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It has become a familiar trope, but the Atlanta Braves’ bullpen let another lead slip away in a 7-5 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday afternoon.
Atlanta took the lead in the first round. Joc Pederson started the set with a walk on a lead but was cleared on a grounded ball by Freddie Freeman. Ozzie Albies followed with a sharp double from the wall to center Rich Hill that scored Freeman first to give the Braves a 1-0 lead.
Drew Smyly allowed just one baseline runner in the first four innings and Atlanta scored two more runs in the bottom half. Austin Riley walked to get things started, but erased Orlando Arcia’s choice of a defensive player upfront. Stephen Vogt, who was making his Braves debut, followed with a single to put the runners in first and second. Guillermo Heredia followed with a brace on the right that scored Arcia to take the lead to 2-0.
Smyly then hit a single in the infield where Hill failed to cover first base with the infield. Pederson then pushed back Hill who knocked him down but was forced to take out early as Vogt scored on the play to extend the lead to 3- 0. Dansby Swanson then led a ball that Kevin Kiermaier managed to catch. to the wall to end the round.
After going through the first four innings, Smyly finally ran into trouble in the fifth. Brandon Lowe hit a single in the field with a hit to start things off, then moved up to third on a full-line double from Mike Zunino. Smyly allowed Wendle to soar to the shallow center for the first out, but then opened up some wild ground which allowed Lowe to score to make it 3-1. Smyly got Kiermaier on to charge the goals and pinch hitter Austin Meadows threw up a sacrifice volley on the right that scored Zunino to make it 3-2. He would recover and escape without further damage by removing Vidal Bruján to end the round.
Smyly has struggled this season against a roster for the third time and it would bite him again in the sixth. He brought out Yandy Diaz to start the set, but then hooked a break ball to Wander Franco who pushed her to the center to tie the game. Smyly then blew Randy Arozarena away, but then licensed another single to Lowe. This would be the end of the line for Smyly as Brian Snitker exited the dugout and called Jesse Chavez who made Zunino fly to Arcia on the warning trail. for the final of the round.
Smyly was sharp the first four innings, had to work hard in the fifth, and probably shouldn’t have come back for the sixth, but given Atlanta’s struggles in the bullpen, you can understand the thought. He allowed four hits and three runs in 5 2/3 innings, as well as six strikeouts and two walks.
Undeterred, Atlanta responded again and regained the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Vogt picked Andrew Kittredge to take the lead and moved up to second on rough terrain. After a few outings, Pederson came back with a backwards double pass in third to make it 4-3.
Things rolled out from there for the Braves as Snitker sank deeper into his enclosure. AJ Minter started the seventh by allowing a single for Wendle who would go around to score on a double from Kiermaier to tie the score. Kiermaier then slipped the third base and came home on another sacrificial ball from Meadows to give the Rays a 5-4 lead. That would be all for Minter as Snitker called Luke Jackson.
Francisco Mejia greeted Jackson with a brace at the right corner, then came in to score on a two-run homerun from Diaz to make it 7-4. Jackson then walked Franco but Vogt shot him down on a stolen base attempt for the second out. Jackson then forced Arozarena to fight to end a painful round for Atlanta.
Once again, the Braves’ box faltered after taking the lead as Minter and Jackson combined to allow four hits and four runs in a single set.
Atlanta got a run back in the bottom half of the inning when Vogt scored Freeman at home to make it 7-5.
Josh Tomlin and Shane Greene retired six times in a row in the eighth and ninth, but Pete Fairbanks threw a single with an Albies out to close.
Atlanta falls to 45-47 and loses two of three in the series despite a late lead in all three games.
Vogt himself got off to a good start with a 3 for 4 record with one RBI and two runs scored. He also threw a baserunner from behind the plate. Pederson and Riley finished with two hits apiece. Atlanta finished with 12 hits in the game but left 10 men on base.
They will try to pick up the pieces on Monday when they continue their home fight against the San Diego Padres.
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