The winning formula for the Braves won’t add up very often without strong pitching from their starters.
The small-ball approach to hitting, the speed on the bases, the athletic defense, the quality bullpen — none of it matters much if Braves starters can’t keep them in the game so they can win by manufacturing a run here and there.
“We are an offense that if we get too far behind, it’s going to be tough for us to put numbers up,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said after his team couldn’t overcome a 5-0 deficit against the Marlins on Tuesday night.
He could have said the same thing about 16 hours later. The Marlins got to lefty Eric Stults early, and the Braves had little response while losing 6-2 at Turner Field on Wednesday afternoon.
The Braves (6-3) lost consecutive games for the first time this season and also lost their first series. In both losses to the Marlins (3-6) the Braves had lackluster starting pitching and nothing-but-homers offense.
In the series finale, Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto doubled to lead off the fifth inning, and Adeiny Hechavarria homered to left to put the Braves in a 4-0 hole. The Braves’ only runs came by way of homers by Cameron Maybin and Kelly Johnson, after Freddie Freeman and A.J. Pierzynski homered to produce their only runs in the 6-2 defeat the previous night.
That’s not supposed to be the blueprint for the Braves. Then again, there were very few avenues for them to win Wednesday because they managed only three hits over seven innings against Marlins starter Dan Haren.
Haren doesn’t throw hard, but he befuddled the Braves by changing speeds and varying the location of his pitches.
“He keeps you off-balance,” Freeman said. “He’s got cutters in, cutters away, change-ups, curveballs. Whenever you think something is coming, he throws the opposite. He’s been on. He was on last start against the Rays, and he was on again today.”
The Braves didn’t get their first hit against Haren (1-0) until shortstop Andrelton Simmons singled with two outs in the fifth. Maybin led off the sixth inning with his second home run of the season, and Johnson started the seventh with his first homer of the year.
They were two of only three Braves to make it past first base against Haren, who recorded seven strikeouts and two walks.
“He’s not a guy who is going to throw 95, 96 (mph),” Braves catcher Christian Bethancourt said. “He knows how to pitch. He knows how to locate pitches, how to take advantage of the (fastball). He tries to make you think ‘away, away, away’ and then he’s going to bust one inside. Even if he hits 85 or 86, he’s still going to get you because your mind is setting up for the pitch outside.”
Stults (0-1) throws a bit harder than Haren, but is similar in style. He faced the minimum six batters through two innings thanks to Bethancourt throwing out speedy Dee Gordon as he attempted to steal second in the first inning.
A lead-off walk to Realmuto in the third opened the door for the Marlins. Hechavarria bounced a single through the middle, Haren followed with a sacrifice and Gordon poked a line drive down the left-field line to score Realmuto and Hechavarria.
The Marlins’ Nos. 2 through 5 hitters didn’t get a hit against Stults over five innings. Realmuto and Hechavarria, the bottom two position players in the batting order, went 3-for-4 with a walk, three RBIs and four runs scored vs. Stults.
“You look at the lineup and you worry about the 3, 4, 5 guys, but today the bottom of the order did a good job,” Stults said. “They hit some mistakes and drove the ball. That falls on me. I just didn’t make good pitches.”
The Marlins added Hechavarria’s home run off of Stults in the fifth inning. Michael Morse homered off of Braves reliever Cody martin in the sixth, and Hechavarria got his third RBI on a sacrifice fly against Brandon Cunniff in the ninth.
The Braves could produce no offense outside of the home runs by Maybin and Johnson. They went down in order against Marlins relievers Mike Dunn in the eighth and Steve Cishek in the ninth.
Stults now has a 6.30 ERA in his first two starts with his new team.
“Obviously the results weren’t there today,” he said. “I felt like I left just a couple pitches up in the zone, especially to (Hechavarria) in the last inning I had. Overall, I feel good. It’s a long season. I’ve just got to continue to work and get better. Youv’e got to give Haren a lot of credit. He pitched well today. He was better.”
