SAN DIEGO – The Braves’ series winning streak is over and Jaime Garcia’s trade value might be declining.
The left-hander got roughed up for a third consecutive start Thursday night, allowing six runs including a pair of two-run homers in six innings of the Braves’ 6-0 loss to the Padres in a series finale at Petco Park.
“No excuse,” said Garcia, who has given up six runs in three consecutive starts after not allowing more than four in his first 12 starts. “I take a lot of blame on myself. I’ve got to do a better job. Just got to continue to battle and grind, make some adjustments that I need to make, watch film.
“Tonight it was just a couple of mistakes, but I’m extremely disappointed, I felt like I let my team down.”
The Braves had their four-series winning streak snapped and saw hot-hitting first baseman Matt Adams leave the game in the second inning after fouling a ball off his left foot. X-rays were negative and he’ll be evaluated again Friday before the opener of a three-game interleague series against the Athletics in Oakland.
“It’ll be a day-to-day thing,” Snitker said. “We’ll evaluate him tomorrow and see where we’re at. I don’t know (the severity) until tomorrow. Glad we’re playing at night so we can have all day and check him, see where he’s at.”
After scoring 128 runs in their first 24 games in June (5.3 average), the Braves totaled just seven runs in three games against the Padres. They won 10 of 14 games before dropping the last two, their first consecutive defeats since losing three in a row to the Mets June 10-11 including both ends of a doubleheader at SunTrust Park.
It was the seventh consecutive series loss at Petco Park for the Braves, who are 4-17 in that stretch and have been outscored 102-55 and out-homered 22-9 by the Padres in San Diego.
The Braves lost Wednesday after pitcher Bartolo Colon put them in an early 6-0 hole — he was designated for assignment Thursday, signaling the end of his time with the Braves – and they lost Thursday when the Padres teed off on Garcia while the Braves couldn’t muster anything against Padres rookie Dinelson Lamet.
Lamet (3-2) limited the Braves to four hits and one walk with eight strikeouts in seven innings. The right-hander entered with a 6.60 ERA in six starts but has allowed only five earned runs in 19 innings in his past three starts while striking out 25 and walking two.
“He was really good,” Snitker said. “None of us had seen him but that was pretty impressive. It was live. Breaking ball was really good.”
Lamet retired the first 11 Braves and allowed only two to reach second base and none to go any farther. In the sixth inning, Snitker had the umpires check the back of Lamet’s pants leg for a possible illegal substance. They looked, were satisfied that nothing untoward was present, and play resumed.
“He just kept tugging on it and I said he hadn’t been on the bases,” Snitker said. “I didn’t know. Some guys put the sunscreen and all that – I didn’t know if he had something on (his pants leg) because he kept going to it all the time. So, just wanted to check it.”
Meanwhile, Garcia got hammered again, not what the Braves want to see with the non-waiver trade deadline looming at the end of July. They hope to get significant trade offers for Garcia, who’s in the final year of his contract before free agency. Until his past few starts it seemed likely there would be plenty of suitors.
Garcia (2-6) gave up seven hits, six runs and three walks with six strikeouts in six innings. He’s given up five homers in his past three starts after allowing only seven in his first 12 starts.
“Is just a location thing with him,” Snitker said. “Just cutting the center of the plate too much in those situations pretty much…. You don’t expect (the home runs) out of a guy like that who’s usually keeping the ball on the ground. I think he’s just missing out over the plate and they’re not missing it.”
Garcia posted a 2.73 ERA and .222 opponents’ average in 10 starts from April 17 through June 11, allowing just four homers and 20 earned runs in 66 innings in that span while getting scan run support.
In three starts since then he’s 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA, allowing 21 hits, 18 earned runs and those five homers in 16 innings.
Snitker was asked whether he viewed this as more a blip on Garcia’s season than a bigger issue.
“I hope,” he said. “That’s how I’d like to look at it. We’ve seen him so good, just got to get back on track and consistent. Whole-game consistent type thing, and not let an inning get away. Just hitting your spots, keeping the ball down, all those things you have to do to be successful. He’s capable of doing that. Maybe, hopefully just a little bit of a rut right now.”
Wil Myers hit a towering two-run homer in a three-run third inning and Hunter Renfroe added a two-run homer to straightaway center field with two out in the fifth inning, a mammoth drive estimated at 439 feet. Mayers and Renfroe each has 16 homers.
“Very disappointed in myself right now,” Garcia said. “Those two guys are good hitters and (the pitches were) on top of the strike zone. I was trying to execute a change-up in the bottom of the strike zone and it stayed up. Tough one, man.
“In order for my pitches to be effective they’ve got to be in the bottom of the strike zone. Sometimes you fall behind (in counts) and try to throw a strike instead of executing at the bottom of the strike zone. Like I said, no excuse. I believe in myself, I know I can get anybody out in the league, but I’ve just got to be able to make pitches when I have to.”
