Common themes present in Braves’ series loss to Brewers

The Brewers entered Truist Park with the best record in MLB, and through two games against the Braves, they look the part.

But the Braves are also not doing themselves any favors. The club left 14 runners on base Tuesday night, as it fell, 7-2, to drop the series.

“We’ve been struggling with that all year,” manager Brian Snitker said. “And for a long time, we’ve been struggling with that, just kind of keeping the line moving. You get two or three games maybe where it flows, but just we can’t put anything there together and sustain anything for any period of time.”

Almost anyone in the Braves’ clubhouse would have jumped for joy upon hearing they would produce eight hits while drawing eight walks against a pitching staff that possesses the fourth-lowest ERA in MLB. But a 1-for-10 performance with runners in scoring position — and 14 left on base — led to little run support for starting pitcher Joey Wentz, a common theme through his short stint with the club.

Wentz entered the game with a 0-1 record, despite pitching to a 1.80 ERA in his first three starts with the Braves. He surrendered five runs in 5 ⅓ innings against the Brewers but threw better than the box score indicated.

Four of Wentz’ five earned runs came in the third inning, where the Brewers found any way possible to reach base.

They began the frame with a 17-foot single and followed it up with a one-out infield knock. After loading the bases with a walk, a slow rolling ground ball that second baseman Ozzie Albies fielded gave the Brewers a 1-0 lead.

The Braves’ deficit then grew larger with a wild pitch and a two-run single.

“Joey threw a lot better than what that line was,” Snitker said. “Miss-hit balls and just a lot of little things that he couldn’t control, I thought. But overall, he threw the ball really well again.”

Wentz, a four-year veteran, was not as forgiving towards himself.

“They’ve got some really good players,” Wentz said. “When that happens, you’ve just gotta keep pitching, trying to try to keep executing. And ultimately, in that inning, I got into a pretty long battle with (first baseman Andrew Vaughn), and he was able to hit a ball hard, and that’s how the other runs came across. Frustrated a little bit, especially as a starter, it’s your job to keep going.”

The Braves’ lone offensive production came from outfielder Eli White, who hit two home runs during Sunday’s MLB Speedway Classic. And his power surge continued against the Brewers, as a home run and bases-loaded walk provided the Braves with their only two runs of the game.