Takeaways from Atlanta's tough series-ending loss to the Marlins

Braves relief pitching gave away the game and the sweep in the 9th

Author:
Matthew Jacobs
Apr 27, 2023 6:29 PM EDT

Going for the sweep, the Braves sent up Kyle Wright to toe the rubber versus the Marlin’s Braxton Garrett. The Braves decided to go with a rather odd lineup with the series already decided and there was rain looming in the skies. That alone should have indicated where this day was going.

Here is what you need to know about game 4:

The rain came in strong at the end of 3 scoreless innings, which delayed the game for 3 hours. That closed the book for Wright, who looked strong through 3 innings with no runs, 2 hits, 6 strikeouts, and one walk.

In the top of the 4th, and due to that rain delay, they restarted the game as the Braves sent up relief pitcher Collin McHugh pitcher against the Marlins' Matt Barnes.

Matt Barnes lost control and let the Braves load the bases in the bottom of the 5th. He walked in Sean Murphy to score the first run of the game for either team. Backup catcher Chadwick Tromp then singled to drive in Vaughn Grissom for his first RBI of the season. Ronald Acuña Jr smoked what should have been a double play ball to the Marlins that was bobbled on the exchange, and with that error all Atlanta players ended up being safe, scoring Eddie Rosario.

Okert came in to replace Barnes for the Marlins, who promptly got Matt Olson to ground out, driving in Kevin Pillar. Base running errors, by both Olson and Acuña Jr, during what would become a strikeout of Austin Riley killed the rally. The Bravos still put up 4 and go into the 6th with a 4-0 lead.

The Braves brought in Dylan Lee to replace McHugh to start the 6th inning. McHugh ended his day with two innings pitched, allowing two hits, no runs with one strikeout. Devin Smeltzer came in for Okert to pitch for the Marlins in the bottom of the 6th. The entire inning went 1-2-3 for both sides as things quieted back down.

Kirby Yates came in to replace Dylan Lee to start the 7th as it appeared the Braves were trying to lighten the load per reliever prior to going into a series with the division rivals Mets. Yates allowed a two out walk but no damage was done as they headed into the stretch. Devin Smeltzer remained in for the bottom of the 7th, and he got in a bit of trouble allowing a single, a walk, and hit Matt Olson to load the bases before striking out Austin Riley. Riley gets the sombrero with 4 strikeouts on the day. Score remained 4-0 in the Braves favor.

The Braves continued to cycle in their pitchers as Nick Anderson replaced Kirby Yates to start the 8th. Yates finished his one inning with no runs, no hits, no strikeouts, and 1 walk. Anderson had a beautiful 1-2-3 inning, striking out 2 and allowing nothing else. The Marlins got into the new pitcher business as well, sending up offseason trade acquisition A.J Puk to spell Devin Smeltzer to start the bottom of the 8th. Three up and Three down got these teams to the 9th.

To close out the game, the Braves brought in A.J Minter to replace Anderson for the final frame. Minter apparently decided that he didn’t like the Idea of a series sweep and quickly got into trouble, allowing a single to Luis Arraez before striking out Soler. Jean Segura, who had 6 hits in the series, smacked a double, putting baserunners on second and third. Yuli Gurriel drilled a ball off the wall that scored Arraez and left runners on first and third with one out.

Minter found his composure for a moment and struck Nick Fortes out swinging. However, he then allowed Avisail Garcia to get a barrel on one, driving in Jean Segura. Minter finally got the hook after allowing Jazz Chisholm Jr to single on a hard-hit ball, driving in Gurriel. The Braves had to bring in Jesse Chavez for the final out as the lead had been reduced to one. Chavez couldn’t get the job done and allowed Garrett Cooper to slam a two-run double into the wall, allowing the Marlins to take the lead. Chavez finally gets the out by striking out De La Cruz swinging. By that time, the damage had already been done as the Marlins plated 5 in the 9th, giving the Marlins a 5-4 lead going into the bottom of the ninth.

After nearly 6 hours, RP Dylan Floro came in for the Marlins and closed out the Braves with two strikeouts. Game over. The Braves looked beat before they touched the bats in the 9th and put up no fight in a game that ended 5-4 in the Marlins favor.

The final box score shows Miami with 5 runs on 11 hits and 1 error, Atlanta put up 4 runs on 5 hits and no errors.

The Braves won a series they should have but lost the sweep in a terrible way. One must hope that Minter won’t be in head his too much the next time he is needed.

Despite the tough 9th inning loss, there were bright spots, Eddie Rosario seems to be heating the bat up a little bit in this series, which could bode very well for the Braves. Starting pitching is looking more and more solid with every game and all the pitchers did combine to strike out 14 batters today. The entire club will need to try to keep it locked in as they will not get another day off until May 8th.

The Braves will hop on the plane this afternoon as they gear up for an early season NL East tilt with the New York Mets, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:10 ET Friday, weather permitting. Braves Today will be the go-to site for everything a Braves’ fan would want to know. Braves Today Podcast will fill you in on anything else you could possibly want about the Braves. The game will be broadcast in Braves Country on Bally Sports South and is available on MLB.TV outside of the broadcast area. The radio call, with Ben Ingram, is available locally on WIFN 1340 AM/103.7FM or outside the Atlanta market on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network or MLB.com.

Takeaways from Atlanta's comeback victory against the Marlins on Wednesday night

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WATCH: Eddie Rosario, Ozzie Albies go back-to-back to extend the Braves' lead in the eighth

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WATCH: Speed kills as Ronald Acuña Jr. scores first run of the night for Atlanta

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