Diamondbacks Swept in Atlanta with 5-2 Loss to Braves

Ryne Nelson pitched well, but not good enough as the Braves bullpen out pitches D-backs pen once again

The Diamondbacks lost to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday 5-2, dropping their record on the season to 4-6. The Braves swept the three game series from the D-backs, improving their record to 6-2. The D-backs have lost four in a row in an attempt to give their manager his 500th career victory as a manager.

Ryne Nelson pitched a much better game for the D-backs, going five innings, giving up three runs on five hits without walking a batter. He induced a career high 16 whiffs, resulting in tying his career high with seven strikeouts.

Nelson only had one bad inning in the second, giving up a leadoff homer to Matt Olson and then three singles and a sacrifice fly to bring in the second run of that inning. He struck out Ronald Acuna Jr. to get out of it however. Then he struck out the side in order in the 3rd, getting Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley, and Olson. The only other hit Nelson gave up the rest of the way was a one out homer to Michael Harris in the fourth. It was a good pitch, on a changeup tailing away, but Harris put a good swing on it, and managed to pull it out. That made the score 3-2 at the time.

Nelson worked around a one out error by Blaze Alexander in the 5th, striking out Riley for the second time for an emphatic ending to his outing. Unfortunately for the D-backs, the lineup and bullpen were not able to support him in his effort. It was the third time in four games the D-backs received a solid game from their starter and were unable to convert it into a victory. His manager noted the quality of the outing.

"I thought he rose to the challenge" Lovullo said. "it was a Sunday day game after two emotional losses, but he held serve.....overall he did everything he could to keep us in this game and did his job."

Chris Sale faced the minimum nine batters through the first three innings. Singles by Corbin Carroll and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. gave the D-backs runners on first and third in the 4th. Sale balked Carroll home by using up his third mound disengagment. Christian Walker then singled home Gurriel for the second D-backs run. That tied the game at 2-2 at the time, but that was all the offense the D-backs would muster in this game.

Alexander singled to lead off the 5th, but was stranded at third base. The D-backs next hit didn't come until one out in the ninth inning, a base hit up the middle by Walker. The Braves bullpen was fabulous all series, completely shutting down the D-backs offense. In 14.2 innings Braves relievers did not allow even a single run. In a bit of an understatment, Lovullo said "Their bullpen was a huge challenge for us, all the lefties especially".

The Diamondbacks bullpen meanwhile had a terrible series. Miguel Castro came into this game with the score close at 3-2. But an eighth inning double by Albies was followed by a monster home run by Riley to increase the deficit to 5-2. The pitch was a slider in the bottom middle of the zone.

That wiped out whatever hope the D-backs had of coming back. The D-backs bullpen allowed seven runs in 9.1 innings in the three games. The Grade 2 oblique strain that has knocked closer Paul Sewald on to the injured list for the foreseeable future has left the team very exposed at the back end of games.

The Diamondbacks will lick their wounds and get on the plane for Colorado to face the Rockies. They will do so without their starting shortstop Geraldo Perdomo, who is headed back to Phoenix to have surgery for a torn meniscus. It's just the latest in an ever lengthening list of players on the IL that also includes starter Eduardo Rodriguez (left lat strain) and Alek Thomas (left hamstring strain).

In additon to the one fielding error, Alexander had a play where he ranged far to his left into the hole to make a diving stop but then pulled Walker off the bag at first on the throw. In the 3rd inning he also had a base running mistake, when he was called out for running out of the baseline on a tapper back to the mound. Asked after the game if he was still comfortable with Alexander at shortstop, Lovullo was mixed in his answer.

"I am because I think he's a good player with good instincts, but maybe just gets a little bit ...I don't want to say the word out of control, but a little bit ahead of himself instead of taking a deep breath and letting the play play out. He's very reactive and he's athletic, and I think he can do things that other people can't. I still have a lot of confidence in him as our shortstop."

Lovullo went on to say he "might take another spin every now and then with somebody else there with [Kevin] Newman here. I don't know...Blaze is fine for me. He's going to continue learning and growing , and that's what we have to do is help him get there."

Another issue the team is facing is the slump to begin the year by 2023's Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll. While he singled and scored a run today, he is batting just .200 with a .562 OPS and is not driving the baseball. The only extra base hit he has this year is a ground ball that snuck past the first baseman for a double. There has been virtually zero pull side power. The few solid balls he's hit have been line drives the opposite way. If the D-backs are to find consistency on offense, they'll need Carroll to figure out his swing mechanics and pitch selection quickly.

The D-backs will try to break their four game losing streak on Monday night in Colorado. It will be a rematch of Opening Day Starters Zac Gallen and Kyle Freeland. Game time is 5:40 P.M. MST.