The Braves completely unraveled in the fifth inning, allowing eight runs in a 9-5 loss to the Dodgers at Truist Park on Friday night.
Here are five takeaways from the game:
1. Ian Anderson and the Braves were rolling through four innings. The team was up 1-0 and Anderson hadn’t allowed a hit. The Braves then had one of their sloppiest innings in recent years.
After recording an out to start the fifth, Anderson walked Chris Taylor. Gavin Lux followed with a double, giving the Dodgers two runners in scoring position. A.J. Pollock hit a chopper toward third baseman Austin Riley, who fielded the ball and tried to throw home to nab Taylor. Instead, the ball hit Taylor’s back and the Dodgers tied the game.
In the ensuing at-bat, Dodgers starter Julio Urias bunted. Anderson fielded the ball and flipped home but was too late. Los Angeles led 2-1.
“The safety squeeze, we have to convert that into an out,” manager Brian Snitker said. “That’s a bad bunt. We have to get an out on that. And who knows what the inning does (if we do).”
Anderson was lifted for Sean Newcomb, who retired Mookie Betts for the second out. Then the game fell apart: Albert Pujols walked to load the bases. Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger each drew a bases-loaded walk. Newcomb was removed for Grant Dayton, who served up an RBI single to Will Smith. Taylor doubled home another two runs to cap the monstrous rally.
“You can’t just (let that happen),” Snitker said. “You have to do a better job of making pitches right there. We put that inning down, even if it’s 3-1, we still have a long way to go and you’re right there in that game.”
Regarding Newcomb, who hadn’t allowed a run across his past four appearances, Snitker added: “It’s just attacking the hitters. He was a little tentative tonight, trying to place pitches instead of being on the attack and going after guys. The last four outings, I think he’d given up one hit and no runs.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
2. The fifth-inning tally: The Dodgers scored eight runs on three hits, five walks and two botched fielder’s choice plays. Anderson was charged with four runs, Newcomb was charged with three and Dayton one.
3. First baseman Freddie Freeman spoke with reporters before the game about his frustrating season. Perhaps venting to the media proved beneficial: Freeman homered to center off Dodgers starter Julio Urias in the first inning. It was Freeman’s first home run since May 18. It was his first RBI since May 22.
4. The Braves’ offense showed life in the eighth, though it was too little too late. Ender Inciarte walked and Ronald Acuna singled to start the inning. Freeman reached on a fielder’s choice. Ozzie Albies doubled both runners home, cutting the Dodgers’ lead to 8-3. The Braves added another run when confusion between two Dodgers in left field resulted in an Ehire Adrianza double.
5. It was a valuable learning experience for Anderson. It’s easy to forget this was the 23-year-old’s 17th career regular-season start. “He’ll learn from it,” Snitker said. “He’ll go back and study this and think about it and what he could’ve done.”
Anderson said: “It’s a tough one. It had the makings to be a good one. Things got out of control in the fifth. It’s going to be tough to go back and look. I don’t really know. Right now I haven’t had too much time to reflect on it. The fifth inning was tough. They’re a good team and you can’t give good teams extra outs.”
Stat to know
66 (Three Braves pitchers combined to throw 66 pitches to 13 Dodgers hitters during the eight-run fifth.)
Quotable
“We weren’t even close.” – Snitker on the team’s struggles throwing strikes in the fifth
Up next
Two veteran starters will square off Saturday. The Braves’ Charlie Morton, 37, will oppose the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw, 33. The Braves last saw Kershaw in the 2020 NLCS. The Dodgers faced Morton not too long afterwards in the World Series when Morton was pitching with Tampa Bay.
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