C’est la vie
The Braves resumed their suspended game down by a run. They lost it by a run, too, but not without some fireworks. This recap can be quick, since you already know what happened on July 21.
The Braves wasted a scoring chance against new pitcher Pierce Johnson in the bottom of the fifth. Johnson ended up walking both Dansby Swanson and Freddie Freeman, but a flyout and a strikeout ruined that chance. Jesse Chavez stayed in the game for the next half-inning and also put up a goose egg, despite a leadoff walk and later, an intentional free pass to pinch-hitter Manny Machado.
Daniel Hudson took over for San Diego in the bottom of the sixth, and the Braves tied the game on Adam Duvall’s “pinch-hit” one-out homer. Unfortunately, that was all the Braves got against Hudson, which kind of spelled doom for them in this game…
…because the top of the seventh featured Will Smith facing Fernando Tatis Jr., and you’ll never guess what happened. I kid, of course you will: Tatis crushed a 3-2 fastball that wasn’t high enough or outside enough into center for a go-ahead solo homer. Smith got out of the inning without further damage, but, as has been the case for most of his longballs yielded, this one came at an awful time as well.
Mark Melancon came on for San Diego to shut down the “home team,” and he succeeded. Jorge Soler got rung up on a borderline pitch right on the low-and-inside corner. Dansby Swanson chased a curve in the dirt. Freddie Freeman was the last hope and nearly homered on the first pitch, but pulled it foul; he ended up working a walk. That meant Albies was the last hope, and he gave Braves fans a small glimmer of hope with his 99 mph, 350-foot drive to left, but it nestled into a glove and that was that. The Braves’ division lead will be down to a game barring a ninth-inning comeback by the Pirates, though they’ll have a chance to get back half a game with a win in the nightcap, with Max Fried slated to start.
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