It could have been different.
The Braves had chances but never got the big hit – as they had the previous two games – in a 3-1 loss to the Marlins Sunday. Despite 13 hits, the Braves left 10 men on base in dropping the final game of the three-game series.
Perhaps an injury-ravaged lineup caught up the Braves. With Brian McCann on the disabled list, Chipper Jones ailing and David Ross getting a needed rest, the Braves managed a lone run. It came in the first inning, scored on a double play. It was the third game in the past five the Braves have amassed 11 hits with two runs or less scored.
The Braves took the first two games of the series on the strength of a pair of three-run homers from Dan Uggla. They begin a 10-game road trip to Washington, New York and Florida on Monday. The Braves fell six gamesbehind the Phillies in the National League East and are 9-8 since the all-star break.
Earlier this month the Braves recorded the 10,000th win in franchise history. Sunday was the 10,000th loss.
The summation of the Braves’ key-hit woes came in the sixth inning with runners at the corners with no outs after singles by Jason Heyward and Brooks Conrad. They came away empty.
“I think the big key in today’s ball game was us not coming up with that big hit with guys on base,” Conrad said. “I didn’t move a guy over [in the fourth inning]. Obviously, we’re frustrated with the loss. Two out of three is good, but we definitely feel like we should have won that game.”
Tommy Hanson (11-6) took the loss, allowing three earned runs in six innings. Hanson, who is 1-2 with a 6.56 ERA since the all-star break, was touched for single runs in the second, third and fifth innings.
“I expect more of myself that what I did today and since the all-star break,” Hanson said. “I expect to go out and do better than that. Giving up three runs in six innings isn’t what got me here. It’s not the way I want to pitch.”
There were moments for the Braves. Uggla extended his hitting streak to 22 games with an infield single in first inning. Freddie Freeman extended his hitting streak to a 15 games with single in seventh inning. Both are career-highs. J.C. Boscan, filling in for Ross, had his first major-league hit, a second-inning single. Leadoff hitter Jose Constanza will make way for the newly-acquired Michael Bourn in center field but he may stick around after a three-hit day.
Ricky Nolasco (8-7) got the win for the Marlins. Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez credited Nolasco, and not the Braves’ injuries, for the outcome.
“I think it was pretty good pitching by Nolasco,” Gonzalez said. “We had some pretty good opportunities with the right guys [at the plate] in those situations and Nolasco made a couple nice pitches to get out of some jams.”
Emilio Bonifacio homered to lead off the fifth inning to put the Marlins up 3-1.
The Braves scored first with a run in the bottom of the first. Freeman grounded into a double play that scored Constanza from third. Constanza led off the game with double and moved to third on a Martin Prado single.
“At some point we’ve got to put a few more runs across for [Hanson], especially when we have opportunities,” Conrad said. “It’s a little bit frustrating.”
