So, let’s talk about the last four days.
They have not been kind to the Braves.
After Wednesday’s sweep on the Marlins, the Braves held a two-game lead over the Phillies in the National League East. It’s gone.
Following those four wins, the Braves were swept in a four-game series by the Rockies, the culmination coming in a 4-2 defeat Sunday at SunTrust Park. The Braves fell back into a tie for first with the Phillies, both teams with 68-55 records. The Phillies play the Mets Sunday night in Williamsport, Pa.
The Braves held a lead in each of the four games, including two ninth-inning blown leads that resulted in losses.
“Every loss is frustrating, no matter what kind of loss it is,” Freddie Freeman said after the 6-5 homestand. “When we are this close, we have 35 or 40 games left, every game is very important. The way we lost a couple games is not how you want to lose games. We had everything set up perfectly and had the right guys out there and sometimes it just doesn’t happen. You’ve got to be able to come back as a team and bounce back.”
The Rockies got home runs from Trevor story, his 26th of the season, on a line drive in the second inning and by D.J. LeMahieu in the third inning. David Dahl followed the LeMahieu blast with a double and scored on a single by Nolan Arenado that gave the Rockies a 3-1 lead.
The Braves jump out with a first-inning run. With two outs, Freeman doubled and was later driven home on an RBI single by Johan Camargo. Camargo would drive in Freeman again in the sixth inning. Camargo improved to 9-for-16 with runners in scoring position on the 11-game homestand.
The Rockies added an insurance run in the ninth inning on an RBI single from Carlos Gonzalez, one of three hits in the frame. Ender Inciarte threw out Gerardo Parra trying to go first to third on a single to limit the damage.
Anibal Sanchez (6-4) entered the game undefeated in his career in six starts against the Rockies (4-0, 1.99 ERA). He worked 6-2/3 innings in the loss as he allowed three earned runs on five hits with eight strikeouts and two walks.
German Marquez (11-9) earned the win for the Rockies, working seven innings and allowing the two earned runs on five hits. He struck out five.
The Braves’ Ronald Acuna had his 11-game hit streak snapped. He also had his run of reaching safely to lead off in nine straight games end.
“Quickly forget,” Tyler Flower said of the suddenly disappointing homestand. “Move on. We’ve got to get ready for the next one. We are still right in the thick of it. There is no time to feel sorry for yourself or linger over whatever mistakes were made in this last series. We have to be a relief pitcher right now and quickly forget it.”
The Braves began with homestand with a 6-1 record, in which they hit 12 home runs, before dropping the last four. The Braves tied a season high with the four-game losing streak, done two other times.
The losses to the Rockies gives the Braves a 9-18 record against NL West teams this season.
The Braves begin a seven-game road trip on Monday at the Pirates. They end with four games at the Marlins.
“It’s amazing,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “It’s day to day. You are never guaranteed tomorrow in this business. That’s why I always preach you have to take today for today and not worried about yesterday or tomorrow because today is the most important thing that we did. In this business by the time you think you get something figured out, you get kicked right in the teeth.”
Snitker was asked whether the up-and-down homestand is frustrating as it came late in the season, with just 40 games remaining.
“It’s frustrating,” he said. “It doesn’t matter when. It’s tough any time you go through this, regardless if it’s late, early, middle. It’s part of the long season that you have to weather these things. Stay positive, keep working and do whatever you can to go out and win tomorrow.”
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