PHOENIX -- Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said he's not planning a change at closer.
Craig Kimbrel gave up two runs on four consecutive one-out singles in the 11th inning on Wednesday night, blowing a one-run lead in a 5-4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was the rookie closer's fourth blown save in his past 11 opportunities.
Gonzalez cited a groundball that Kimbrel deflected on a potential inning-ending double play grounder by Arizona's Ryan Roberts, which was the second of the four hits. Second baseman Dan Uggla was in position to field it moving toward second base, but the ball caromed off Kimbrel's glove and went to Uggla's left side.
“The kid [Kimbrel] gets that groundball and he’s out of the inning,” Gonzalez said.
Kimbrel, 22, stood at his locker afterward and answered every question from reporters, as he does after every outing. He made no excuses and took no solace in the fact that two of the four hits never left the infield, including the game-ending, high-chop single by Justin Upton.
The right-hander blamed himself for deflecting and not making a play on Roberts grounder, and for throwing balls over the plate that became hits.
When asked about his confidence, and whether his previous four scoreless appearances -- a hit, two walks, nine strikeouts -- would be affected by this latest blown save, he said: “No. I’m gonna go home, sleep and come back tomorrow. And if the same situation comes up, I’m going to go out there and try to save the game.”
There was speculation recently, after a seven-game stretch in which Kimbrel blew two saves and got a loss in another game, that Gonzalez might switch closers and flip-flop Kimbrel with setup man Jonny Venters, the lefty who led the majors in opponents' average (.107) and innings pitched (26-1/3) before Thursday.
Gonzalez stuck with Kimbrel through that stretch, and he had been sharp in four appearances since -- until Thursday.
Kimbrel has converted 11 of 15 save opportunities. With his second two-run appearance in eight days, his ERA climbed to 3.00 compared to Venters’ 0.68. Still, Kimbrel has a whopping 34 strikeouts with 10 walks in 21 innings, and opponents are hitting a modest .221.
The Braves’ bullpen has been strong, but still had blown more saves (10) before Thursday than any NL team except the Astros, who had 11 blown saves in 16 opportunities. While Houston’s 5.05 bullpen ERA was the worst in the NL, the Braves’ 2.73 ERA was the third best.
Gonzalez said bullpen coach Eddie Perez talked with him Thursday about how Kimbrel needs to slow down a bit while warming up in games such as Thursday's extra-innings contest, when it's not clear when he'll be entering.
“Eddie said he’s got to relax, pace himself,” Gonzalez said. “That’s a learning thing. He's learning, experiencing."
Heyward on rebound
After playing much of the month with a sore right shoulder, Jason Heyward was a team-worst 4-for-37 (.108) in May before Thursday, with one double, no RBIs, six walks, 15 strikeouts and a .385 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.
The Braves right fielder was 2-for-8 with two walks and two strikeouts in two starts since missing a week’s worth of starts after having an MRI on his shoulder and a cortisone injection to relieve inflammation in the rotator cuff.
“So far, so good," he said before his third consecutive start Thursday. "I don’t know how it’s going to hold up. I’m just trying to cut down on my head-first sliding and go from there.”
Heyward was working to get his timing back after playing through discomfort that had caused him to alter his approach.
“I feel like the swing is pretty good,” he said. “It’s the timing and getting to the ball; that’s what’s going to be the biggest thing. Because you get away from what you normally do, timing-wise and tempo-wise. Once I get back to that, I’ll be good to go.”
