SEATTLE — In an outcome not experienced too many times over the first 36 games of the season, the Braves blew a big lead Monday against the Mariners and lost 5-4 at T-Mobile Park.
The Mariners (17-19) hit two home runs in the sixth inning to erase a 4-0 deficit and held on from there, ending the Braves’ three-game winning streak in the opener of a three-game series.
Andrés Muñoz allowed a two-out single to Dominic Smith and a stolen base to pinch-runner José Azócar in the ninth before getting Drake Baldwin to ground out to second for Muñoz’s ninth save of the season.
Braves starter JR Ritchie, pitching against his hometown team, departed after giving up the first homer in the sixth, a three-run shot. The right-hander walked a season-high six and only 47 of his 93 pitches were strikes.
“Can’t walk six guys,” Ritchie said. “I think that’s the biggest thing is, can’t give up free bases. I’ve done it in the past and gotten away with it by pitching out of some jams. Good teams don’t let you get away with that twice. I got away with it in the fifth inning a little bit. Obviously, sixth inning, walked two lead-off guys off the bat, they’re gonna make you pay.”
Baldwin, hitting leadoff for the first time in his career, gave Ritchie an early lead by taking a 1-1 slider in the first inning from Mariners starter Logan Gilbert and blasting it out to right for his ninth home run of the season.
The Braves, after Baldwin’s blast, were quite unlucky against Gilbert (2-3). They hit seven other balls harder than 100 mph off the bat and only one, a Mike Yastrzemski single, went for a hit.
There was no luck involved with Ozzie Albies’ at-bat in the sixth. He was all over a 1-1 fastball, sending it 414 feet out to right to put the Braves ahead 2-0 extending his career-long hitting streak to 16 games.
Matt Olson made it back-to-back jacks with his home run coming on a 2-1 count. He golfed a slider 428 feet to the opposite field, his 12th homer of the season, giving the Braves a 3-0 lead.
Olson’s home run was the 300th of his career and he became the 166th player in MLB history to hit at least 300 home runs.
“Obviously a great milestone,” said Olson, who already had the home run ball encased and sitting in his locker after the game. “Wish we could have gotten the win on top of it to make it a little sweeter, but you’re gonna remember that one.”
One out after Olson’s homer, Austin Riley joined the parade with a solo blast of his own, a 427-footer to left. But that would be the last sign of offensive life for the visitors.
Ritchie had held the Mariners at bay through five innings before his command began to falter that inning. He escaped by stranding the bases loaded by getting Josh Naylor to ground out to first that ended the rally.
Ritchie wasn’t as fortunate in the sixth after walking the first two hitters of the inning. Luke Raley then hit a no-doubt, three-run homer to right cutting the Braves’ lead to 4-3.
That was all for Ritchie, who was relieved by Tyler Kinley. Kinley (3-2) struck out two sandwiched around a walk before throwing a 3-2 slider down-and-in to J.P. Crawford that Crawford belted for a two-run shot out to right.
“Just trying to squeeze a few more out of Richie just because we didn’t have enough available in the bullpen tonight,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “We were just really light. That’s what happens when you come out of a series at Coors Field. Half your bullpen’s gonna be down after a series there.”
Weiss added Martín Pérez was not available because the lefty could make a start this week (either in Seattle on Tuesday or Wednesday or in Los Angeles starting Friday). Weiss said Didier Fuentes or Dylan Lee weren’t available either. Weiss said he was also trying to avoid using former starter Reynaldo López, who pitched Sunday in Denver, in back-to-back outings.
The Braves (25-11) fell to 12-3 when hitting at least two homers in a game and 23-5 when scoring at least four runs. It was also the team’s first loss in 12 games in which Olson hit a home run.
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