The Braves had a record crowd at SunTrust Park on Friday, but the 42, 130 fans weren’t treated to an energetic affair.
Arizona scored the go-ahead run in the seventh, giving the Diamondbacks a 2-1 win over the Braves.
Anibal Sanchez pitched well again, limiting the Snakes to one run in six innings. But his offense couldn’t back him up. Braves hitters not named Freddie Freeman or Nick Markakis combined to go 2-for-24 with 10 strikeouts.
Here’s what they said afterwards:
Manager Brian Snitker:
On Sanchez:
“Like he was before. He gave up the one jam shot for the only run. He was really, really good again.”
On using Sam Freeman in seventh instead of keeping Sanchez in:
“Anibal, once he got out of that inning, he was done, I thought then. If he goes and gets into the high 80s, that’s a really good outing.”
Missed opportunities:
“Always in close games, you look at situations like that. You don’t pick up a spare here or there, maybe. Seems like it always comes back to bite you a little bit. (Arizona starter Zack) Godley was, I don’t know if you call it effectively wild, he was throwing a lot of breaking balls, change-ups. Kept us off-balance good and couldn’t get a hold of him.”
On possibly changing lineup before the All-Star break:
“Probably after the break if we’re going to do anything. I’ll be honest with you, nobody’s really hot right now. A lot of times when I do the lineup like that, it’s because of individual reasons, not team-type things. But you know, it’s an option.”
Is Ender Inciarte your best option at the lead-off spot, or could you look at Ronald Acuna or Ozzie Albies?
“It’s hard with Ronnie, he’s missed so much time. All that’s an option, I guess. It’s something to think about.”
Starter Anibal Sanchez:
On exiting after six innings:
“It was a great game today. I can say it was the best game I’ve thrown so far. … We made every single play to be able to win.”
Can your pitch count comfortably reach around 100?
“Yeah, I can throw 100 pitches. … Even when I threw seven innings, it’s a good pitch count for me. I think 90 is the most I’ve thrown right now. But I try to keep my pitch count lower when I can to go deeper into the game.”
Catcher Kurt Suzuki:
On Godley:
“Good curveball. That was pretty much the story of the game. He mixed in his fastball, up in the zone, kind of sinking down off the plate. And he threw some good change-ups too. But that curveball, it’s a good pitch. We knew it was his bread and butter pitch. But sometimes even when you know it’s coming, it’s tough to hit when it’s on.”
On Sanchez:
“He’s a pro. He knows what he’s doing. He’s going to go out there every fifth day and execute a gameplan. He’s been doing it pretty good so far this year. He just has to keep it going and give us a chance to win every fifth day.”
