The Braves’ bats were stifled by Brewers starter Brett Anderson and their bullpen, leading to a 2-1 loss Sunday at Truist Park. The Braves dropped two of three to the Brewers (63-43), who are comfortably atop the National League Central.
Here are five takeaways from Sunday:
1. The Braves are 8-9 since the All-Star break, alternating wins and losses. The run has been a microcosm of the Braves’ maddening season, seeing them look like world-beaters one day only to fall flat on their faces the next.
Their run of 16 consecutive games alternating wins and losses is the longest such streak in MLB history. It won’t remain official, however, after the Braves and Padres complete their suspended game Sept. 24. That contest will count as played July 21, snapping the streak on a technicality.
Still, in the underwhelming National League East, the Braves are in the mix. They’re four games behind the first-place Mets, just as they were at the All-Star break.
“I think we’re right where we started when left and started this journey,” manager Brian Snitker said. “This was a gauntlet we went through. Mentally, physically, just the competition. We’re going to end the day the way we started, which is good because that thing could’ve gone sideways at any point in time with the teams we were playing. And it didn’t. We hung in there. The guys have played a lot of baseball the last three weeks. They did a great job, I thought. It’d have been nice if we had a five-game winning streak in there. We didn’t but we’re still right there and this was a rough stretch.”
2. The Braves’ offense, after consecutive promising showings against Brewers aces Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff, hit a wall again. The Braves went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. They stranded eight men on base, including two each in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings.
“We were a big hit away,” Snitker said. “We got some big hits and put ourselves in position, just couldn’t finish the deal.”
3. Starter Charlie Morton had no room for error. He allowed two runs on three hits over six innings. He surrendered a first-inning homer to Willy Adames and saw another run score on a grounder in the fifth following two singles.
Morton has helped lead a strong rotation. He’s held the opposition to three or fewer runs in 14 of his last 16 starts. His personal five-game winning streak was snapped Sunday. He had a 2.70 ERA in eight starts during the run. The Braves were 6-2 in those outings.
“I feel like on both sides of the ball we’ve been doing a good job,” Morton said, evaluating his team’s recent play. “It’s just this anomaly of a win and a loss, win and a loss. It’s somewhat a microcosm of the season as a whole because we haven’t been able to get a ton of momentum. The silver lining is we haven’t gone the wrong way. We’re still in the fight. We just need to get some momentum going.”
4. The Braves allowed only three Brewers hitters to reach base. They last lost such a game on Oct. 2 1999, when the Marlins had two hits, including a walk-off homer. On the other side, it was the third time in Brewers history they’ve won such a game and first time since Aug. 31, 1978.
5. Newcomer Richard Rodriguez pitched a clean eighth inning, his second scoreless inning in as many days for his new team. Right fielder Jorge Soler, after a three-hit debut Saturday, went 1-for-3 with a walk.
Stat to know
27-27 (The Braves are 27-27 at Truist Park. They haven’t won a home series since their July 4 victory over Miami. They’re 3-5 at home since.)
Quotable
“It’s been really, really weird. It’s been a weird year.” – Morton on the Braves alternating wins and losses in the second half
Up next
The Braves are off Monday before beginning a one-city road trip in St. Louis on Tuesday.
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