Braves’ May malaise continues with 4-1 loss to Pirates

After being on the receiving end of a rout despite both teams having fairly similar offensive outputs last night, the Braves ended up losing the series on Saturday in similar, albeit not-quite-a-rout fashion. Despite more barrels and what will probably end up as a similar, if not ultimately higher xwOBA than the Pirates on the day, the Braves couldn’t even keep it close in the runs column, and dropped a 4-1 decision to fall to 29-20 on the season.

The nonsense started early in this one, and never really abated. The very first batter of the game was Ronald Acuña Jr., and he had a barreled out to left center. Ozzie Albies followed with a cheapie lofted double off the facade in right field, but ended up getting stranded there. In the second, the Braves managed back-to-back balls in play of over 105 mph, and both were outs.

The Pirates got on the board in the third against Reynaldo Lopez, as Jared Triolo hit a double past Zack Short at third (why teams won’t guard the line, especially with non-elite defenders, with a right-handed batter at the plate, will seemingly always be beyond me), and then scored on a weak liner into center by Ji-Hwan Bae. Lopez was able to escape the inning with no further damage despite Bae stealing second.

The Braves’ only run of the game came immediately in response, thanks to the only way they were apparently gonna score today: BABIP. Namely, the combination of Matt Olson, Michael Harris II, and Jarred Kelenic combined for three singles in the fourth; Olson and Kelenic had harder-hit very low liners, while Harris poked a softer looping liner to left.

Unfortunately, the Pirates jumped back ahead almost immediately, as Lopez walked Oneil Cruz and then gave up a barreled, skied double off the right-field wall. The ball took an awkward trickle off the facade that let the batter take third, where he later scored on a sac fly and an airmailed throw from Kelenic.

The Braves nearly tied it off Mitch Keller in the fifth, as Acuña reached on an infield “single” that was messed up by Triolo at third, and then Marcell Ozuna barreled a ball into left center. The distance and radial angle was good for a homer in 24 of 30 ballparks, but in Pittsburgh, it was just the final out of the fifth. The Braves got a bit of their own good fortune in the bottom of the inning, as well-struck balls by Bae (not a barrel) and McCutchen (a barrel) were flagged down by Acuña and Harris, respectively. After Bryan Reynolds singled, the game entered a brief rain delay that ended Lopez’ day.

It wasn’t a particularly great outing for the right-hander, as he managed just a 3/1 K/BB ratio and had a grounder rate below 20 percent. He continued his streak of homerless games, though the barrel by Nick Gonzales almost left the yard.

The Pirates left Keller in, and the Braves got nothing off of him the third time through. Olson drove a ball to left that may have been a homer with a bouncier ball, but was just a routine fly out today. When the Braves finally got a chance to tie the game again, it was with Acuña up in the seventh, after Keller plunked Short. Perhaps because Acuña took Bailey Falter deep last night when seeing him for a fourth time, the Pirates went to Colin Holderman in lieu of Keller staying in, and then this happened:

That’s not even barreled outs shenanigans, but it is another thing the Braves will have to eat as they endure whatever they’re enduring in May.

To add insult to insult, the Pirates scratched a fourth run across against Pierce Johnson in the seventh with a walk and two grounder singles. Both grounders were 50-50 types and either would’ve been a double play if they were hit closer to a fielder, but no dice. Not that it mattered, as the Braves did nothing against Holderman in the eighth.

In the ninth, there was a brief glimmer of hope, as Travis d’Arnaud, pinch-hitting, finally delivered a barreled non-out for Atlanta, doubling to right center. Pinch-hitter Adam Duvall followed with a single to bring up Acuña as the tying run with a chance to get back at the universe for his barreled out and ignominiously-called “strikeout,” but… Acuña hit a weak roller to short that turned into an easy game-ending out.

Jimmy Herget made his Braves debut in the eighth and got a pop-out and two strikeouts after a leadoff walk. Parts of this game late were played in heavy rain, but it’s hard to say that made a difference either way.

The Braves will now ask Chris Sale to play stopper again as they try to salvage a game of this series and finish the road trip at 3-3. Maybe one day they’ll get their just deserts on barrels, but it wasn’t today. Stay tuned.