The Braves have spent the last two weeks of May figuring out just how hard it is to win when scoring two runs a game. They spent the last night of May figuring out how that goes when the pitching isn’t perfect, in a 5-4 loss to the Padres.
Mike Minor was good but not great, and the Padres finally caught on to reliever Cory Gearrin after seeing the rookie for the fourth time this season.
The Braves doubled their recent offensive output – they’d scored two or fewer runs in seven of their previous 10 games -- but both of Chipper Jones’ RBI hits came after the Padres had rolled up three runs in the top of the seventh inning to all but decide the game.
“We haven’t been scoring a lot of runs lately and it’s putting a little extra pressure on the pitchers to make that fine pitch,” said Freddie Freeman, who went 3-for-4 and gave the Braves a brief 2-1 lead on a two-run double in the fourth. “There’s no room for error for them.”
The side-arming Gearrin had pitched three perfect innings against the Padres in San Diego, including two in his major league debut April 25, and another perfect inning on Monday afternoon at Turner Field. But the Padres jumped on him in the seventh inning with four hits in a span of five hitters – all right-handers -- to break open a 2-2 game with three runs.
“That’s the guy we wanted,” said Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez, who was trying to rest right-hander Scott Proctor after using him four times in the previous six days. “We wanted that guy to get the ground ball, with those right-handers coming up...(His sinker) wasn’t sinking tonight, but he’s the guy we wanted there.”
The Braves are now 0-2 and assured of losing the series against a team that supposedly had some offensive anemia of its own.
The Padres came into Wednesday’s game as the worst-hitting offense in the majors with a .228 team batting average, but they’ve piled up 24 hits in the first two games of the series, including 14 on Tuesday night.
Minor gave up eight hits but had limited the Padres to two runs in six innings before walking the leadoff batter in the seventh and turning the game over to Gearrin after 99 pitches.
He was charged with three runs in six innings in his second strong outing while filling in for injured pitchers – Tim Hudson (back) in Pittsburgh and Brandon Beachy (oblique) on Tuesday night.
The Braves optioned Minor back to Triple-A Gwinnett after the game and recalled outfielder Matt Young but they expect to bring Minor back the next time they need a fifth starter on June 11 against the Astros.
“He’s lined up and he’s earned that opportunity to come back if that’s the direction we go,” Gonzalez said. “But like I told him, ‘You can’t go down there thinking you’re a 10-year veteran and this is going to be a little tune-up. You’ve still got to go and perform and pitch and make us bring him back.'”
Minor has allowed only four earned runs in 11 2/3 innings over two starts since his return from Triple-A Gwinnett. He said he’s regained his confidence after giving up five runs in 4 1/3 innings in a rocky outing April 6 in Milwaukee.
“I’d say both the games I kept the team in it, but tonight I could have done a little bit better job with the walks and two-out hits,” Minor said. “They had a lot of hits on the board.”
Minor gave up his first run on a two-out 0-2 fastball that Chase Headley doubled to the left center gap. He lost the 2-1 supplied by Freeman after allowing a leadoff double to Chris Denorfia on a 2-2 pitch in the fifth.
Still, the Braves didn’t give him much breathing room by scoring only two runs while he was on the mound for the second straight start.
The Braves drew four walks against Mat Latos and saw 106 pitches in six innings but managed only two runs on Freeman’s double. They didn’t score again until Jones singled with two outs and two strikes on him in the seventh. Jones collected another two-out single in the ninth on a two-out single to left before Brian McCann popped out to short to end the game.
Jones left for a pinch runner in the ninth having been hobbled since tweaking his groin running the bases in the first inning. Gonzalez said he was considering resting Jones Wednesday but the veteran said he could play through it.
“We’ve got too many guys out,” Jones said. “I’m going to ride it ‘til she bucks me.”
