Braves Falter Offensively in 1-0 Shutout Loss to Reds

Chris Sale might be contemplating what else he needs to accomplish at this stage. In his latest outing, he put up another solid performance by pitching seven scoreless innings. Atlanta Braves in this one and exited the game with no run support. Fortunately, the Braves came alive late and thanks to big hits from Michael Harris II and Marcell Ozuna, Atlanta was able to come away from this one with a dramatic 2-1 win in extras.

In the initial three innings of this game, not many significant events occurred, as both pitchers—Chris Sale and Andrew Abbott—kept things scoreless through those frames. In the top of the first inning, the Cincinnati Reds almost managed to break through; T.J. Friedl and Matt McLain executed a successful double steal, putting themselves into scoring positions with just one out remaining. However, Sale responded effectively by striking out a batter and inducing another to hit a groundball, thereby escaping unscathed. Atlanta also threatened in the bottom of the second inning when Sean Murphy and Eli White advanced to scoring positions. Yet again though, an opposing player—a pitcher named Michael Harris II—took center stage by fanning swinging at a crucial moment, thus ending the threat. Apart from these instances, neither squad could muster up enough offense for substantial gains over the opening stages of play. Both Sale and Abbott displayed strong performances throughout this part of the match.

Just to convey how monotonous and somewhat tedious the initial part of this match was, spectators at the stadium had started doing the wave as early as the fifth inning. Having attended numerous baseball games throughout the years, I can say with certainty that this is the earliest instance where I've witnessed such behavior. This contest would particularly appeal to those who appreciate good pitching; however, for enthusiasts seeking excitement from various aspects of baseball, there wasn't much to get enthusiastic about during this event.

Still, Sale and Abbott were essentially going bar-for-bar with each other during the early and middle portions of this contest. Up to that point, Sale had gone six innings with nine strikeouts, four hits and one walk allowed with zero runs left on the board across 92 pitches. Meanwhile, Abbott went five innings with eight strikeouts, four hits and zero walks over 91 pitches. I repeat — they were going bar-for-bar out there.

Graham Ashcraft entered the game for the Reds in the sixth inning and this coincided with a renewed hope that Atlanta’s lineup would be the first ones to come alive in this one. That was not the case in the sixth inning, as Ashcraft walked in and retired the heart of Atlanta’s order in pretty short order — Matt Olson battled Ashcraft for 11 pitches before succumbing to a strikeout in order to make sure that the game remained 0-0 heading into the latter portion of the game in the seventh inning.

Chris Sale returned for the start of the seventh inning and quickly encountered difficulties when Austin Wynns smacked a 388-foot double that would have cleared the fences as a homer in virtually every stadium except the current one. Consequently, it fell upon Sale to conclude his evening positively by navigating through this challenge. He managed to record the first two outs in the frame; however, a four-pitch walk signaled the end of his outing before he could fully escape the predicament. This much-anticipated exit ultimately came about afterSale faced further complications. another fantastic start for the veteran hurler.

Pierce Johnson subsequently came into the room. struck out Matt McLain swung at four pitches, keeping Sale’s lineup spotless regarding runs conceded for the evening.

Graham Ashcraft continued pitching into the seventh inning, and the Braves managed to initiate a semblance of a comeback during this period due to an opening walk by Ozzie Albies followed by a successive single from Sean Murphy, placing baserunners at first and third with no outs recorded yet. The responsibility fell heavily on the lower part of their batting lineup to create some action as the Reds decided to bring in pitcher Tony Santillan aiming to extinguish the developing threat.

The initial batter was retired when Eli White hit a ground ball to the third baseman, resulting in Albies getting tagged out along the third baseline. The second out came about after Michael Harris II hit his first pitch right to TJ Friedl in center field. This set the stage for Nick Allen, whose walk loaded the bases for Alex Verdugo. However, Verdugo’s at-bat ended with him grounding out to the first baseman, effectively ending what could have been the most promising offensive opportunity of the evening for both teams.

When Elly De La Cruz began the eighth inning with an infield hit followed by a steal of second base, it appeared as though fate might conspire against the Braves due to their missed chance earlier when the bases were loaded. As expected, Santiago Espinal drove the ball into center field, allowing De La Cruz to cruise home safely and put the Reds ahead early. While Daysbel Hernandez managed to escape further trouble in that frame, it became evident that the Braves would require another big play down the stretch just to secure victory on this night.

Austin Riley started things off for Atlanta with a leadoff single, and everyone hoped it might turn into another joyful eighth-inning moment for the home team. However, that wasn't meant to be for the Braves in this specific eighth inning; Marcell Ozuna, Matt Olson, and Ozzie Albies all failed to advance, leaving the score stuck at 1-0 Cincinnati heading into the ninth inning.

Emilio Pagán got the ball for the Reds in the ninth inning and Sean Murphy coaxed a walk out of him to at least give the Braves a chance in this frame. This time, the Braves actually took the chance — Michael Harris II it a line drive to right field for a double and pinch-runner Stuart Fairchild showed off some excellent baserunning in order to go from first-to-home on the double in order to even out the game with one run each.

Drake Baldwin entered the game as a pinch-hitter and delivered a productive out to move Michael Harris II 90 feet away from winning the ballgame. Alex Verdugo popped out, which meant that it was time for Manfredball with Raisel Iglesias on the mound to start extra innings for the Braves.

Iglesias quickly retired the Reds in order, putting the Braves within reach of victory as they needed only a single hit to win the game in extra innings when their strong hitters came up to bat in the top of the tenth. To avoid facing Austin Riley, the Reds opted to intentionally walk him, but this strategy proved ineffective since Marcell Ozuna capitalized on the situation by smashing an impressive shot into left field. walk it off and secure a thrilling victory for the Braves in extra innings.

After some delay, the Braves ultimately secured victory in this game. Chris Sale seems to be returning to form, Raisel Iglesias delivered an outstanding performance in the tenth inning, and the bats came alive with crucial hits towards the end. With this result, the Braves ensured they would take two out of three games from this series. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect them clinching the series win—and possibly extending their lead—as things wrap up here. At present, though, let's enjoy celebrating yet another dramatic come-from-behind triumph at home for Atlanta.