SEATTLE – On a rare night when their offense was quiet, the Braves’ eight-game win streak ended with a 3-1 loss to the Mariners on Saturday, and the Braves dropped out of first place.
They are, however, still 87-52. Here are five observations:
1. The Braves held sole possession of first place for about 24 hours. They find themselves in second again because the Mets won, putting Atlanta a half-game back.
Back and forth, back and forth. This is how the National League East race could go. It probably is the most exciting battle going in baseball, and it could go down to the wire.
“You just got to focus on today and not worry about anything in the future – you just got to come to the yard and win the ballgame each and every day,” Max Fried said. “I think we have a really great mindset right now. Guys are locked in and they have been. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.”
The Braves understand how to play in September, and that has helped them get to October. As winners of four consecutive division titles, they have college degrees in taking care of your own business at this time of year.
2. Julio Rodríguez smoked a full-count pitch over second baseman Vaughn Grissom’s head and into center field. The ball appeared to have some spin when it hit, causing it to shoot away from center fielder Michael Harris and all the way to the wall as a run scored to give the Mariners a two-run lead.
And that was the ballgame, as the Mariners, beginning with starter George Kirby, shut down the Braves.
“Just location, man,” Travis d’Arnaud said of Kirby. “He has an explosive fastball, a really good slider. He was able to keep us off balance just enough. He was really locating that backdoor two-seam (fastball) really well today, too. Just did a great job and had his good stuff.”
“He just was throwing a lot of strikes,” manager Brian Snitker said. “His secondary stuff was really good. That’s the first time I’ve seen him. Works fast, gets the ball over the plate, it’s live, got a good feel for his secondary stuff. He’s an impressive guy. We just had a hard time getting a hold of him.”
Throughout their win streak, the Braves won in different ways. For the most part, their offense showed up. But baseball is a daily grind, and you’ll inevitably have a clunker here and there.
The Braves ran into one Saturday, when Kirby held them to a run over six innings. The Braves could not mount a comeback versus the Mariners’ bullpen. No team had held the Braves to only a run since the Phillies did it Aug. 3.
Kirby, a standout rookie, has a 2.98 ERA after this start. As of this writing, Seattle’s pitching staff boasts the fifth-best ERA in baseball. So, there is no cause for concern – the Braves simply lost to a good opponent.
3. Even in defeat, Fried pitched well.
Fried allowed two runs over six innings. Both runs scored via a pair of solo homers.
“He kept us in the game,” d’Arnaud said. “Just one of those games where they came out on top.”
This marked the first time all season that Fried served up multiple home runs in a game – and Saturday marked his 27th start of the season. He had given up only eight home runs over 163-1/3 innings before this.
Sam Haggerty hit Fried’s first pitch in the bottom of the fifth into the seats beyond the left-field wall. Haggerty connected with a slider toward the bottom of the zone, and the 401-foot homer broke the scoreless tie.
In the sixth, Fried got two outs before he threw a sinker out over the plate to Eugenio Suarez, who blasted it 423 feet to give Seattle a two-run lead.
“I would say that my mindset is mainly just go out there, try to win a game,” Fried said. “Obviously, Kirby threw a really great game tonight, you knew that runs were going to be hard to come by. Just one of those days where you had to go out there and throw scoreless ball, and unfortunately wasn’t able to do that.”
4. The Braves’ best opportunity came in the seventh, when they put runners on the corners with no outs – with the help of an error. Seattle summoned Andres Muñoz in relief of Kirby.
The Braves did not put together one of the momentum-shifting, game-changing innings for which they are known.
The Braves scored a run on a grounder, but failed to drive home the tying run as d’Arnaud hit a dribbler in front of home plate, and Harris struck out swinging.
Many times, the Braves have stunned other teams. They are alive if they have an out, or even a strike, remaining.
But they did not have any magic this night.
5. Harris took a 15-game hit streak into Saturday. It was the majors’ longest run and the best hit streak of his young career.
It ended with an 0-for-3 performance. Harris is still batting .309 in a rookie season that could end with him winning NL Rookie of the Year.
Stat to know
2.50 - How good has Fried been this season ? Well, his ERA rose from 2.48 to 2.50 after he allowed two runs over six innings, which is considered a quality start.
Quotable
“It’s a good club. They’ve got a good mix. It’s a good club. I knew that coming in and thought it’d be a fun series, and it has been so far. Hopefully we can come out and get a game tomorrow and win the series.” - Snitker on the Mariners
Up next
Jake Odorizzi, who missed a start because of arm fatigue, will take the mound Sunday. The Mariners will send left-hander Marco Gonzales to the mound.
