Overall, it is hard to deny it has a been a good weekend for the Braves.
Unfortunately, it is also hard to deny it was a big missed opportunity for the Braves in their 9-2 loss to the Dodgers on Sunday night.
In a span of less than 30 minutes, though it felt like several hours, the Braves went from runners on second and third with no outs in the bottom of the eighth inning to allowing seven Dodger runs in the top of the ninth. The lack of production with runners in scoring production combined with arguably the worst performance from Rasiel Iglesias in his career as a Brave was a disastrous way to end the weekend.
It should be noted that three games into this pivotal series with the Dodgers, the Braves have won two of three games and improved their position in the NL Wild Card standings, as they are currently tied with the Mets for the last spot. If you would have presented that scenario to the Braves on Friday, they likely would have been pleased. However, the offense going dormant once again when the Braves had their chances to pull ahead on Sunday is a grim reminder of how inconsistent they can be. Especially when Atlanta had the chance to pull ahead of the Mets in the standings.
Similar to the loss in Colorado more than a month ago or losing Austin Riley to injury, it was another unfortunate Sunday for the Braves. However, the opportunity is there for them to once again bounce back. They have done exactly that multiple times over the past six weeks, but the need for them to do it only grows greater with just two weeks left in the season.
Braves News
On Iglesias, Mark Bowman notes that he allowed his first earned run in nearly three months on Sunday. The last time Iglesias allowed an earned run was on June 16th. Members of both the Dodgers and Braves acknowledged how odd it was to see the struggles due to how dominant Iglesias has been this year.
Rick Farlow of the AJC discusses how the loss also stings as it takes away from another really good start from Charlie Morton.
As Justin Toscano noted from Saturday night, a visit from Usher energized the locker room. Brian Snitker also discussed how he felt the offense was rounded into form, which makes Sunday even more frustrating.
MLB News
The latest MLB.com power rankings are out, with the Braves once again checking in at number 12.
Atlanta was not the only team to experience a tough day on Sunday. The Mets lost in walk-off fashion to the Phillies. They also are awaiting further word on Francisco Lindor’s back injury, as he will have an MRI on Monday.
The Diamondbacks stayed in good shape in the NL Wild Card race with a wild walk-off win of their own against the Brewers.
Aaron Judge hit home run number 53 in a win over the Red Sox.
Arizona placed reliever Paul Sewald on the injured list while also activating Gabriel Moreno to return to action.
