Braves ace Shelby Miller had his first bad night of the season, and the Diamondbacks led 4-1 after five innings at Chase Field. But as the San Francisco Giants could attest after losing against them in the ninth inning Sunday, these Braves don’t go easily into that good day or night.
Unfortunately for the Braves, another thing they don’t do is protect leads very well. Not their middle relievers.
The Braves scored five runs with two out in the sixth inning to take a 6-4 lead, but the bullpen faltered again in a 7-6 loss to Arizona that snapped the Braves’ three-game winning streak.
A.J. Pollock’s two-run homer off Brandon Cunniff in the seventh inning was the dagger, coming after Cunniff walked Ender Inciarte with two out, the 10th walk issued by Braves pitchers.
“You won’t win a lot of big league games walking 10 guys,” said Braves catcher A.J. Pierzynski, whose single drove in the first two runs in the five-run sixth. “It’s just one of those nights where things didn’t work out. But again, we had a chance in the ninth inning. We had the lead late in the game, it just didn’t work out.”
Cunniff said the walk “killed me. Had him 1-2, couldn’t finish him. Killed me.” And the homer by Pollock on a 1-0 fastball: “Just made a bad pitch, and he crushed it.”
In his past three appearances, Cunniff has allowed six hits, seven runs and three walks in 2 2/3 innings, pushing his ERA from 1.80 to 5.09.
“Yeah, just a two-out walk, and then a home run,” Pierzynski said. “One-run lead, it’s just tough. Again, we walked 10 guys. Just wasn’t meant to be.”
The Braves haven’t put together a winning streak longer than three games since starting out the season 5-0. They need a win in Wednesday’s series and road-trip finale to salvage a .500 record on the 10-game trip.
Miller was charged with six hits, four runs and six walks with two strikeouts in just 4 1/3 inings, after entering with a 5-1 record, 1.48 ERA and the distinction of being the only major league pitcher to have made 10 starts this season without giving up more than two earned runs.
“Just a little bit of everything,” Miller said. “.Just couldn’t get balls over the plate, mechanics were maybe working a little bit quicker than I should have been. But that’s all excuses. This game, it’s not made for excuses. There’s no reason to go out there and and walk six batters, there’s no reason to go out there and walk the pitcher. Just a tough day.”
But the Braves still only trailed 4-1, and this is an offense that had scored eight, seven and eight runs in the past three games, the first two of those against the Giants in games started by Tim Lincecum and Madison Bumgarner.
After getting a run on two hits in the first inning Tuesday, the Braves mustered two hits in the second through fifth innings, then must’ve realized that, hey, they were facing Josh Collmenter. In five May starts apiece, Miller was 2-1 with a 0.95 ERA, while Collmenter was 1-2 with an 8.14 ERA.
Miller gave up as many runs (four) and walks (six) in the first four innings as he allowed in the entire month of May.
“You’re still human,” Miller said. “I mean, you look at Felix Hernandez’s start yesterday, and other guys’ starts who are doing well. I mean, it’s going to happen. That kind of stuff’s going to happen.
“Besides the point of my pitching, we should have won the game. Our offense did a hell of job coming back and scoring runs and battle their butts off all night, and the defense made great plays. At the end of the day we should have won the game. But it didn’t happen. Tough loss tonight.”
Miller left the game after giving up consecutive one-out singles in the fifth. Reliever Cody Martin got out of that jam without any further damage, and Braves hitters went to work an inning later.
With a runner at first base after Freddie Freeman’s fielder’s choice, Nick Markakis hit his second RBI double of the night against Collmenter, who was replaced at that point.
Juan Uribe drew a four-pitch walk from reliever J.C. Ramirez, and Pierzynski’s two-run single cut the lead to 4-3. Jonny Gomes doubled down the left-field line to drive in the tying run, and rookie Todd Cunningham (3-for-4) doubled to drive in two more runs for a 6-4 lead.
With two outs, the Braves had done this: double, walk, two-run single, RBI double, two-run double.
They made sure Miller wouldn’t be saddled with consecutive losses for the first time in a year, then kept scoring in an effort to provide some insurance runs for a Braves bullpen that’s needed as much cushion as it could get this season. Atlanta’s bullpen had a league-worst 4.64 ERA before Tuesday.
With the Braves leading 6-4, reliever Nick Masset gave up a run in the fifth after issuing a leadoff walk, a no-no that’s bit the Braves’ numerous times. One stolen base and strikeout later, the Braves opted to intentionally walk sizzling slugger Paul Goldschmidt, putting the potential tying run on with one out.
A fly-out advanced the runner to third, and Yasmany Tomas’ single cut the Braves’ lead to a run, 6-5. Cunniff replaced Masset and walked Jordan Pacheco on four pitches to load the bases, before coaxed an inning-ended flyball.
An inning later, Cunniff issued another two-out walk, and this time it proved quite costly.
