And so it ends…
Just as the Atlanta Braves were on a hot streak, the San Francisco Giants took the power back in this makeup game with a 7-3 win.
The Giants’ Rafael Devers set the tone with a home run in the top of the first inning. Matt Olson answered right after in the bottom half with an RBI groundout to bring Drake Baldwin in and put the Braves on the board.
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A Michael Harris II home run then gave the Braves a 2-1 lead in the second inning.
San Francisco wouldn’t let them have the last word, however, after knocking in an RBI single of their own in the top of the fifth to tie things back up.
A back-and-forth matchup formed right after, as the Braves reclaimed the lead with an RBI single from Baldwin to drive in Sean Murphy. But then the Giants answered back in the very next inning with a homer to tie the game at 3-3 in the sixth.
A pattern was forming here… but who would break it?
Unfortunately, Braves Country, it was the Giants.
San Francisco drove in four more runs to shut the Braves down, turning what had been a competitive back-and-forth matchup into a 7-3 final. More importantly, the loss snapped the Braves’ seven-game win streak just before they head out on their road trip to Washington.
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You can’t win them all, and it was a decent showing from the Braves’ offense early on as they tried to regain their lead every time San Francisco answered back. And they almost had a promising ninth inning, opening the frame with two runners on base and no outs.
It just wasn’t enough to force a comeback, however, as the Braves ultimately fell into the losing column.
But what about the defense?
Pitching through 5.1 innings, Bryce Elder allowed eight hits and gave up five runs, along with three walks and three strikeouts. His ERA climbed to 4.11, and Elder is showing a different version of himself than the one Braves Country was getting adjusted to seeing at the beginning of the season.
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So now, it’s a question of what exactly the problem is: Is it mechanics? A lack of confidence? Or is it something completely different that encompasses all of the above?
At this point, one could just hope that Elder figures it out before his next outing and that he and Greg Maddux can come up with a new plan of attack on the mound.
The Braves had a seven-game win streak going into this one, so while the loss stings, it doesn’t erase what they were able to build over the past week. Now, the focus shifts to Washington and finding a way to get back to the version of this team we witnessed just a week ago.
Until then, Braves Country, look forward to a series in Washington and the Braves’ chance to bounce back.
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