The Atlanta Braves faced the Los Angeles Dodgers in the series finale in a matchup that looked lopsided in the Dodgers’ favor. Two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell was on the bump for the Dodgers against injury replacement call-up Bryce Elder who has struggled since June of 2023.
As it turns out, both starting pitchers lasted for less than half of the game, both pitching 4.0 innings.
The Braves come up to hit first and for the second night in a row scored on an error to take the 1-0 lead. Ozuna and Olson each walked which allowed Ozuna to score on a throwing error from Max Muncy. Nick Allen, who is slowly taking the starting job away from Orlando Arcia, hit a double to make the score 2-0 before the top of the inning ended.
Bryce Elder made a statement in his return in his first inning. He forced Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts to groundout and then struck out Teoscar Hernández on a sinker that painted the corner.
The Braves kept the momentum going in the second. Newly acquired Stuart Fairchild reached on an ugly error by Max Muncy (his second in as many innings) to get the ball rolling. He then moved to second on a wild pitch followed by a bunt single from Eli White. Ozzie Albies then came through in a big way with a double to make the score 3-0. Ozuna then walked to load the bases. Austin Riley struck out, but fortunately Matt Olson had a double of his own to plate two and make the score 5-0. Bryan De La Cruz almost came through with a 105.5 MPH rocket off the bat, but it was hit right at Mookie Betts.
In the subsequent innings, Bryce Elder faced less fortune. He began by walking Michael Conforto. Despite inducing a flyout from Will Smith, Elder conceded a home run to Tommy Edman, extending the lead to 5-2. However, he managed to regain composure afterward, promptly forcing two consecutive groundouts.
In the third inning, the Braves were unable to score as they went down 1-2-3. Elder returned to pitch the third and seemed much more composed. He struck out Andy Pages and followed up with a flyout against Ohtani and a groundout against Betts.
The Braves seemed poised to make some progress in the fourth inning. Following a White flyout and an Albies strikeouts, Ozuna secured another walk, which was then accompanied by a Riley single. Nonetheless, Olson couldn’t step up as the key player this time around and grounded out, effectively closing their attempt. This sequence proved sufficient to conclude Snell’s outing for the evening. By the end of his performance, Snell had conceded five runs along with four walks. Notably, however, due to fielding errors, all five runs remained unearned.
It was evident that Bryce Elder was tiring in the fourth inning. Although he managed to strike out Hernández once more, things took a turn for the worse thereafter. Conforto launched a solo home run, making the score 5-3. Following this, Elder surrendered a single to Will Smith and subsequently issued a base on balls to Tommy Edman. Fortunately, he was able to retire the following batters. By the end of the fourth inning, Elder had concluded his evening having allowed three hits, three earned runs, walked three, and recorded six strikeouts.
In the fifth inning, the Braves experienced another three-up-three-down situation as De La Cruz and Nick Allen both struck out consecutively. When Enyel De Los Santos took over pitching duties, he immediately hit the first batter faced. However, he managed to recover from this setback when Ohtani subsequently singled but Betts then grounded into a double play thanks to a liner caught by De Los Santos, which led to an exchange of throws resulting in Pages being tagged out at third base. Finally, Hernández swung out for his strikeout.
During the sixth inning, Chadwick Tromp started things off with a walk after Snell had left the game. With Eli White being substituted by Michael Harris at this point, Harris hit a single, putting runners on base without any outs recorded yet. Next, Albies also got a single, filling the bases for their team without recording an out as well. So here’s the question: Did the Atlanta Braves manage to score during this frame? Not quite; Ozuna flew out to center field, followed by Austin Riley striking out, and finally, Matt Olson hitting a pop-up to shortstop ended the threat.
Pierce Johnson entered the game for the Braves next. After walking his initial hitter, he managed to fan Will Smith. Following this, Tommy Edman smacked a single right at Stuart Fairchild. Fairchild responded with an exceptional throw to third base, securing the out via an outfield assist. Finally, Dylan Lee took over and concluded the frame with a strikeout.
Previously with the Braves, pitcher Kirby Yates entered the game for the Dodgers in the seventh inning. Once more, the Braves aimed to secure additional runs. Nick Allan got a single and subsequently stole second base. Later, he advanced to third due to a failed pickoff attempt. Nonetheless, he couldn’t manage to score from third.
Dylan Lee remained on the mound for the seventh inning. He managed to secure a strikeout and a fly out prior to Ohtani getting a hit. Subsequently, he was substituted with Daysbel Hernández, who induced Betts into another fly out.
In the eighth inning, the Braves failed to make any offensive progress. After Teoscar Hernández popped out, Conforto managed a single. Manager Brian Snitker decided to call upon Raisel Iglesias at this point. However, things didn’t go according to plan. Next, Will Smith drew a walk. Then, Tommy Edman advanced the baserunners with a groundout. To recover from his previous mistakes, Max Muncy hit a crucial two-run double, tying the score at 5-5. Fortunately for Atlanta, Iglesias struck out the next batter to prevent additional scoring and concluded the inning.
The score is currently even in the bottom of the ninth, with the Braves set to have their strongest hitters step up next. However, Austin Riley and Matt Olson were unable to deliver. Both players hit ground balls before Jarred Kelenic swung strikeout three, thus concluding the top of the ninth inning.
Despite any rationale, Brian Snitker decided to keep Raisel Iglesias in the contest even though he had faced difficulties in the preceding frame. Although he managed to strike out Andy Pages, Shohei Ohtani emerged as the standout player for the Dodgers when he smashed a solo home run, securing victory for his team with an exciting finish in the last half-inning of the ninth. Consequently, the Braves find themselves mired in a losing streak encompassing their first seven matches of this campaign.
The team displayed some promising moments during the game, but failing to score when they had the bases loaded and no outs with their strongest hitters at bat will certainly be frustrating.
The Braves do not play tomorrow, but they will start their home schedule with a game against the Marlins this Friday at 7:15 PM Eastern Daylight Time. Here’s hoping they secure their inaugural victory of the season.