The Braves returned to Turner Field Monday as division champions, if not exactly triumphant.
The newly-crowned champions of the NL East were shut out by the Milwaukee Brewers in a 5-0 loss, looking a little like a team weary from celebrating.
The Braves were shutout for the 16th time this season but not before they generated a little excitement at home plate. Manager Fredi Gonzalez was ejected in the seventh inning for arguing with home plate umpire Angel Hernandez after he ruled that Paul Janish leaned into a pitch that hit his thigh and declined to award him first base.
As they used to chant “Bob-by” for former manager Bobby Cox’s ejections, a modest Monday crowd of 19,893 at Turner Field chanted “Fred-i” as Gonzalez kicked dirt in front of home plate trying to emphasize his point. Gonzalez was ejected for the fifth time this season and second by Hernandez, who ejected both Gonzalez and Gerald Laird for arguing balls and strikes on July 5th in Philadelphia.
“Angel is not all wrong about that call,” Gonzalez said after the game. “But I thought that ball was deep enough in that batter’s box, in my opinion, (Janish) was just trying to get out of the way and he didn’t.”
Gonzalez might have been voicing a little general frustration, as the Braves dropped to 9-12 in September - not exactly making a momentum-generating push for the playoffs.
Now that the Braves have their first division title since 2005, their top priority is claiming home field advantage for the playoffs and Monday’s loss didn’t help. Their lead is only one-half game over the Cardinals for the NL’s best record, after St. Louis defeated the Nationals Monday night.
“We didn’t swing the bats,” said Gonzalez, a sentiment he’s echoed multiple times this month.
The Braves scored two or fewer runs for the 10th time in 21 games in September, including four shutout losses.
Mike Minor lost despite giving up three runs in seven innings, including home runs by Carlos Gomez and Jonathan Lucroy. The Braves have lost all four of Minor’s starts in September, even though he’s made quality starts in three of them.
“Right now I’m kind of struggling a little bit, but I’m getting by,” said Minor, who’ll make one more start before the postseason. “I’m just giving up too many home runs.”
Minor has allowed seven home runs in his past four starts, after giving up only three in his previous 11 starts. Gomez took him deep three pitches into the game Monday night, and Lucroy made it 3-0 with a two-run opposite field homer in the fifth. Aramis Ramirez then homered off Minor’s replacement, Anthony Varvaro, to start a two-run eighth inning.
Minor is 0-3 with a 3.12 ERA this month, in large part because the Braves offense produced eight runs in those four games.
The Braves managed just two hits in seven innings against Milwaukee right-hander Marco Estrada. Andrelton Simmons tripled with two outs in the second inning but got stranded at third base, just as Jordan Schafer did an inning later.
The Braves drew back-to-back walks to lead off the fourth inning but stranded a pair of runners in scoring position after Chris Johnson, Evan Gattis and Simmons all struck out swinging against Estrada. Estrada hasn’t allowed a run in his past two starts against the Braves, including 6 2/3 innings of a 5-0 win against the Braves Sept. 11, 2012.
“He elevated his fastball a couple times,” Gonzalez said. “He throws change-ups to both sides of the plate. And then he expands, and we expanded along with him. And what I mean by that he threw some breaking balls in the dirt and we swung at them.”
