Crooked numbers doom Atlanta Braves in loss to Houston Astros

On Wednesday, the Atlanta Braves out-homered the high-octane Houston Astros offense. They also managed to lose the game by six runs.

Fresh off a 16-4 Fourth of July beat down, the Atlanta Braves turned to southpaw Jaime Garcia in hopes of salvaging a series split against the AL West-leading Astros. Houston countered with young righty Joe Musgrove.

The scoring began early.

George Springer and Jose Altuve led off the game with singles to put runners on first and third. Josh Reddick struck out swinging to bring ex-Braves backstop Evan Gattis to the plate.

On the first pitch he saw, Gattis lifted a ball into shallow right-center. Brandon Phillips, Ender Inciarte, and Nick Markakis all gave chase but it landed just out of their collective reach. Though Springer had to wait for the ball to fall before breaking home, he was able to score easily. 1-0 HOU.

Three scoreless innings later, Houston added to their lead in the top of the fifth. Jake Marisnick began the hit parade by smacking a one-out double to left then advancing to third on a sac fly from Musgrove. In a repeat of the first inning, Springer and Altuve then recorded back-to-back singles to plate a run and put two men on. Both would come around to score on a double off the right field wall from Reddick. 4-0 HOU.

Not Quite Going Quietly

The Atlanta bats would not remain silent, though. In the bottom of the fifth, after two strikeouts, a Tyler Flowers single, and a Johan Camargo double put runners on second and third with two-outs, pitcher Jaime Garcia stepped into the box hoping to help himself out with some run support.

Fortunately, the nine-year vet picked a great time for his 44th career hit. He took a pitch the opposite way for a single down the third base line, driving in both Flowers and Camargo. 4-2 HOU.

Two pitches later, freshly-minted NL All-Star Ender Inciarte tied the game with a two-run shot to right. 4-4.

However, the Houston bats would not relent. In the top of the seventh, Nori Aoki led off the inning with a double to the left-center gap. This prompted Brian Snitker to pull Garcia in favor of veteran reliever Jason Motte.

Unfortunately, Motte fared no better.

Springer, for the third time in the game, laced a single into center, allowing Aoki to race home and officially closing the book on Garcia’s outing. A stolen base followed by an Altuve double would add to Houston’s lead and end Motte’s night after just two batters. 6-4 HOU.

Sam Freeman became the third Atlanta pitcher of the inning. Though he did allow the inherited runner to score on a Marwin Gonzalez single, he did not give up an earned run of his own. 7-4 HOU.

That would prove to be more than enough cushion for the Astros pen. The Houston offense did tack on three more runs in the eighth but those proved inconsequential. Chris Devenski, Will Harris, and Tony Sipp pitched scoreless seventh, eighth, and ninth innings respectively.

NOTES:

Houston Offense:

Despite not recording a single round-tripper, Houston used seven doubles to collect 23 total bases. No one likes marveling at the competition but Inciarte put it well – “I’ve never seen a team like that.” With the organization now reaching it’s post-rebuild peak, the Astros have become this year’s Cubs.

Freddie Freeman:

Though he’s yet to record an extra-base hit since returning from the DL, Atlanta’s first third baseman has actually improved his batting average post-wrist injury. Much of the team’s season will hinge on how he performs going forward. Early indications are promising.

Jason Motte:

Alas, it seems one of Atlanta’s reclamation projects is beginning to come crashing back to Earth. Because they pitch so few innings overall, reliever performance can be volatile. On July 2, Motte had an ERA of 1.78. Two outings later, it’s up to 3.76.

Advanced metrics have been bearish on Motte this year and now his surface stats have begun to line up with that assessment.

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Matt Wisler:

Speaking of inflated ERAs… Matt Wisler! After two mediocre seasons as part of the starting rotation, Wisler has been relegated primarily to the pen in 2017. He entered Wednesday’s game with an ERA of 6.60 on the season and left two innings later sporting a somehow higher mark of 7.41.

While he was never one of the crown jewels of Atlanta’s farm system, it’s still unfortunate to see him more or less pitch his way out of the majors.

Next: The Deadline Debate

On Thursday, Atlanta will travel to the nation’s capital to face the division-leading Nationals. Mike Foltynewicz will get the start for the Braves. Gio Gonzalez will be on the hill for Washington. First pitch is 7:05 PM EST.