<img alt="Atlanta Braves v Washington Nationals" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BtZIKLronag5HGu3vA3proDsi8Q=/38x0:5878x3893/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73580238/2171409980.0.jpg">
Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images
Maybe they’ll figure him out next year? Just one night after things were looking up again, things turned down once again for the Atlanta Braves. Shortly after the Mets pulled off a late come-from-behind victory over the Blue Jays, the Braves went out and got dominated by Jake Irvin again and ended up losing to the Washington Nationals, 5-1.
Both teams traded scoreless innings to start off this game, as the Braves got used to Jake Irvin throwing nearly exclusively fastballs and the Nationals tried to figure out Max Fried. He eventually got figured out in the third inning, which is when that frame got off to an inauspicious start when Fried hit Jacob Young to start the frame. Things went from bad to worse when CJ Abrams got on with an .080 xBA infield single and then Dylan Crews compounded things by looping one into right field for an RBI single to put the Nats ahead.
Later on in the inning with one out, James Wood hit a bouncer to the mound that maybe in an alternate universe where normal things happen, Max Fried would’ve flashed his Gold Glove and made a great play on it. Instead, Fried got cooked by the bouncer and had to simply put it in his pocket once he finally controlled the ball and the Nats were up 2-0 at that point.
This was very bad news as far as the Braves were concerned — the Braves were only able to scratch two runs past Jake Irvin when they last saw each other and even though this was the fourth time that they saw Irvin, they were unable to do any better here tonight. The good news for the Braves is that Irvin didn’t shut them out this time. The bad news is that Irvin eventually went six innings and only gave up one run. That one run only came in the sixth inning, which is when Micahel Harris II and Jorge Soler hit back-to-back doubles to make sure that Atlanta at least made it into the “Runs” column tonight.
The RBI double from Soler only made it 4-1 in favor of Washington since the Nationals were busy hitting the ball all over the place while Max Fried was out there. In the fourth inning, CJ Abrams got a fastball from Fried that was in the middle of the zone and the Alpharetta native made no mistake with it as he crushed it for a solo shot. While CJ Abrams brought the power in the fourth inning, the Nationals showed off their manufacturing skills in the fifth inning. Andrés Chaparro led off the sixth with a double, James Wood followed that up with a single and then Juan Yepez’s GIDP ended up being a productive one that brought us to the 4-1 score in favor of the Nationals.
All-in-all, it was the type of start that happened far too often this season when it came to Braves pitchers and the Nationals. While Max Fried did go six innings and struck out six, he gave up a whopping 11 hits and four runs as well. You never want to deal with that much traffic on the basepaths with any team but when it comes to the Nationals, you’re essentially falling into their trap when it comes to the speed that’s present on their roster at the moment. The basepaths were busy, the hit parade kept going and the Braves were unable to stop them or keep up with them when it was their turn to bat.
Atlanta did show a little more life once Washington’s bullpen entered the game. Matt Olson singled off of Derek Law to welcome him to the game in the seventh inning and then Ramón Laureano followed that up with a one-out double to give Atlanta a scoring chance. Cavan Biggio had a chance to make a fantastic first impression on his new team but Law got him to fly out harmlessly to end the scoring chance right there. The Braves got another runner on second base in the eighth inning when the Harris-Soler combo came together for back-to-back singles this time. Once again, the Braves were unable to do anything with the scoring chance as Marcell Ozuna’s cold streak continued and Matt Olson grounded out to end the inning.
Once the ninth inning rolled around, the Braves were down 5-1 after José Tena hit a single, stole second and then was brought home from a bloop single off Daysbel Hernández that Keibert Ruiz dropped in the Bermuda Triangle in right field. The Braves had to deal with Kyle Finnegan in order to attempt a longshot comeback and they didn’t get past the first three batters on their comeback attempt. This was a comprehensive win for the Nationals and honestly a fitting way to cap off what was an extremely disappointing season series for the Braves against this team.
Today was already a bit of a bummer with the Mets winning. The Diamondbacks won as well and with the Padres facing the Mariners, it’s looking like this might end up being one of those days where the Braves roll snake eyes while everybody else in the NL Wild Card race makes bank. The Braves will have an offday to stew on this before getting back at it at home against the Dodgers on Friday night (on Apple TV+, no less). This Wild Card race still has some twists and turns left in it but hopefully it’ll start turning Atlanta’s way more often than not.
