The Good, The Bad, & The Braves: Atlanta loses series to LA, falls 5-0 in rubber game
Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
Braves right-hander Bryce Elder made his 13th start of the season on Thursday night at Truist Park in the rubber game of a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels. The Braves lost 5-0.
The Braves defeated the Angels 8-3 on Wednesday night. The hitting was the story that night as home runs from Matt Olson (grand slam), Sean Murphy (three-run), and first-year Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar (solo) led the way for the home team.
On Thursday, the Braves began the game much like they did a night earlier: in a hole. The Angels scored a run in the first inning on a RBI single from centerfielder Joe Adell, and two on a home run from Nolan Schanuel in the second. The Angels added another run in the fourth when shortstop Zach Neto hit his 13th home run of the season.
Atlanta only managed two hits through five innings. Los Angeles starting pitcher Jose Soriano may have come into the game with a 5-5 overall record and a 3.99 ERA, but he looked like a combination of former Braves stars Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, and Tom Glavine on this day.
Mike Trout’s RBI triple in the sixth inning added another run to the Angels’ tally and made the score 5-0. That run was charged to Braves reliever Enyel De Los Santos, who challenged Trout, a surefire Hall of Famer, with a fastball and lost.
The Braves mounted a small comeback, scoring their first run of the game on a solo home run from Profar in the ninth inning. Marcel Ozuna and Ozzie Albies both flew out to left field, and Murphy struck out to end the game.
What’s Next: The Baltimore Orioles are coming into town to celebrate the Independence Day weekend. The three-game series begins on Friday night, with Saturday’s game scheduled for a 4:10 p.m. first pitch, and a 11:35 a.m. first pitch on Sunday.
