The Braves have lost games in a wide variety of ways this season, some both unusual and gut-wrenching. But Thursday, they found an entirely different way to take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish in defeating the Pirates.
They scored the go-ahead run on a caught-stealing play in the seventh inning of a 5-2 win at Turner Field, which clinched just the second Braves home-series win in 18 tries this season. They’ve won six of nine games since a five-game losing streak.
Rookie starter Tyrell Jenkins got no decision but was impressive again, working out of some tight spots to limit the Pirates to one run on three hits and four walks in six innings. Reliever Hunter Cervenka picked up his first big-league win after throwing one pitch and getting a double-play grounder to end the seventh inning.
How did the Braves take the lead on a caught-stealing play? Like this: With the score 1-1 and one out in the seventh, they had runners on first and second when Adonis Garcia took off for third base, trying to time left-handed reliever Felipe Rivero’s delivery. Rivero saw him, turned and threw to third.
The throw beat Garcia, but third baseman Jung Ho Kang tried to make a tag before he caught the ball. When the ball caromed off his glove and into the grass, Garcia popped up and raced to the plate to score for a 2-1 lead.
“I don’t think we had that in our playbook,” Braves interim manager Brian Snitker cracked. “I don’t know, maybe just stunned (Kang) or something running right there, literally when he was looking at him. (It) worked. Maybe we’ll put that in in spring training, see if it does work.”
Garcia, through a translator, said of his decision to steal third: “I noticed on some previous pitches that the pitcher was taking one look back and then settling before he made the pitch, so I just tried to take advantage of that. And when the ball got away from the third baseman, I just figured he would have to make an absolute perfect play to make (the throw to the plate) on time. So I figured I’d take a chance and try to get there, and thankfully it worked out.”
Pinch-hitter Jeff Francoeur added a two-out RBI single in the inning, and after David Freese’s eighth-inning homer off Chris Withrow cut the lead to 3-2, Nick Markakis’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning pushed it back to two runs.
Hot-hitting Garcia added a two-out RBI double in the eighth and has a .370 average with 11 doubles, three homers and 13 RBIs in 23 games since July 4.
Jenkins has a 3.81 ERA in five starts since moving from the bullpen, which includes seven earned runs in 3 1/3 innings on July 24 at Coors Field in Denver. In four starts at non-extreme altitude, he’s 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA, allowing 15 hits and four runs allowed in 22 2/3 innings.
“I worked too hard to get through six (innings),” Jenkins said. “Those four walks, again, is unacceptable. It makes me really mad that I keep giving free passes like that, but luckily I made some pitches and got some ground balls and escaped a little bit…. I’m nowhere near where I want to be, but I had some luck on my side. My defense is always picking me up.”
Snitker said, “He never gives in. The command and the stuff probably wasn’t as good as he’s had in the past, but he never gives in. He just keeps competing, competing, competing, and did a great job getting through that last inning and giving us a chance.”
Leadoff walks have been a bugaboo for Braves pitchers, and it was Eric Fryer’s leadoff walk in the third inning that led directly the first run of the game. Jenkins induced double-play grounders to work out of a jam in the second inning and to end the third inning.
The Braves tied the score in the third but had a chance to do so much more after getting consecutive singles from Ender Inciarte and A.J. Pierzynski to start the inning, Inciarte’s hit extending his Braves season-high hitting streak to 15 games.
With bases loaded and one out, Erick Aybar hit a chop grounder in front of the plate that pitcher Ryan Vogelsong failed to scoop cleanly as Inciarte dashed toward the plate. Aybar was credited with an RBI single.
With the bases still loaded and one out, Freddie Freeman struck out and Matt Kemp lined out to the center-field warning track, where Starling Marte made a difficult running catch that saved two or three runs and ended the inning.
Freeman is 1-for-16 with seven strikeouts in the past four games, after going 10-for-16 with two doubles, a homer and six RBIs in the previous four.
