Atlanta Braves Morning Chop: 1… More… Hit…; Two Old Horses
Sep 25, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves manager
Fredi Gonzalez(33) looks on from the pitching cage before a game against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
You pretty much knew after the first inning that it was going to be “one of those games” when the score was 4-4. Even wunderkid Jose Fernandez didn’t have “it” as he surrendered a highly uncharacteristic 6 earned runs in five innings. But he still managed to get a “W” (how’s that for invalidating that stat, Chip Carey?) as the Braves’ furious comeback fell just one hit short for a nutty 12-11 final in Miami.
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Ryan Weber just had absolutely nothing: he lasted 2 innings… barely… giving up 9 hits and seven earned runs. In fact, the Marlins were averaging a run for every 7 pitches against him. The other Ryan – Ryan Kelly – managed to escape the third inning unscathed despite 2 hits allowed.
Sugar Ray Marimon wasn’t as fortunate: the Marlins got another 4-spot off of him in the 4th (at 6 pitches per run). Andrew McKirahan? 2 innings – 1 earned. That accounts for the 12 runs and 19 of the 20 hits the Fish got – all in the first 6 innings.
Honorable mentions go to Danny Burawa, Matt Marksberry, and Edwin Jackson for holding them there for the rest of the game – that almost made all the difference.
Freddie Freeman (5). Bad wrist and everything. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports
The Atlanta offense was chipping away at the lead, which peaked at 11-4 after the 4th inning. 2 final runs off of Fernandez in the 5th was helpful, but the 7th and 8th innings had us believing that they could get there.
At 12-8 to start the 8th, Hector Olivera started things off with a single. Michael Bourn followed in kind. Ryan Lavarnway – batting for the second time in about a month – struck out (his 1st AB was a GIDP). But then Adonis Garcia doubled in both runners to make it 12-10.
Now Daniel Castro singled, Freddie Freeman walked, and then Nick Swisher worked a bases-loaded walk to make it 12-11. Bases still jammed, still just 1 out.
All we need now is one more hit.
Alas: Kyle Barraclough was brought in and he got Andrelton Simmons and Cameron Maybin to strikeout and groundout, respectively. Rally over.
Olivera singled again to start the 9th, but this time Bourn grounded into a double play to end that… with Lavarnway striking out again.
I suppose that if you’d had any inkling that a huge rally was in the cards, Christian Bethancourt might have been inserted rather than Lavarnway (after A.J. Pierzynski was banged up). But that’s hindsight, and frankly, I probably would have given “the third Ryan” some much-needed playing time, too.
The Braves got doubles from Simmons and Garcia, home runs from Nick Markakis (his 3rd) and Freeman (his 18th – despite that bad wrist… somehow). Unfortunately, there were the 2 GIDP’s, but they were 5 for 12 with runners in scoring position.
Julio Teheran goes fishing tonight. Here’s your box.
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