DENVER — The Braves lost more than a game and a series Saturday against the Rockies, they lost closer Jason Grilli to a season-ending ruptured left Achilles tendon.
Grilli was racing to cover first base on a Drew Stubbs ground ball leading off the ninth inning when the 38-year-old pitcher collapsed to the ground, immediately clutching the back of his ankle. He writhed in pain and was examined by Braves head trainer Jeff Porter on the field before being taken away on a golf cart.
“I saw it first-hand,” Braves first baseman Chris Johnson said. “I was about to throw him the ball and I saw the look in his face when he was going down. I was like, ‘Oh, man, that’s not good at all.’ He just started screaming. It looked pretty darn painful.”
The Rockies won 3-2 on Carlos Gonzalez’s one-out, bases-loaded bloop single off Mike Foltynewicz in the ninth, which landed in front of center fielder Cameron Maybin and beyond shortstop Andrelton Simmons, who peeled off as Maybin approached.
The ball stayed up long enough that it would normally have been caught, but in the vast outfield of Coors Field, Maybin had to cover a lot of ground to get to it, and there might not have been good communication between he and Simmons.
“Just a fly ball,” said manager Fredi Gonzalez, whose Braves have lost four in a row since winning six of their first seven July games. “Really I haven’t had time to sit down and digest it, my mind was thinking a little bit more about what’s going on with Grilli. The only thing I can say is either of those guys are real good about catching fly balls, whether Simmons is going back or Maybin’s coming in. I really haven’t had a time to digest how it (happened).”
On the play when Grilli went down, Stubbs was credited with a single. David Aardsma replaced Grilli and hit the first batter he faced, Charlie Blackmon. One out later, Aardsma walked Troy Tulowitzki to load the bases, and the rookie Foltynewicz was brought in to face hot-hitting Gonzalez, who had homered in the first inning.
Grilli has 23 saves in 25 chances this season and had been perfect in five appearances in July, striking out nine of 15 batters faced before Saturday. He signed a two-year $8 million contract in December that includes a third-year option. He’s making $4.25 million this season and is owed $3.5 million in 2016, with a third-year, $3 million option for 2017 that has a $250,000 buyout.
Thrust into the closer role when four-time All-Star Craig Kimbrel was traded on the eve of the season opener, Grilli did a commendable job and served as the vocal, veteran centerpiece of a overhauled bullpen that struggled at times this season, but had stabilized some in recent weeks.
“The guy’s a grinder,” Braves veteran left fielder Jonny Gomes said. “Guy’s a nomad, been around. Everything that he’s about, hard work and health, that’s what’s got him here.”
For much of the day, the work of rookie pitcher Matt Wisler was the story for the Braves. The 22-year-old gave up a two-run homer by Gonzalez in the first inning, then didn’t allow another runner to advance past second base for six innings in his fifth major league start and first in the hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field.
A lot of good pitching prospects crumble quicker than a stale corn muffin at Coors Field, but Wisler allowed just six hits, two runs and three walks (one intentional) with seven strikeouts in six innings, firing 62 strikes in 94 pitches.
“All this stuff going on in the back end of the game overshadows his pretty darn good outing,” Gonzalez said. “There was a lot of stuff happening, decisions that both managers have to make. But Wisler was terrific.”
The Braves got home runs from Juan Uribe and Ryan Lavarnway in the second and third innings to tie the score, but went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position, and left the bases loaded in the fourth and eighth innings. The Braves, who’ve scored eight runs in three games at Coors, are 2-4 on a seven-game trip and must Sunday to avoid a four-game Rockies sweep.
“We had opportunities there with (runners at) second and third, or first and third, or bases loaded, and just couldn’t get it done,” Gonzalez said. “We pitched well. We just didn’t score runs, and in this ballpark when you get those opportunities (and don’t cash in), it’ll come back and haunt you.”
The Braves rued not scoring in the eighth. Nick Markakis singled to start the inning, and Chris Johnson hit a ball to the right-field corner that looked like a certain double. But Johnson didn’t get around first base quickly and was thrown out sliding head-first at second base.
“I just got caught looking at it out of the box,” Johnson said. “When it’s right down the line you’ve got a tendency to stare at it as I’m running a little bit. I wish I could go back and just not look at it and (run), and if it’s fair it’s fair, if it’s foul it’s foul.”
Uribe was walked intentionally with a runner at third to bring up Kelly Johnson, and lefty Christian Friedrich induced a fielder’s choice that Colorado misplayed, Markakis scrambling back to third ahead of the tag. With bases loaded, Simmons flied out to shallow center, not deep enough to try to score, and Lavarnway struck out to end the inning.
The Rockies had a prime chance to take the lead in the seventh after a one-out triple by Blackmon, the former North Gwinnett High and Georgia Tech standout, who had three hits. Luis Avilan gave up the triple and intentionally walked Nolan Arenado before striking out Tulowitzki, whose 21-game hitting streak ended.
There still were runners on the corners and the hot-hitting Gonzalez to deal with, but left-hander Luis Avilan entered the game and struck him out to quiet the buzz of a crowd of 40,620.
Wisler gave up a leadoff single to Blackmon in the first inning, and two strikesouts later he surrendered a homer to Gonzalez on a 1-and-0, 94-mph fastball. No shame there – Gonzalez has scorched lately, with three doubles in the series opener Thursday and homers Friday a and Saturday giving him nine in his past 32 games.
And after the first inning, the Rockies also had scoring opportunities in each of the next six innings, and were thwarted in each, including five times by Wisler. In the third, Wisler allowed a leadoff single to Blackmon, who was stranded there when Wisler retired the Rockies’ three best hitters — Arenado on a pop-up and strikeouts of Tulowitzki and Gonzalez.
After allowing a one-out double and walk in the fourth, Wisler struck out Brandon Barnes and De La Rosa grounded out. And after Arenado doubled with one out in the fifth, Tulowitzki flied out and Gonzalez was walked intentionally to bring up catcher Michael McKenry, whom Wisler struck out for the third consecutive time.
Wisler also gave up a leadoff walk in the sixth inning, but a pop-up and Barnes’ double-play grounder ended that threat.
