Atlanta Braves News: The Morning Chop, Box Score, Ronald Acuna Homers Again
By Jeff Schafer
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: Well that was a fun two-game series with the Houston Astros….not really though. The Atlanta Braves lost both games with a combined scores of 12-5. The Astros could be the best team in baseball so we knew going into this series it was going to be tough.
Braves starting pitcher Jaime Garcia was pitching really well through the first four innings (got the first eight batters he faced out), but the fifth inning the wheels fell off. Leadoff walks always kill and it did so in the fifth…kinda. Garcia was able to get a double play, but then the damage came. He gave up a single, a walk, a double, another walk and a single…this plated three runs and put the Astros up 4-2.
Braves had a chance in the 8th inning when they loaded the bases and had Matt Kemp at the plate. He eventually struck out swinging. Kemp said after the game “I have to come through for my team right there. I let the team down. We’re not doing anything right at the moment. We’re just not playing good right now. We’ve got to get better. Just got to get better, plain and simple.”
Braves lost 4-2
| Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | PA | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ender Inciarte CF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | .256 | .308 | .429 | .736 |
| Brandon Phillips 2B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | .294 | .321 | .402 | .723 |
| Freddie Freeman 1B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | .336 | .457 | .743 | 1.200 |
| Matt Kemp LF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .333 | .362 | .633 | .995 |
| Nick Markakis DH | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .280 | .363 | .390 | .753 |
| Adonis Garcia 3B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .234 | .256 | .355 | .611 |
| Kurt Suzuki C | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .200 | .345 | .267 | .611 |
| Dansby Swanson SS | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .162 | .242 | .225 | .467 |
| Emilio Bonifacio RF | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .192 | .222 | .308 | .530 |
| Jaime Garcia P | |||||||||||
| Jason Motte P | |||||||||||
| Arodys Vizcaino P | |||||||||||
| Team Totals | 29 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 34 | .207 | .303 | .414 | .717 |
| Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaime Garcia, L (1-2) | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 4.33 |
| Jason Motte | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.00 |
| Arodys Vizcaino | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.38 |
| Team Totals | 8 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 4.50 |
Let The Braves Show You How Not To Execute A Rundown
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: Well, it’s usually never a proud moment when you make the Deadspin website and it definitely wasn’t the best moment when the Braves couldn’t execute this rundown.
Did it amount to anything? Nope. Jaime Garcia was able to get the next hitter to hit a fly ball to right field. But this play did have us all like “what?!?”
In the bottom of the 4th inning with two outs, Marwin Gonzalez hit a 2-2 pitch to right field. Braves Emilio Bonifacio, who was playing right field, gathered the ball and threw it to the cutoff man. Freddie Freeman was the cutoff man in this play because of the runner rounding third and could have potentially went home. Once Freeman caught the ball, he saw Gonzalez past first base and got him in a pickle. Freeman threw it to Dansby Swanson at second base and he tried to run Gonzalez down.
The issue you’ll see in the video below is at :10 seconds. It’s the time when Garcia and Brandon Phillips both notice neither are at first base and start to run towards it. Some may argue that Freeman threw the ball to early to Swanson, but I was always taught to run the runner back to the bag he was at instead of having the opportunity to advance. Maybe he threw it just a slight early since Gonzalez looked like he was started to turn back to first.
In the end, the Braves didn’t get this pretty free out, but it didn’t hurt us. It’s a tough play and the cards just fell right for the Astros here.
"The Astros put the finishing touches on a two-game series sweep of the Atlanta Braves this afternoon, coming back and winning 4-2. The Braves have not been good this year, but they are very consciously rebuilding, and a team full of younger guys will make some mistakes. Like this one, where Marwin Gonzalez overextended himself but got saved by some boneheaded defense.I suppose sliding into first is cool if it’s from the other direction."
Next: 2017 MLB Mock Draft, Version 2
Faria fans season-high 13 for Durham
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: Ronald Acuna, baby!! The 19-year-old went 3-4 with a homer, a walk, two RBIs, a run scored and a stolen base. This was his second game at the Double-A level and is now hitting .750 there.
Rocking the #24, Acuna is turning into a star right before our eyes. If you haven’t already jumped onboard, you probably should now. These minor league teams are something else!
The Braves also promoted Luiz Gohara to the Mississippi Braves after going 3-1 with the Florida Fire Frogs. The 20-year-old held a 1.98 ERA in seven starts in the Florida State League. He struck out 39 batters and walked only 10 in the 36.1 innings pitched.
"No. 92 overall prospect Ronald Acuna (Braves’ No. 7) made headlines on Tuesday by homering in his first at-bat and going 3-for-4 with three RBIs for Double-A Mississippi.The 19-year-old outfielder, the youngest player in the Southern League, did it all over again on Wednesday, homering in his first at-bat and collecting three hits for a second straight game.Acuna was promoted to Mississippi after he batted .287/.336/.478 with 11 extra-base hits and 14 steals in 28 games for Class A Advanced Florida."