Braves pummeled by Mariners in series finale
The Mariners are one of baseball’s best power-hitting teams, and on Sunday afternoon, the Braves had a front-row seat to their demonstration.
They watched as Seattle slugged five home runs — for the second consecutive night — and recorded 20 hits en route to a 18-2 victory.
“They’re very good,” starting pitcher Joey Wentz said of Seattle’s offense, which is led by former hitting coaches Kevin Seitzer and Bobby Magallanes. “They can beat you in a lot of different ways: They’re fast. They have power. They stack (the lineup) pretty well and obviously had my number today.”
The Braves moved initial starter Spencer Strider back in the rotation to give Bryce Elder a start against the Cubs on Monday on five days of rest. The flurry of moves — that occurred Thursday during the Braves’ off day but were not announced until Sunday morning — left Wentz as the starter for Sunday’s matinee, against a team that historically has his number.
It’s a small sample size, but Wentz entered the outing with an 8.22 ERA in 7 ⅔ innings against the Mariners. His poor luck continued on Sunday, recording just four outs with eight runs charged to him.
“I don’t think I really earned the right for anything to go my way,” Wentz said. “Not throwing pitches where I need to get them and not throwing competitive pitches. Certainly against a team like that, it’ll get you.”
Wentz is still fighting for a role in the Braves’ 2026 starting rotation, and each outing is a chance to update his resume. He did not surrender a run through his first two appearances back with the club but recently had a couple of tough outings.
He surrendered six earned runs to the Mets in late August and four in four innings against the Cubs last week. Sandwiched between those was a quality start against the Marlins that consisted of 6 ⅔ frames of one-run baseball.
So the potential for Wentz to be a contributor next season is still there, but his application recently took a hit. The 27-year-old is arbitration eligible in 2026, while the team will not lose control until 2030 when he becomes a free agent.
Sunday’s eyesore was also not fully Wentz’ fault. He was credited with eight runs, but three of those scored on a double that third baseman Nacho Alvarez Jr. misplayed. If made, the Braves likely turn it into a double play, and Wentz gets out of the inning with the score still 1-0 on an ensuing strikeout. Instead, the Mariners plated five more runs in the inning for an eight-run frame.
“Yeah,” manager Brian Snitker said when asked if a play like that could change the game. “I think anytime a ball like that busts an inning open — but you don’t know what happens. It might be we get to different guys in the bullpen. But we didn’t score either. He’s really rough on us, (Luis) Castillo, he always is.”
The Braves’ offense strung six hits together, but they barely amounted to anything, as both runs scored on solo home runs from Jurickson Profar and Michael Harris II.
Ronald Acuña Jr.’s slump also continued with an 0-for-2 game, despite a lineup change that left the right fielder hitting seventh for the Braves. Acuña’s performance extended his career-long hitless streak — and the longest active one in MLB — to 25 at-bats, which had already surpassed his personal worst of 18 at-bats.
The Braves will return to Truist Park on Monday for a three-game series against the Cubs. Elder, who appears to be rounding the corner — another promising development for 2026 — will take the mound at 7:15 p.m. for the series-opener.
Elder performed splendidly in his last three starts — which all came on five days of rest against three of MLB’s top teams in the Mets, Phillies and Cubs — with three earned runs through 20 innings.
Braves claim Alexis Díaz: The Braves announced shortly after their game against the Mariners that they claimed right-hander Alexis Díaz off of waivers from the Dodgers. Díaz, 28, has a 7.80 ERA in 15 relief outings for the Reds and Dodgers this season but posted a 2.93 ERA across his first three MLB seasons.
About the Author
Olivia Sayer joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in May 2025 as an intern on the sports beat. She is earning a degree in journalism from the University of Georgia with a minor in sport management and a sports media certificate. Olivia previously held the titles of digital and assistant sports editor at The Red & Black.
