The Braves offense never woke up, while the bullpen surrendered the go-ahead run in the seventh, squandering another notable outing from Anibal Sanchez Friday night.
Sanchez’s magnificence was unwound by a familiar story. He exited after throwing 86 pitches and allowing just one run over six innings, giving way to a bullpen that’s had a rough go lately, and banking on an offense that’s been even rougher.
The Diamondbacks took advantage, defeating the Braves 2-1 in a dreary, rainy atmosphere unfit for the record 42,130 in attendance at SunTrust Park.
Alex Avila doubled to start the sixth inning and advanced on starter Zack Godley’s bunt. Jon Jay’s softly hit single tied the game 1-1.
That frame chased Sanchez, who struck out six and walked none while lowering his ERA to 2.60. He was relieved by Sam Freeman to open the seventh.
Freeman walked Daniel Descalso with one-out. Dan Winkler relieved him and threw a wild pitch that advanced Descalso.
Nick Ahmed’s single put the Diamondbacks in front. Winkler navigated through a two-on threat to limit Arizona to one run. Jesse Biddle and Luke Jackson kept the Braves within a run entering the bottom of the ninth.
The bullpen struggles will overshadow the offense, but the Braves’ bats didn’t get much going against Godley and company. They had six hits, two courtesy of All-Star Nick Markakis, while receiving just one hit from their 6-9 hitters.
And while Freeman and Winkler haven’t been at their best lately, limiting an offense to two runs often yields a positive result.
“Always in close games, you look at situations like that,” manager Brian Snitker said. “You don’t pick up a spare here or there, maybe. Seems like it always comes back to bite you a little bit. Godley was, I don’t know if you call it effectively wild, he was throwing a lot of breaking balls, change-ups. Kept us off-balance good and couldn’t get a hold of him.”
In the glass-half-full perspective, the mid-March flier on Sanchez continues to be a feather in the cap of general manager Alex Anthopoulos.
Sanchez skeptics will doubt he can maintain this rate in the season’s second half; even if that’s proven true, the 59 2/3 innings he’s given the Braves thus far, especially given the team’s injury circumstances, have been crucial in keeping them within a day or two of first place.
After two easy outs to begin the game, the Braves recorded three-straight hits, culminated by Kurt Suzuki’s RBI-single that scored Freddie Freeman and gave Sanchez a one-run lead.
Arizona entered the game having lost nine of its last 13 since taking three of four from the last-place Marlins.
The Braves, meanwhile, were bumped back another game in the NL East with the Phillies’ 2-0 win in Miami. The Braves are 1-1/2 games back.
