NEW YORK — When you’re questioning if the persistence is carrying skinny, then it’s finest to see what Chris Sale needed to say when requested how useful persistence may be for an underachieving workforce just like the Braves, who prolonged their lengthy skid with a 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Mets on Thursday evening at Citi Subject.
“At a sure time you’ve obtained to get it going,” Sale mentioned. “Simply hoping it’s sooner fairly than later.”
With their fifth straight loss and eighth over their previous 11 video games, the Braves stay atop the Nationwide League Wild Card standings. However they’re only a half-game forward of the Mets and two video games forward of the D-backs, who’re only a half-game again of their bid to get the third and remaining Wild Card spot.
After all, should you watched the ultimate two innings of this newest loss, then linking the Braves to the postseason may appear far-fetched.
Sale was magnificent, permitting Francisco Lindor’s two-run homer within the third which accounted for the one runs throughout his season-high 7 1/3-inning effort. The injury-depleted Braves lineup tallied two runs towards Luis Severino. However bodily and psychological blunders will doubtless function lasting reminiscences of this one for Atlanta followers.
The sport ended when proper fielder Ramón Laureano raced towards the right-field line and overran Jeff McNeil’s walk-off single. What may have been a routine third out as a substitute served as a becoming ending for a mistake-plagued recreation.
“I overran it, however I ought to have caught that ball,” Laureano mentioned. “I let the workforce down right this moment.”
Initially, it seemed like Laureano might need been accountable for each of the numerous Tenth-inning blunders. However it turned out he may solely take a portion of the blame for what transpired after he broke towards the plate too aggressively after seeing Jarred Kelenic present a squeeze bunt with one out within the high half of the decisive body.
“I don’t know what that was, fairly truthfully,” supervisor Brian Snitker mentioned. “You’re going to need to ask them. I didn’t have something on. We usually don’t bunt in that state of affairs, however I used to be attempting to attain a run. We had two fairly good hitters developing, I assumed. That was unacceptable.”
It made sense for Snitker to start the inning by having light-hitting Orlando Arcia bunt Laureano over to 3rd base. However you couldn’t say the identical about what adopted.
Kelenic confirmed bunt early sufficient for veteran reliever Phil Maton to throw a excessive and away fastball. This allowed Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez to catch the ball and start the rundown that nipped the Braves’ final risk within the bud.
“I feel it is fairly easy,” Kelenic mentioned. “I feel I’ve obtained to swing the bat there. I used to be attempting to do an excessive amount of. I feel that is all there’s to it.”
It’s fairly simple to see why Snitker described the chain of occasions as unacceptable. Laureano broke too aggressively after seeing Kelenic present like he was going to bunt. However there was no motive to bunt on this one-out state of affairs, particularly with Austin Riley on deck and Marcell Ozuna within the gap.
“You’ve obtained to maintain your head up,” Sale mentioned. “It is a very humbling recreation.”
Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos acquired each Reynaldo López and Sale this previous winter. They rank first and third, respectively, in Nationwide League ERA.
Anthopoulos’ subsequent process is to discover a approach to improve a lineup that started underperforming a month earlier than Ronald Acuña Jr. suffered his season-ending knee damage. Acuña has been out for the reason that finish of Could, and Ozzie Albies’ fractured wrist might sideline him till late September. Michael Harris II continues to be at the least a pair weeks from returning.
Accidents have influenced the offense’s woes. However buying an outfielder earlier than the July 30 Commerce Deadline is trying extra like a necessity than a need.
Right here is the OPS for the Braves’ major outfielders in July:Adam Duvall: .630Eddie Rosario: .537Kelenic: .483
The underside of the lineup is so skinny, there was motive for Snitker to justify pinch-runner Whit Merrifield’s resolution to attempt to steal third base with one out within the ninth. It was a bang-bang play that led the Braves to make an unsuccessful problem (the decision stood).
“Whit mentioned, ‘Would you like me to be aggressive?’” Snitker mentioned. “I mentioned, ‘Completely.’ He’s a base stealer. That one didn’t work out. If we’d have been on the high of the lineup, then we wouldn’t have even been attempting that.”
