Game 5: 4/5 @ Milwaukee
Final: Braves lose (0-1)
Record: 3-2
Headline: Gallardo single-handedly deals Braves their first 1-run loss of the season.
Recap
After stealing a game from the Brewers with a pair of late homers on Monday, the Braves could not turn the trick a second time on Saturday night. Yovani Gallardo shutout the Braves on 2 hits and scored the game’s only run as the Braves fell 1-0 to even the series at a game apiece.
Gallardo went the distance, allowing no runs on just 2 hits (both singles) and 2 walks with 2 strikeouts. He needed 113 pitches to finish the job. For the second consecutive game the Braves failed to put a runner in scoring position (scored their only 2 runs of the opener on solo homers).
Derek Lowe pitched well again for Atlanta, pitching out of some tough spots, and keeping it a 1-run game through 6 innings. The Braves pen held in the 7th and 8th but this time Atlanta’s bats never woke up.
Nate McLouth singled into center with one out in the top of the 1st for the Braves first hit. Following McLouth’s single, Chipper Jones hit the next pitch on the ground to short for an inning ending double play. They would not record another hit until the 8th inning.
With the game still scoreless in the bottom of the 3rd, Gallardo fought off an 0-2 pitch for what can only be described as a one-in-a-million chance base hit. His little floating flare somehow went over first baseman Eric Hinske’s glove and fell onto the lip of the outfield grass just inches from second baseman Dan Uggla’s outstretched glove. It would be difficult for someone standing on the mound to reproduce the result even by lobbing a ball out there. With two out, Nyjer Morgan singled to left to bring up Ryan Braun. Braun pulled a pitch on the ground to the left side that got just under CJ’s glove for a hit to left. Gallardo scored to make it 1-0 Milwaukee. That turned out to be all he would need.
After running the bases, Gallardo walked Martin Prado leading off the 4th, ending a string of 7 in a row retired. However, Nate McLouth hit a 2-1 pitch on the ground to first and the Brewers were able to turn 2 again…or at least the umpires ruled that they had. The ball popped out of Fielder’s glove as he tried to scoop up the relay throw back to first, but for some reason it was ruled that the ball had come out on the exchange. This was curious, because with the only other baserunner already eliminated, there was no reason for there to have been any “exchange.” It probably wouldn’t have mattered, as Chipper quickly ground out to short to end the inning.
Brian McCann led off the top of the 5th with a liner that was snagged by Rickie Weeks at second for a loud out. Jason Heyward drew a two out walk, but Gallardo quickly got ahead of Alex Gonzalez 0-2, and then had A-Gon so utterly fooled on the 0-2 pitch that Gonzalez actually checked his swing and his bat ended up hitting a pitch after it bounced a foot in front of the plate. The ball was directed out into fair territory but Gonzalez never ran and Gallardo threw to first for an easy final out of the inning. This just about summed up the Braves experience against Gallardo on Tuesday night.
The Braves went in order in the 6th and 7th innings before Dan Uggla finally got the team’s 2nd hit with a lined single to left leading off the 8th. After Heyward popped out for the first out of the inning, Freddy Gonzalez knew he had to force the issue and he sent Uggla on a straight steal. The throw from George Kottaras was way off towards third base and Uggla easily beat it, sliding in feet first. However, he over slid the bag and was tagged for the 2nd out. That killed the rally and A-Gon made the 3rd out of the inning moments later.
The Braves never gave in, despite Gallardo’s dominance. They managed to keep it a 1-0 game, escaping several jams unharmed when it looked like the Brewers were on the verge of putting it away. An inexcusable misplay by Heyward on a ball hit by Morgan in the top of the 9th went for a leadoff triple, but the Braves got out of a 1st and 3rd with nobody out jam, throwing two men out at the plate to keep it just 1-0.
But nothing could be done against Gallardo, who came back out to the mound in the 9th and looked as good as he had at any point in the game. He fanned Hinske for the 2nd time in the game leading off the 9th. Freddie Freeman pinch hit and worked a full count before grounding to first. With two out, Prado hit a hard ground ball up the middle but right at the shortstop Counsell and he threw to first to end the ball game.
Action in the Field
Let’s face it: there wasn’t a lot going on offensively for the Braves in this one. Defense was a different story. The Braves made some great and some not-so-great plays in the field. Chipper Jones made some very solid plays at third base on Tuesday, fielding a number of tough hops cleanly. However, Braun’s hard grounder that went under/off his glove for a hit was probably one that the best 3rd basemen (maybe even Chipper at some point) at least knockdown and keep on the infield. It was reminiscent of a play that cost Lowe in the NLDS last year with Omar Infante playing 3rd.
