Defense hasn’t been the only problem for the Braves during their 0-4 start but it’s exacerbated their other issues while making for some unsightly baseball.
The Braves committed three errors and had a passed ball in their 12-2 loss to the Cardinals on Saturday. The miscues led to three unearned runs for the Cardinals.
The Braves have committed six errors in four games as defensive mistakes contributed to three of their losses. Manager Fredi Gonzalez said the team spent more time on defensive drills during spring training than at any time during his 10 years as a big-league manager, with coach Terry Pendleton working individually with players every day.
“It’s not from lack of effort or lack of work,” Gonzalez said. “We are not made to give opponents extra outs. It hurts your pitching. You get guys that throw another eight or 10 pitches to get out of an inning and that costs us innings later in games. It is something we will get straightened out.”
The Braves’ defensive problems began on opening day and haven’t improved.
In the season opener the Nationals scored the tying run with two outs in the ninth inning when catcher A.J. Pierzynski couldn’t catch outfielder Ender Inciarte’s bouncing throw to the plate. Gordon Beckham’s two-base error led to a run in the top of the 10th as the Braves lost 4-3.
During Wednesday’s 3-1 loss to the Nationals Pierzynski didn’t get his glove on Freddie Freeman’s throw slightly behind him at the plate as the Nationals tied the game with two outs in the seventh inning. Freeman was charged with an error.
The fielding follies on Saturday began in the second inning when Pierzynski’s passed ball allowed Kolten Wong to advance to second. Wong went to third on a wild pitch by Julio Teheran and scored on a fielder’s choice.
Braves right fielder Nick Markakis was charged with a three-base error in the third inning when Wong’s high, two-out fly ball glanced off his glove. Markakis attempted to catch the ball after center fielder Drew Stubbs signaled that he couldn’t see it.
Stephen Piscotty scored from first base on the play and Wong went to third.
“Usually there’s like a 10-to-15 minute window and the ball gets above the stadium and it’s just hard to find,” Stubbs said. “Once it got above the lights I never saw it. I don’t think Nick did until the last minute and he tried to dive for it. It’s just one of those unfortunate things a lot of ballparks have at a certain time for a few minutes.”
With no outs in the fifth inning new Braves shortstop Erick Aybar booted a potential double-play ball hit by Aledmys Diaz. Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez followed with a single against the drawn-in infield that scored Wong and the Cardinals added another run on Jeremy Hazelbaker’s sacrifice fly.
Aybar also had trouble handling Piscotty’s ground ball in the fourth inning and threw wide to first baseman Freddie Freeman, though the play was ruled a hit. Aybar already has two errors this season.
When the Braves acquired Aybar from the Angels as part of the Andrelton Simmons trade, they touted him as an adequate defensive replacement for Simmons, one of the best defenders in baseball. Gonzalez said he can’t pinpoint why Aybar so far has struggled in the field.
“I don’t know because you’ve never seen him enough live,” Gonzalez said. “You’ve seen the videos and sometimes videos don’t give you a good read. Maybe the league is a little different, the field he is playing on. But it’s something we can rectify.”
