Even great pitching efforts by Braves starters can be wasted by a lineup that just can’t produce runs consistently.
Braves right-hander Aaron Harang was bad on Thursday, and the offense was no better until finally showing signs of life late. It wasn’t enough, though, and the Dodgers beat the Braves 6-4 at Turner Field
The Braves lost for the 12th time in 15 games and suffered their sixth loss in seven games this season against the Dodgers. The Braves won’t see them again this regular season but the Athletics, with the best record in baseball, come to town Friday for a weekend series.
Thursday was just the second time the Braves scored more than three runs in 14 games since July 29. Braves hitters insist they are still optimistic the offense can get on track.
“If you get frustrated you are just going to go out there and be bad all the time,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “I think if we keep the frustration out of it and keep going out there and grinding out at-bats,sooner or later it will start going our way.”
Harang had his recent string of quality starts snapped with five runs allowed over 4 1/3 innings. That was his worst start in nearly two months and the Braves’ offense managed just three hits, none for extra bases, in six innings against Dodgers right-handed Robert Hernandez.
The Braves broke through for three runs against reliever Brian Wilson in the eighth inning. Emilio Bonifacio singled, Freeman doubled and Justin Upton scored them both with a double. Andrelton Simmons’ RBI single cut the lead to 5-4.
But the Dodgers added an insurance run in the ninth inning when Dee Gordon reached on a bunt and scored on Gonzalez’s double against Luis Avilan.
Braves right fielder Jason Heyward singled with one out in the bottom of the inning against Dodgers right-hander Kenley Jansen and Freddie Freeman doubled with two outs. Jansen saved the victory by striking out B.J. Upton.
“We had an opportunity,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “I really, really like the effort of our club. We didn’t give up. We didn’t give up at-bats. We had a chance. They had to bring their closer in.”
The Braves couldn’t overcome the hole created by Harang, who hadn’t been this ineffective since he gave up eight earned runs in five innings against Philadelphia on June 18. He’d posted a 2.55 ERA in the nine starts since then prior to Thursday while pitching at least six innings in each outing.
The Braves were down 1-0 barely five minutes into the game and Harang was in a 4-0 hole after three innings. The Braves cut the lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning but Harang gave it right back on Adrian Gonzalez’s bases-loaded, RBI single.
Harang’s day was done after he walked the next batter, Matt Kemp. Hale got Andre Either to hit into a double play to end the inning and got through 2 2/3 scoreless innings but the Braves never threatened to rally.
Gordon, the lead-off hitter, gave the Braves the most trouble. He scored all four times he reached base and had two stolen bases to boost his majors-leading total to 54.
“You’ve got a guy like Dee who’s kind of trying to make things happen with his speed,” Harang said. “All he’s really got to do is put the ball on the ground to make things happen. It seemed like every pitch I threw came back over the middle of the plate. They got some hits on curveballs that were just out of the reach of (fielders). It’s just one of those days.”
Harang and the defense immediately ran into trouble against Gordon.
Gordon led off the game with an infield hit, stole second base and went to third when catcher Gerald Laird’s late throw sailed into the outfield. Yasiel Puig followed with a single to score Gordon.
The defense got better for the Braves—outfielders Jason Heyward and Emilio Bonifacio made running catches of line drives to end innings—but Harang never did.
With two outs and no runners on in the second inning, Harang got No. 7 hitter Miguel Rojas down 0-2 in the count before walking him. That brought up light-hitting catcher Drew Butera, who smacked Harang’s first pitch into the left-field stands for a 3-0 Dodgers lead.
The Dodgers added RBI singles by Gonzalez in the third and fifth innings and his run-scoring double in the ninth.
