Atlanta Braves Game 6 Recap: 1st Road Game, 6th Loss

Braves Get to Scherzer for 4 Runs, But Cannot Stave Off the Washington Attack

Once again we had a game with some good elements and some bad, though the result was the same, another loss, keeping the Braves the only winless club in the National League.

Starter Bud Norris (0-2) had difficulty with damage control as the Nationals cashed walks and hits both – tallying 5 earned runs through 5 innings, but even that was something of a relief as there was concern that he wouldn’t even get out of the first inning.

After Atlanta came up with a surprising 2-out rally in their first AB vs. Max Scherzer (1-0) — Freddie Freeman walk, Adonis Garcia single, and A.J. Pierzynski 2-run double — Norris followed up with a frame that got the bullpen up and running immediately.  It would not have been nearly so bad except for the home run allowed to Daniel Murphy, but after that it could have been much worse as Norris extended the Nationals’ go-ahead effort with another walk and single allowed before finally ending the threat.

3-2 Nats after one.  It was looking like another long game.

But Atlanta immediately came back for 2 more in the second inning.  It was Nick Markakis with the big hit, but that was after Mallex Smith got his first major league hit – a sharp grounder to Murphy’s right at second base… and he easily beat the throw to first.  On the double by Markakis, he easily scored from first base, getting home before Nick got to second.

Mallex played well tonight, but wasn’t without error, of a sort.  He reached in the 4th inning again on a fielder’s choice, but was thrown out trying to steal on a really nice sequence by Nats catcher Wilson Ramos.  However, during the slide, Smith’s helmet tumbled off in front of him, bounced up, and gashed his forehead between the eyebrows – an injury that might have required several stitches.  He came out of the game and was patched up, but his eventful First Night was done.

Bullpen Action

The beleaguered Braves bullpen was better tonight… and frankly could not have been much worse from Sunday.  Jason Grilli pitched the 6th and shutdown the Nats in 1-2-3 fashion: something he sorely needed.  Eric O’Flaherty was charged with a run thanks to a walk, but he was a bit better.  Alexi Ogando finished for Eric – and allowed the inherited runner to score – but managed to get through the 8th inning without further damage despite 2 hits and 2 walks overall.

It was shaky, but a start towards healing.

Offensively…

This was yet another game in which the Braves got early runs, but nothing else later in the game.  There were precious few hits after the second inning, and still only Adonis Garcia and Nick Markakis are hitting with any kind of regularity (both had 2 hits tonight; Nick has six doubles already).  The ball was put into play (only 6 K with 3 BB), but it seemed many balls were hit right at the Nationals’ defenders.

This team will just have to find some way to break through, but tonight was not the night.  They fall 6-4.

Next: Fredi and Mallex: How Will that Play?

On Tuesday night, it will be Jhoulys Chacin starting for the Braves vs. Stephen Strasburg.  Game 2 of 4 from Washington.