Craig Kimbrel was one strike away from his 100th career save and gave up back-to-back home runs instead in a crushing defeat at the hands of the Reds Tuesday night, 5-4.
Typically Kimbrel goes a month or more between home runs. On Tuesday night he went three pitches.
Kimbrel had struck out the first two batters he faced in the ninth. Then he went 3-2 on pinch-hitting backup catcher Devin Mesoraco, only to watch him send a fastball 392 feet to right center field to tie the game 4-4. Four pitches later, Shin-Soo Choo sent a 2-1 fastball 40 feet farther out to center to walk off.
“All around it’s frustrating,” said Kimbrel, who has blown three saves in his past five outings. “It’s been frustrating the last few weeks. I just feel like I just can’t get it done, can’t finish it right now.”
The stare down he usually reserves for the hitters, with his right arm dangling at his side as he peers in toward the plate, was reserved for the back of his locker Tuesday night at the visiting clubhouse at Great American Ball Park.
He was on the verge of becoming the second youngest closer to reach 100 saves, at age 24, and the fourth quickest in his 113 chance, but instead he finds himself mired in the worst slump of his young career.
A dynamic closer who gave up only three home runs in each of his previous two seasons has now given up three home runs in his past three outings. David Wright timed a Kimbrel fastball Friday night to tie a game the Mets won 7-5.
Two outings prior, Kimbrel cost Tim Hudson a chance at 200 wins in Colorado when he gave up a game-tying double to left field that was misplayed by Justin Upton.
Hudson was slapping Kimbrel on the leg in support after the game Tuesday night as Kimbrel headed in the direction of the weight room.
“It’s not going to affect my confidence,” Kimbrel had just said to assembled reporters. “It’s just going to push me to go out there and go harder, I can tell you that.”
Great American Ball Park is treacherous territory, especially the way the Reds have played there this season. The Braves knew it. They were just hoping to escape the place for the second consecutive night.
Kimbrel had struck out Joey Votto to save Monday night’s win, 7-4, with Votto representing the tying run with two runners on in the ninth.
But the Reds started picking Eric O’Flaherty apart for a run in the eighth inning with three singles in a four-batter span, one on an infield hit, one a slow roller to right and a broken bat over Freddie Freeman at first base.
Looking back, though, Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez knew problems could mount after the Braves offense stopped scoring. They’d jumped out to leads of 3-0 and 4-1 but failed to score after the fifth inning.
“When you don’t add on in this ballpark against that club that’s pretty good and has got the history here, you’re going to get yourself in these situations,” Gonzalez said.
The Reds won for the 13th time at home this season, which leads the major leagues.
The Braves were trying to get back to winning behind Medlen, which they’d done for a major-league record 23 straight times heading into this season. Instead they lost his fourth consecutive start.
For his part, though, Medlen felt as good as he has all season. He limited a dangerous Reds lineup to two runs in seven innings and commanded the inside corner to left-handed hitters and outside corner to right-handers which had been a trouble spot for him recently.
“(I was) using both sides of the plate really for the first time this year consistently, throwing in and out for strikes,” Medlen said. “I’d say that was the best I’ve felt.”
His only regrets were a couple of two-strike pitches, including one to Choo in the third inning, who opened the Reds scoring in the third inning the same way he finished it - with a solo home run.
“He’s no leadoff hitter,” Medlen said. “In a lot of lineups he’d be hitting four or five.”
The Braves had scored three runs in the first inning after Brian McCann collected his first hit in two games back from shoulder surgery with a two-run bases loaded single. Dan Uggla followed with an RBI single to extend his hitting streak to five games. Freddie Freeman drove in the Braves’ fourth run with an opposite field single in the fifth, but the Reds bullpen retired the last 14 hitters from there.
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