DENVER – Even when a team holds a large lead, Coors Field always lurks over its shoulder like a demon waiting to pounce. Repeat it: NO LEAD IS SAFE HERE. At this hitter-friendly ballpark, comfort does not exist. Many visiting teams have left this place stunned and disappointed. Everyone comes equipped with this knowledge and proceeds with caution.
But Sunday?
It felt different.
“That was even weird for here,” said Braves manager Brian Snitker, who had the unenviable task of explaining the meltdown he watched from the dugout.
In the span of 30 minutes, the Braves went from cruising to a series victory to dropping two of three against a bad Rockies team. The Braves went into the eighth inning with a six-run lead, and then with two outs, they held a four-run advantage. Soon, the game became what has to be their worst loss in a frustrating season.
Before the eighth inning: 8-2, Braves.
After the inning: 9-8, Rockies – which became the final after the Braves failed to score in the top of the ninth.
“It’s tough to swallow,” Snitker said. “It’s a tough one.”
The circumstances are why this loss stung so badly: The Braves desperately needed a series victory – and needed to take advantage of three games against an inferior opponent. Their offense had perhaps its best series since the opening series against the Phillies. Atlanta was six outs away from capturing some momentum and carrying it on the flight to San Francisco.
Instead, Sunday became the continuation of a brutal stretch of baseball. Luke Jackson began the inning, but allowed four runs and couldn’t complete it. Joe Jiménez, who couldn’t have expected to pitch, couldn’t get the third out and gave up three more runs.
And in the clubhouse after the game, players were silent as they prepared to leave this place. Some sat at their lockers on their phones. Others quietly ate. This was a somber scene – one that’s become all too common recently.
“It’s tough, really tough,” Jiménez said. “With the win yesterday, we thought we were in a good rhythm. And today, we thought we had the game, basically, and it went of our hands. So overall, I think it’s just disappointment.”
In a season full of jaw-dropping statistics – and not good ones – here is one more: This is the Braves’ first loss when leading by at least six runs in the eighth inning or later since Sept. 5, 2018, versus Boston. The Braves on Sunday allowed seven runs in an inning for the third time this season.
Before that eighth inning, the Braves blasted four home runs as they built a six-run lead. And this is part of what made the loss worse: The Braves homered 11 times in three games – their most in a three-game span this season – but still dropped the series. Spencer Schwellenbach on Sunday allowed two runs over six innings. A.J. Minter pitched a scoreless seventh.
That the Braves lost this game feels like an encapsulation of their season. For months, their pitching shined and they prayed for the offense to join the party. Recently, their pitching has failed them. They’ve gone through an infuriating rollercoaster as they’ve tried to sync up the different parts of the game.
With one out in the eighth, Jackson served up a two-run homer. He called it a “Colorado homer” – a ball helped by the altitude. He then struck out a batter, but allowed a single and a double after that.
“I mean, we scored enough runs to win today,” Jackson said. “I let us down. Made a couple bad pitches that I wish I could’ve had back. I think the way they’re swinging it right now, about to go on an absolute tear. So, can’t hang your hat. I know this is a crappy loss and one of the ones that sting a lot. But these are the ones that fuel the fire. I know I’m better than that.”
The Braves, though, still led by four runs when Snitker lifted Jackson. And in truth, Snitker said after the game, he didn’t want to even warm up Jiménez. He hoped that, with a six-run lead in the eighth, he could avoid using Jiménez and closer Raisel Iglesias.
Charlie Blackmon hit Jiménez’s second pitch for a two-run single that trimmed Atlanta’s lead to two runs. Two pitches later, Jiménez gave up another single. Then he allowed another one pitch after that – which scored a run. And then Brendan Rodgers hit a first-pitch double that scored the tying and go-ahead runs.
Four hits in six pitches.
“I thought I made good pitches,” Jiménez said. “It’s one of those days that the bat finds the ball, and can’t do anything about it. Whenever I go out there again, I’m just gonna do a better job.”
Asked how difficult it was to warm up after thinking he wouldn’t pitch, Jiménez said: “It’s hard, it’s hard. But obviously, we’re here to work in every situation. It’s hard, but you gotta get used to it.”
Right now, it feels like everything is going wrong for Atlanta.
“Yeah, but you know what, though? You create your own opportunities, your own luck, I think,” Snitker said. “You can say (that) they hit some right out of our reach, things like that, but you know what, we control that.”
Snitker often staunchly defends his players in postgame press conferences – even sometimes going so far to sugarcoat things. Not here. And he’s correct: At this point, we cannot explain away the Braves’ poor performance by saying they’re enduring bad luck or have been unfortunate. While that might be true in spots, the Braves probably don’t deserve the benefit of the doubt right now.
They’ve lost seven of their last eight. They are 10-17 since July 10. They pitched, but didn’t hit. Now they’re hitting but their pitching has sprung leaks. On Friday, they lost and were only five games over .500 for the first time since June 12, when a loss to Baltimore made them 35-30. After Sunday’s loss, they’re 61-56.
Miraculously, they’re not yet done in the National League East. They’re 7 1/2 games behind the Phillies, who’ve really struggled since July. The Braves and Phillies have seven games remaining between the two.
The Braves, though, are merely battling for a postseason berth – a thought that would’ve been unbelievable in February. They have 46 games remaining, beginning on Monday in San Francisco.
“It’s a tough loss. This is a horrible loss,” Snitker said. “But you know what, I’m, I guess, the eternal optimist that there’s still a lot of time for us to do a lot of really good.”
Added Jiménez: “I think so. Obviously, we play our division a lot, so I think we got a pretty good chance to win series, and that’s what we’re going to focus on.”
And Jackson: “I mean, this is a playoff team. This team, I mean, I think they were struggling hitting before I got here, and all I’ve seen is just home run after home run. I mean, it’s pretty impressive. The lineup is absolutely clicking on all cylinders and I’m excited to see the rest of the season.”
But, man, this one was bad.
And as much as the Braves say they can get on a roll, fans must see it first. This team has made people believe time and again this season, only to go cold again.
Perhaps you can hold out hope for this reason: You saw how 2021 went. The Braves went on an unpredictable run and won the World Series.
“You want to play your best baseball at the end,” Jackson said. “I think once the end of August, September kicks around and everyone’s clicking on all cylinders, it’s time to shine. These guys are all playoff players. A lot of this team’s the same team, a lot of these guys have been to the postseason five, six years in a row. A team that’s built for it, and a team that knows what’s at stake, a team that can come through in the end.”
That might be true, but right now, fans are stung by a horrific loss to one of baseball’s worst teams.
“I felt like we were an out away in the eighth, and next thing you know, the freaking roof caved in,” Snitker said. “I don’t know. It’s a hard one to explain.”
Do losses like this wear on players and build up?
“I don’t know. I hope it doesn’t,” Snitker said. “I don’t know. You gotta fight through it. It’s just the hard part of this game. You gotta turn the page and you gotta go out and come out and figure out a way to win a game tomorrow. I mean, it’s no fun doing this, obviously.”
Maybe the Braves will snap out of this funk, win a large portion of their remaining games, roll through the postseason, hoist a trophy and throw a parade. This is baseball, which features a random and unpredictable postseason.
You cannot write off the Braves.
But they are testing fans’ faith.
“I mean, this is a gut-wrenching loss,” Snitker said. “But we gotta turn the page because we gotta play tomorrow. And hopefully we’re talking about something really good tomorrow.”
It feels like Snitker is having to say that a lot these days.
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