G-Braves drop playoff opener to Scranton

By Jeff Haws

For the AJC

The Gwinnett Braves left at least two runners on base in the second through fifth innings, as they struggled to find a key hit throughout their playoff-opening 3-0 loss to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees.

After falling behind by three early, Gwinnett consistently got runners on base but only got one as far as third, as timely hits just never came.

“We didn’t get many breaks tonight,” Gwinnett manager Dave Brundage said. “That’s the game in a nutshell.”

The closest Gwinnett came to scoring was in the fifth, when Jason Heyward got a one-out single and Brandon Jones followed two batters later with a two-out smash toward center field.

On its way there, though, the ball clipped an umpire. Heyward appeared to score on the play, but the umpire declared it a dead ball and sent Heyward back to second. Diory Hernandez grounded into an inning-ending fielder’s choice two pitches later.

If the Braves were snake-bit on this night, that play was the most glaring example.

“We finally did get a hit, and it hit the umpire,” Brundage said. “That was a really bad break. That wasn’t our ball game; we still had other opportunities.”

The Yankees had their own trouble on offense, but one successful frame was all they needed.

That came in the second, when Scranton got three singles, and five of the first six batters reached base. That helped the Yankees score three runs off Gwinnett starter John Halama.

Halama had a strong outing, but the one tough frame ended up costing him.

“They [the Yankees] did exactly what they’re supposed to do,” Halama said. “On the other hand, we battled. You lose 3-0; it’s a good way to lose. Hopefully, we come back [today] and return the favor.”

Gwinnett hosts Scranton again tonight at 7 in Game 2 of the best-of-five series.