<img alt="Atlanta Braves v Washington Nationals" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BtZIKLronag5HGu3vA3proDsi8Q=/38x0:5878x3893/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73580238/2171409980.0.jpg">
Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images
Maybe they’ll figure him out next year? Just one night after things were looking up again, things turned down once again for the Atlanta Braves. Shortly after the Mets pulled off a late come-from-behind victory over the Blue Jays, the Braves went out and got dominated by Jake Irvin again and ended up losing to the Washington Nationals, 5-1.
Both teams traded scoreless innings to start off this game, as the Braves got used to Jake Irvin throwing nearly exclusively fastballs and the Nationals tried to figure out Max Fried. He eventually got figured out in the third inning, which is when that frame got off to an inauspicious start when Fried hit Jacob Young to start the frame. Things went from bad to worse when CJ Abrams got on with an .080 xBA infield single and then Dylan Crews compounded things by looping one into right field for an RBI single to put the Nats ahead.
Later on in the inning with one out, James Wood hit a bouncer to the mound that maybe in an alternate universe where normal things happen, Max Fried would’ve flashed his Gold Glove and made a great play on it. Instead, Fried got cooked by the bouncer and had to simply put it in his pocket once he finally controlled the ball and the Nats were up 2-0 at that point.
This was very bad news as far as the Braves were concerned — the Braves were only able to scratch two runs past Jake Irvin when they last saw each other and even though this was the fourth time that they saw Irvin, they were unable to do any better here tonight. The good news for the Braves is that Irvin didn’t shut them out this time. The bad news is that Irvin eventually went six innings and only gave up one run. That one run only came in the sixth inning, which is when Micahel Harris II and Jorge Soler hit back-to-back doubles to make sure that Atlanta at least made it into the “Runs” column tonight.
The RBI double from Soler only made it 4-1 in favor of Washington since the Nationals were busy hitting the ball all over the place while Max Fried was out there. In the fourth inning, CJ Abrams got a fastball from Fried that was in the middle of the zone and the Alpharetta native made no mistake with it as he crushed it for a solo shot. While CJ Abrams brought the power in the fourth inning, the Nationals showed off their manufacturing skills in the fifth inning. Andrés Chaparro led off the sixth with a double, James Wood followed that up with a single and then Juan Yepez’s GIDP ended up being a productive one that brought us to the 4-1 score in favor of the Nationals.
All-in-all, it was the type of start that happened far too often this season when it came to Braves pitchers and the Nationals. While Max Fried did go six innings and struck out six, he gave up a whopping 11 hits and four runs as well. You never want to deal with that much traffic on the basepaths with any team but when it comes to the Nationals, you’re essentially falling into their trap when it comes to the speed that’s present on their roster at the moment. The basepaths were busy, the hit parade kept going and the Braves were unable to stop them or keep up with them when it was their turn to bat.
Atlanta did show a little more life once Washington’s bullpen entered the game. Matt Olson singled off of Derek Law to welcome him to the game in the seventh inning and then Ramón Laureano followed that up with a one-out double to give Atlanta a scoring chance. Cavan Biggio had a chance to make a fantastic first impression on his new team but Law got him to fly out harmlessly to end the scoring chance right there. The Braves got another runner on second base in the eighth inning when the Harris-Soler combo came together for back-to-back singles this time. Once again, the Braves were unable to do anything with the scoring chance as Marcell Ozuna’s cold streak continued and Matt Olson grounded out to end the inning.
Once the ninth inning rolled around, the Braves were down 5-1 after José Tena hit a single, stole second and then was brought home from a bloop single off Daysbel Hernández that Keibert Ruiz dropped in the Bermuda Triangle in right field. The Braves had to deal with Kyle Finnegan in order to attempt a longshot comeback and they didn’t get past the first three batters on their comeback attempt. This was a comprehensive win for the Nationals and honestly a fitting way to cap off what was an extremely disappointing season series for the Braves against this team.
Today was already a bit of a bummer with the Mets winning. The Diamondbacks won as well and with the Padres facing the Mariners, it’s looking like this might end up being one of those days where the Braves roll snake eyes while everybody else in the NL Wild Card race makes bank. The Braves will have an offday to stew on this before getting back at it at home against the Dodgers on Friday night (on Apple TV+, no less). This Wild Card race still has some twists and turns left in it but hopefully it’ll start turning Atlanta’s way more often than not.
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