DETROIT – For most of Monday’s game, it seemed like the Braves would cruise in Detroit. They appeared to have done enough offensively. They pitched well and led by three runs with only three outs left to get.
Then it all turned upside down.
The result: A crushing 6-5 loss to the Tigers at Comerica Park.
Five observations:
1. The Braves had what seemed to be a comfortable lead. They had Raisel Iglesias – one of the game’s better closers – on the mound versus a team that had lost nine in a row and has (now) hit .198 this month.
And in front of the Braves’ eyes, it all unraveled. A series-opening win turned to a series-opening defeat.
Iglesias blew the save.
In the top of the 10th, the Braves couldn’t plate the runner that started the inning at second base. And in the bottom half, the Tigers did.
“I mean, it stings worse than any of them when you lose a lead,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “It happens. (Closers) have bad days too. It happens.”
Earlier in the game, the Braves lost Marcell Ozuna to an undetermined amount of time – they said he’s day-to-day. Then they lost the game itself.
The most stunning part of this loss was Iglesias, whose presence usually provides comfort for the Braves. He didn’t have it in this one.
“It’s one game,” Snitker said. “It’s part of the life of a closer and what we go through here – just the ups and downs. It doesn’t matter how good you’re going, games like this can turn around on you. They did a good job. They didn’t miss any mistakes we threw. You hope to close out games like that, but sometimes it doesn’t work.”
2. In Oakland, Iglesias, a known strike-thrower, walked three batters as he blew a save and game.
This time, Detroit simply hit him.
The Tigers scored three runs on five hits off Iglesias, who blew his second save in 11 opportunities.
“I feel like the command and the pitches were there,” Iglesias said through interpreter Franco García. “They came out aggressive looking to make contact, knowing that I’m a pitcher who throws a lot of strikes. I think that’s all there is to it.”
It began rather quickly: The first batter singled, then Spencer Torkelson crushed a two-run homer to trim the lead to a run.
Iglesias gave up another single, then got two outs.
He almost escaped, but allowed two more singles. The second tied the game.
“That’s the life of a closer,” Snitker said. “They’re not perfect. When they have a bad day, we lose, pretty much. Other guys can have a bad day and somebody can cover it up for them. We had a chance right there. We were a fly ball away – who knows? – of putting the game away right there. But it happens.”
3. Iglesias coughed up the lead, but the Braves still had an opportunity to win this game.
In the 10th inning, the first batter moved Sam Hilliard to third. Then Eddie Rosario lifted a fly ball that wasn’t particularly deep, but deep enough for the Braves to send Hilliard home.
Left fielder Andy Ibañez ran to his right to catch the ball, then planted, fired a strike and nailed Hilliard at home.
“You know what, we’re taking advantage of the weapon we have, and that Sam’s speed,” Snitker said. “He made a perfect throw. That ball’s off just a little bit, (and Hilliard scores). We’ll try that 100 out of 100 times right there.”
The double play ended the inning.
In the bottom half, Torkelson hit a walk-off single off former Tiger Joe Jiménez.
4. In the fourth inning, Marcell Ozuna was hit in the right wrist by Garrett Hill’s 94 mph sinker. His X-rays were negative, and he is day-to-day with a right wrist contusion.
When reporters were in the clubhouse, Ozuna was at the hospital undergoing further evaluation.
“You just never know when you get hit in the hand, those little bones and everything,” Snitker said. “A lot of times, they check out good here, then they go CT (scans) and the MRis and all that kind of stuff, and it might show something.”
5. Michael Harris didn’t have a three-hit game over his first 37 starts of the season. After Monday, he has two in his last six games.
His third hit was a solo home run in the eighth inning that gave the Braves a three-run lead. At the time, it seemed like the Braves had done enough to win the opener here.
But this wasn’t Iglesias’ night.
Stat to know
2.69 - Before Monday, the Braves’ bullpen had a 2.69 ERA on the road, which led the National League and ranked second in baseball.
Quotable
“We know what kind of talent we have and what kind of team we can be. This is just baseball. It happens. They came in that last inning and just hit it to the right spots. Next guy up just kept doing it. There’s not really much we can do about that. They just did a good job and we’re just gonna move on to tomorrow.”-Harris
Up next
On Tuesday, Spencer Strider will face Tigers right-hander Reese Olson. First pitch is at 6:40 p.m.
