Five takeaways from the Braves’ 12-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Truist Park:
1. Less than 24 hours after moving into a tie for first place in the National League East, the Braves slipped to third place Thursday night. Such is life in a division where the top three teams are so closely bunched.
After Thursday’s results -- the Braves’ loss to the Reds, the Phillies’ win over the Dodgers and the Mets’ doubleheader sweep of the Nationals -- the standings show Philadelphia alone in first place, a half game ahead of the second-place Mets and a full game ahead of the third-place Braves.
“Thanks, appreciate that -- as though I wasn’t feeling bad enough after the last three hours,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said when a reporter mentioned the team’s fall from first to third. “You know what, where the three teams are, that could be a daily occurrence. But that’s OK -- we’re right there.”
2. Braves starting pitcher Kyle Muller lasted only 2-1/3 innings and was charged with the Reds’ first six runs on five hits and three walks, raising his ERA to 4.17 after eight starts. The rookie left-hander was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett after the game.
“It’s a business, and I had a really great opportunity today to prove myself to the organization,” Muller said. “We needed a win to stay tied for first place, and I didn’t show up. I understand that’s part of the game. ... I’m going to go down there and get my work in and get back up as soon as possible.”
He contributed considerably earlier in the season to the Braves’ cause, and the organization remains bullish on his future.
“Being able to have some success early and know what that feels like, and then also have that success just swept out from under my feet (with) a couple of bad outings in a row, that’s definitely something I can learn from,” Muller said.
3. A grand slam by the Reds’ Jesse Winker off a Muller slider in the second inning gave Cincinnati a 4-1 lead and set the tone for the game, which the Reds led 9-1 by the middle of the third inning. Braves pitchers allowed five home runs to five different Reds batters.
Tyler Naquin, Jonathan India and Kyle Farmer (of Marist School and the University of Georgia) homered against reliever Josh Tomlin, and Tyler Stephenson (of Kennesaw Mountain High) homered against reliever Edgar Santana. Stephenson tied his major-league career high with three hits in the game.
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
4. The Braves’ Ozzie Albies, whose three-run walk-off homer gave the Braves an 11th-inning win on Wednesday night, homered again Thursday. His solo shot to center field in the seventh inning was his 20th homer of the season and the 80th of his career (the most career homers in Braves franchise history by a second baseman).
5. The Braves ended the six-game homestand at Truist Park with a 4-2 record, winning two of three games from the Nationals and two of three from the Reds.
“You look at the big picture, we won another series,” Snitker said. “We keep winning series, we’re going to be OK. And we did -- we won another series. That’s big in what we’re trying to accomplish. ... We’re going to head into Washington (for three games Friday, Saturday and Sunday) and look to win that series.”
By the numbers
22-12: The Braves’ record this season against National League Central teams. The series against the Reds marked the last games on the Braves’ schedule against that division.
He said it
“They hit pitches they should hit. I wasn’t putting anybody away. My two-strike pitches weren’t good, and then I was getting behind in counts. I wasn’t using the heater effectively, and so they were just sitting on my slider.” -- Braves starting pitcher Kyle Muller
Next up
Veteran right-hander Charlie Morton (10-4, 3.52 ERA) will start for the Braves in the opener of a three-game series at Washington on Friday night. Max Fried is scheduled to start on Saturday and Drew Smyly on Sunday.
