got off to an unfortunate start when Fried singled on Jacob Young to start the inning. Things got even worse when CJ Abrams followed with a .080 xBA infield single, and Dylan Crews made matters worse by hitting a ball to right field and getting an RBI single that put the Nats ahead.
Later in the inning, with one out, James Wood hit a bouncer onto the mound, and maybe in an alternate universe where everything was normal, Max Fried would have pulled out his Gold Glove and made a great play. Instead, Fried was beaten down by the bouncer and just had to take it when he finally controlled the ball, with the Nats leading 2-0 at the time.
This was very bad news for the Braves – the Braves were only able to score two runs against Jake Irvin the last time they met, and although they hit Irvin for the fourth time, they couldn’t do any better tonight. The good news for the Braves is that Irvin didn’t shut them out this time. The bad news is that Irvin ended up going six innings and allowing just one run. That one run didn’t come until the sixth inning, when Michael Harris II and Jorge Soler hit back-to-back doubles to ensure that Atlanta at least made it into the “runs” column tonight.
Soler’s RBI double was only enough to make it 4-1 Washington, as the Nationals were busy hitting the ball all over the place while Max Fried was out. In the fourth inning, CJ Abrams got a fastball from Fried that went to the middle of the zone, and the Alpharetta native made no mistake in smashing it for a solo hit. While CJ Abrams brought the power in the fourth inning, the Nationals showed off their production skills in the fifth. Andrés Chaparro opened the sixth inning with a double, James Wood followed with a single, and then Juan Yepez’s GIDP was a productive hit that got us to the 4-1 score for the Nationals.
All in all, it was the kind of start that has happened to the Braves and Nationals pitchers far too often this season. Max Fried did go six innings and struck out six men, but he also allowed a whopping 11 hits and four runs. No team wants that much traffic on the basepaths, but with the Nationals, you basically fall into their trap considering the pace that currently exists on their roster. The basepaths were packed, the hit parade continued, and the Braves were unable to stop them or keep up with them when it was their turn to bat.
Atlanta showed a little more life when Washington’s bullpen came into play. Matt Olson hit a single off Derek Law to bring him in in the seventh inning, and then Ramón Laureano followed with a double with one out to give Atlanta a scoring opportunity. Cavan Biggio had a chance to make a fantastic first impression on his new team, but Law got him to fly out harmlessly, ending the scoring opportunity right there. The Braves got another runner on second base in the eighth inning when the Harris-Soler duo combined for back-to-back singles this time. Once again, the Braves couldn’t capitalize on the scoring opportunity as Marcell Ozuna’s losing streak continued and Matt Olson grounded out to end the inning.
Going into the ninth inning, the Braves trailed 5-1 after José Tena hit a single, stole second base, and was then brought home by a bloop single by Daysbel Hernández that Keibert Ruiz dropped in the Bermuda Triangle in right field. The Braves had to deal with Kyle Finnegan to attempt a low-chance comeback, and they didn’t get past the first three batters in their comeback attempt. This was a comprehensive win for the Nationals, and frankly a fitting end to a very disappointing Braves season series against this team.
Today was a bit of a letdown, as the Mets won. The Diamondbacks also won, and with the Padres facing the Mariners, it looks like this could be one of those days where the Braves get a no-win while everyone else in the NL Wild Card race is paying up. The Braves will have a day off to think about it before facing the Dodgers at home on Friday night (and that’s on Apple TV+). This Wild Card race still has a few twists and turns to come, but hopefully it will go in Atlanta’s favor more often in the future.
