Takeaways: Braves lose 7-3 to the Mariners

The Braves jumped on the Mariners early, but could not hold on to the lead.

Author:
Dan Strickland
May 20, 2023 10:32 PM EDT

The Braves dropped game two of the series 7-3. The rubber match of the series will be tomorrow with first pitch at 1:35p Eastern.

Offense Starts Hot and then Goes Quiet

May 20, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson (28) runs after a home run against the Seattle Mariners in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports — Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Olson hit a two-run home run on the third pitch of the game to give the Braves a 2-0 lead to start the game. Unfortunately, the offense did not do much the rest of the evening.

Marcell Ozuna had two hits tonight to keep a now seven game hitting streak alive. He has looked like a completely different player since the calendar rolled over to the month of May. He is now batting .200 on the year, with eight home runs and seventeen RBIs, but is an absurd .333/.414/.706 in May with six of his eight homeruns and fifteen RBIs

The Braves had a potential rally in the 8th inning with runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs, but only managed to get one run in the inning on a sac fly by Austin Riley.

Bullpen and Defensive Struggles

May 20, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Jesse Chavez (60) throws against the Seattle Mariners in the second inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports — Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Jesse Chavez started the first two and a third innings strong, but Michael Tonkin struggled following him. Tonkin has pitched well for the Braves this year, but tonight was not his night. He gave up five runs, two of them earned, on six hits in just two innings.

The back end of the bullpen looked strong with Lucas Luetge shutting down the M’s in the 8th and AJ Minter doing the same in the 9th.

Defensively, the Braves did not play their normal solid defense as they committed three errors.

Tonight is a reminder of the significance of the injuries the Braves are facing in the starting rotation with both Kyle Wright and Max Fried on the IL. It is hard to rely on bullpen games as a viable option in the long term. The Braves have to find some more starting pitching until Fried and Wright are back with the club.

QUIKRETE Patch

May 20, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker (43) makes a pitching change against the Seattle Mariners in the third inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports — Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The bright yellow QUIKRETE patch was debuted in game one of the series on Friday night. Braves fans were quick to make known their disdain for the look on Twitter.

The patches look even worse on the City Connect Jerseys.

The amount of money the Braves are receiving for the sponsorship has not been disclosed. Hopefully it is substantial, because the patches are not a good look for one of the best jerseys in baseball.

What's next?

The Atlanta Braves will look to take the series against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday. First pitch will be at 1:35 ET. The radio call, with Ben Ingram, is available locally on 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan or outside the Atlanta market on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network or MLB.com.

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