Atlanta Braves Stumble to White Sox Despite Three More Home Runs
By Dan Horton
Atlanta Braves Squeezed by White Sox, 5-4
On a beautiful, blustery day on the south side of Chicago, the Braves looked to add to their success in the Windy City.
Things started off well enough for the Braves in the first. A 2-out solo home run from Gordon Beckham in the first, had us temporarily thinking the Braves had picked up from where they left off last night.
The lead was short lived. In the bottom of the second, Sox third baseman Todd Fraser gave the Pale Hose a 2-1 lead with a 2-run shot off Julio Teheran.
A little scary moment for the Braves occurred in the 2nd, as Tyler Flowers left the game with an apparent injury. It was later reported by Braves on-field reporter, Kelsey Wingert informed the audience that it was a left hand sprain.
In the bottom half of the third, the White Sox made it 5-1. With runners on 1st and 2nd, Julio committed a rare balk that moved the runners to 2nd and 3rd.
Sox first baseman Jose Abreu punched a single to the outfield scoring a run. Melky Cabrera followed Abreu with another single and the final scoring play happened when Fraser doubled to left. It was Fraser’s third RBI of the game.
In the Braves 4th, Jeff Francoeur hit a 2-run laser over the wall to bring the Braves within 2, making 5-3.
It stood 5-3 until the 6th. The Chicago home run parade continued as Freddie Freeman got Atlanta to within another run, making it 5-4, with a solo shot to the opposite field in right.
Ian Krol came on in the 7th to relieve Teheran. Krol got into early trouble, not by his own doing, and pitched his way out it unscathed, despite two errors in the inning.
A ground ball with the infield in cut down a run at the plate, a ground out to third, and then to shortstop kept the Sox off the board.
Chase d’Arnaud got on in the 8th with a one out double. The first Braves base runner to reach scoring position all day. After a Beckham ground out, the Sox intentionally walked Freeman to put men on 1st and 2nd with 2 out to face Markakis.
A Markakis strikeout sent it to the bottom of the 8th with the Braves still down 5-4.
In the ninth, the Braves mounted a rally. With one out, Adonis Garcia drove a pitch back to tmound that bounced off the pitcher. He couldn’t find it and Garcia was safe at first.
Former White Sox, A.J. Pierzynski, who came on for Flowers in the second, roped a single to right that nearly caught Garcia advancing to second.
Jace Peterson pinch ran for Garcia. A wild pitch put runners at 2nd and 3rd during Erick Aybar‘s at bat. Aybar wound up going down swinging.
That left it up to Ender Inciarte, who was put on intentionally to load the bases. Kind of a curious move seeing as there would be nowhere to put d’Arnaud.
Chase, chased after the first pitch he saw and rolled it to Fraser who threw out Chase at first.
The Braves drop game two 5-4, but have a chance to still win the series tomorrow. First pitch is scheduled for 2:10 PM EST.
On the mound for the Braves, in the rubber game, will be Mike Foltynewicz (2-3, 4.29) and on the bump for the Sox will be James Shields (4-9, 5.67).