As the Hawks were completing their stunning 26-point comeback in Philadelphia, the Braves were withering. After assembling a comeback that left them with a 7-6 lead in the seventh, Red Sox infielder Christian Arroyo blasted a two-out pinch-hit grand slam off A.J. Minter.
The Braves lost 10-8 in excruciating fashion for the second consecutive night at Truist Park. The score in the four-hour affair was the same as the previous evening.
Here are five takeaways from Wednesday:
1. The seventh inning was a doozy. Braves reliever Shane Greene surrendered a double to Xander Bogaerts to start the frame. Rafael Devers walked before Hunter Renfroe popped out to first. Greene then walked Christian Vazquez, loading the bases, but struck out Bobby Dalbec for the second out.
Manager Brian Snitker lifted Greene for Minter. Four pitches later, Arroyo put a good swing on a cutter, sending the ball deep into left field, extinguishing the Braves’ lead and giving Boston a 10-7 advantage.
“It was bottom-right quadrant of the zone,” Minter said. “… Hat’s off to him for getting a good hit right there.”
Like a night earlier, when the Braves rallied from a five-run deficit in a loss, a thrilling comeback bid was left empty handed.
2. Outfielder Ronald Acuna’s aggression is often rewarded. But in the ninth, it hurt him. Acuna hit a ball into the gap, scoring a run and cutting Boston’s lead to two runs. He didn’t hold at second, instead darting to third where he was thrown out with ease. Had he settled for a double, Freddie Freeman would’ve been hitting with a chance to tie the game. Instead, Freeman struck out with the bases empty.
“I was trying to make an aggressive play,” Acuna said via team interpreter Franco Garcia. “But looking back on it now, that was my bad. I made a mistake. I obviously should’ve given the hitter behind me a chance to drive in a run.”
Snitker: “You can’t do stupid things like that and expect to win games. We have the tying run to the plate and the MVP (up), and you get thrown out by 10 feet. You can’t do that expect to win. That’s not excited, either. These guys have hit a lot of base hits, doubles, the whole thing. Just being aware and smart. And you just can’t just make those kinds of mistakes and expect to win.”
3. Starter Ian Anderson struggled for the third time in four starts. He’s allowed four earned runs in each of those troublesome outings while failing to pitch beyond four innings. Anderson was charged four runs on seven hits in four innings Wednesday.
The final blow came from Richards, who smacked a double into right-center that scored Boston’s fourth run. Anderson threw 87 pitches across his four frames, surrendering three hits, including two doubles, in his final inning.
4. Towering Braves lefty prospect Kyle Muller, promoted earlier in the day, made his major-league debut in the fifth. He surrendered three consecutive hits, leading to the Red Sox tacking on two runs, but he at least limited the damage.
5. The Braves were swept in a two-game series against the Red Sox, finishing 1-3 against Boston this season. The Mets, meanwhile, defeated the Cubs again, pushing the Braves to 7-1/2 games back (10 games back in the loss column) in the National League East. As the deficit continues growing, the Braves’ four-game series in Queens next week grows even more pivotal.
Wednesday marked the Braves’ sixth loss in seven games. They’re a season-worst five games under .500 at 30-35.
Stat to know
16 (The Braves scored 16 runs across two nights and lost both games.)
Quotable
“We’re doing too many stupid things. It’s hard enough to win these games without doing stupid stuff.” - Snitker
Up next
The Braves begin a four-game series Thursday against the Cardinals. It will be the teams’ first meeting since St. Louis eliminated the Braves in Game 5 of the 2019 National League Division Series. Braves righty Charlie Morton (5-3, 4.50) will start the opener against the Cardinals’ John Gant (4-4, 3.36).
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