Game Recap: Braves Lose 5-1 to the Reds, Chris Johnson Injured

Both teams came into the game 10-11 for the 2015 season, one team had to leave the park with a .500 record.  Well, it won’t be the Atlanta Braves.  They will end April with a 10-12 record and head into May with hopes of turning it around.

The Cincinnati Reds silenced the Braves offense on Thursday night and destroyed them with solo homers…Reds win 5-1 in game one of the series.

Another story that developed Thursday night was the injury to Braves third baseman Chris Johnson.  This happened in the bottom of the 4th inning when Johnson try to steal second.  He does have one stolen bases this year and 17 for his career, (seven while with the Braves) but he isn’t known for stealing bases.

“It stuck a little bit when I slid,” Johnson explained of his injury.  “My hand was out and it kind of jammed it backwards.”

Take a look at the second look at his slide, you’ll see his wrist bend backwards.

The injury has been listed by the Atlanta Braves as a left hand injury and will be further evaluated.

“We have to put him on the DL,” Fredi Gonzalez said after the game.  “It’s a fracture of the left hand.  He’s going to go get some tests and find out more.  Either way though, we have to put him on the DL.”

“I didn’t actually know until Freddie (Freeman) threw me a ball,” Chris Johnson told reports after the game.  “I was going to third and he threw me the ball and it kind of jammed my hand back.  I was like ‘oh, that didn’t feel good’.  So I just played defense and came back in to tell the trainers and they told me I was done pretty quick.”

“It stinks, I love playing,” Johnson continued with.  “Now that I’ll be on the DL, that will stink a little for me because I want to be out there any play baseball.  But, I’ll get better and I’ll be back.”

“I’ll be in a cast tomorrow and then I’ll get an MRI tomorrow morning.  They are going to check the ligaments between the fracture and see if those are all right.  Then we’ll probably have a timetable.”

If the ligaments are damaged, this will be longer than a 15-day DL stint.

The Reds scored all five of their runs in the last four innings and four runs on solo home runs.  Tucker Barnhart, Todd Frazier, Billy Hamilton and yes, the pitcher Mike Leake all hit solo homers on Thursday.

Along with his homer, Leake pitched eight innings while not giving up a run on only two hits and two walks.

The Braves had as many hits in the 9th inning than they did the entire rest of the game – two hits.  Phil Gosselin hit a double to start off the 9th inning (the first hit since the 2nd inning) and Freddie Freeman later drove him in with a double.  Braves ended with four hits, one run, three walks and thee strikeouts.  Nick Markakis and Jace Peterson helped with the other two hits for the Braves.

“The way we’ve been swinging the bats, we should have won that game,” Gonzalez said.  “Leake pitched better…he didn’t give up any runs, but I thought Shelby Miller was outstanding today.  If he goes out and gives us 28 more starts like that, he’s going to have a hell of a year.”

Braves starter, Shelby Miller went seven innings on Thursday marking the first time so far in 2015 that a starting pitcher went seven innings.  He picks up his first loss of the season…he’s now 3-1 for 2015.