Even as they started making their run at becoming the worst team in the National League, the Braves could count on beating the Marlins.
Check that off the list of things the Braves can’t do anymore.
The Marlins pounded their patchwork pitching and the Braves had no response in a 7-1 loss on Tuesday at Turner Field. The Braves lost their seventh consecutive game and 14th in their past 15.
The Braves are 12-36 since they were 42-42 on July 7. Three of those victories were against the Marlins at Turner Field last month, but this time the visitors secured their first series against the Braves in five tries this season.
The series concludes on Wednesday and the teams will meet later this month in Miami, where the Braves are 6-0 this season. Maybe by then the Braves can figure out a way to end their recent string of all-systems failures.
The Braves couldn’t do anything against Marlins starter Justin Nicolino, who held them to no runs and six hits over seven innings. Their pitchers put them in an early hole. Their fans couldn’t get excited.
At least the Braves had a good explanation for the slipshod pitching this time. Manny Banuelos made a spot start after Mike Foltynewicz missed his turn on Monday and forced Shelby Miller to move up his start a day.
Banuelos (elbow) was activated from the disabled list after he pitched two innings in each of his two starts at Triple-A Gwinnett. In the best-case scenario manager Fredi Gonzalez was hoping to get four innings from Banuelos but that was pretty much was out of the question once he faced seven batters in the first inning.
Singles by Christian Yelich and Martin Prado and Justin Bour’s walk loaded the bases. The Marlins went up 2-0 on Marcell Ozuna’s single and Cole Gillespie’s fielder’s choice ground out.
Banuelos faced four batters in the second inning without allowing a run. Banuelos retired the first two hitters in the third before Ozuna doubled and Gillespie hit an RBI single to chase him.
“He just looked a little rusty,” Braves catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. “It’s hard when you are on a limited pitch count and you haven’t been out there. To just get thrown in a big league game, it’s not easy. He made some good pitches but he made some mistakes there in the first inning and fell behind some guys. The second inning was good. The third inning I thought he was OK. He was rusty but next time it will be better.”
Following the game, the Braves placed Foltynewicz on the 15-day disabled list with rib cartilage inflammation. Williams Perez will be called up from Gwinnett to start against the Marlins on Wednesday.
Sugar Ray Marimon replaced Banuelos and made it to the seventh inning without allowing a run before Yelich hit an RBI double. After Marimon walked Prado he gave way to Ryan Kelly, who gave up a three-run homer to Bour that put the Marlins ahead 7-0.
The Braves had a prime chance to trim their 3-0 deficit when they loaded the bases in the bottom of the third inning. But Cameron Maybin smacked a hard line drive that went right at first baseman Bour, who snagged it and doubled Markakis off of first base. Freddie Freeman followed with a ground out to end the inning.
“Cam hits that ball and if it goes down the right-field line it’s 3-3 and here we go,” Pierzynski said. “Instead, he hits it right to the first baseman. You can’t control that. All you can do is control your effort and your intensity and what you bring every day. We are trying to do that. We all know where we stand. It’s tough, but we’ll be here tomorrow.”
Braves third baseman Hector Olivera went 0-for-4 in his first game in the majors. The Braves acquired Olivera in a trade with the Dodgers in a July 30 trade.
“Today I reached my dream,” Olivera said through an interpreter. “I’m here. I finally realized it. As I continue I will start getting better. Overall today was a good effort but I want to build on it, of course.”
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