Earlier in the 3rd there was another play that was “not made.” I’m referring to Gallardo’s flare that fell in between Hinske and Uggla. Again, I have to use words like “probably,” and “might,” but I believe that the out would have been recorded if Prado was at 2nd base or if Freeman had been playing 1st. On the other hand, Hinske made a nice play to smother a hot shot grounder by Fielder back in the 1st, and Uggla made several great plays.
To be fair, the Braves actually played great defense overall in this game, and they helped Derek Lowe and the other pitchers out many times. There was really only one bad play, and it was pretty bad. Nyjer Morgan led off the bottom of the 8th with a looping fly ball into right off of Eric O’Flaherty. At first it looked like trouble, but then it became clear that Morgan had gotten under it and it was going to stay up in the air long enough for Heyward to make a fairly easy catch coming in from right. Heyward called off McLouth and appeared to be about to make the catch but then all of the sudden the ball was just over his head and by him. Luckily McLouth was able to back it up to prevent a total disaster. As it was, Morgan was at third with a leadoff triple (which of course should have been a 3-base error).
Early last season when we were all first getting to see Jason play in the majors on an everyday basis, he had this weird thing about the way he tracked down and caught fly balls. At first it looked like he was struggling with the ball and then he would sort of make this motion like “it’s cool, I got it,” and then make the catch and you could relax. I think many of us started to think that this was just sort of his style, and whenever he made that motion we felt like it was a sure out. He made almost every catch early on.
But then at some point he started to misplay balls and it continued throughout the rest of the year and has carried on into this season. Some people started thinking that he was being too casual and not being focused enough on the task.
I now believe that it was largely a matter of luck that Heyward didn’t misplay many (if any) balls during the early part of last season. I now believe that the “motion” which many of us mistook as his little personal touch is more likely Heyward trying to settle himself down and think positively like “I got this.” Instead of being a reassuring sign, it has become a sign that something really bad may be about to happen.
I’m really starting to wonder if Heyward is just not very good at tracking the ball off the bat and then from the sky to his glove. He misplays balls going back and coming in. He misplays balls going to either side of him. And he just isn’t that confident. He’ll hesitate on a liner and end up laying back to play it on a hop. He’ll drift back on a ball over his head rather than racing back towards the wall. And think about this. Most of the “exciting” plays that he makes aren’t necessarily great plays, they are just close calls.
Heyward’s misplay in the 8th was particularly bad, but the Braves made a number of stellar plays throughout the game, including a couple that kept Heyward’s boner from costing a run. I’ve seen Uggla make some very poor plays when the Braves went up against him in years past. However, he made a couple of great plays Tuesday that I didn’t know he had in him.
In the bottom of the 6th, Lowe appeared to be out of gas, as he walked Mark Kotsay on 5 pitches with one out. He was now over 100 pitches and I was questioning why he was still in the game. With Carlos Gomez on 1st, Craig Counsell hit a slow chopper up the middle that Uggla had to charge and it looked like a disaster in the making, as he and Gomez were heading for a collision. But Uggla kept his eye on the ball, fielded it, tagged the runner and then fired to first to get Counsell by a step for a brilliant double play. I was stunned, as I had expected him to end up getting nobody.
Later, after Heyward’s gaffe in the 8th, the Brewers had runners at the corners with no one out and the Braves played the infield in against Prince Fielder. Fielder hit a grounder to the right side and Uggla fielded it and threw quickly and accurately to home, giving Mac enough time to put the tag down on the speedy Morgan for a huge first out.
The final stellar defensive play of the night came just moments later. Casey McGhee fought off a pitch from Scott Linebrink for a soft liner just over A-Gon’s head into shallow left. Braun had to hold up for a moment to make sure it wasn’t caught, but Milwaukee sent him around third. I wasn’t expecting much, as it seemed like it would take a perfect throw from Martin Prado to get him. The converted infielder scooped up the ball and fired to the plate, with his momentum carrying him tumbling forward after he released. His throw was on target and in plenty of time and Mac put the tag on Braun for the 2nd out. They then got out of the inning on a popup with the score still just 1-0.
The play didn’t end up leading to a win, but it gave the Braves a chance. At this point I’m fairly confident in Uggla and Prado in the field. I would also say that Brian McCann has improved defensively.
Final Notes
The Braves suffered both their first shutout loss and their first 1-run loss of the season on Tuesday…It’s early, but the Braves lack of hitting prowess is starting to become a concern. If you take away the 7-run 8th inning against the Nationals on Sunday, the Braves have scored 11 runs in 44 innings. They have scored 3 runs or less in 4 of their 5 games, scoring 2 runs or less in 3 of those games.
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