MILWAUKEE — The Braves’ now serious — and somewhat alarming — slide continued Saturday with a 4-1 loss to the Brewers, the team’s seventh defeat in nine games as their lead in the NL East dropped to 3.5 games (and could be down to three if the Phillies beat the Cardinals later Saturday).
Another day of lackluster offense sent the Braves (75-55) to their third straight series loss. They have scored 19 runs over the last nine games and are hitting .204 as a team in that span.
Saturday, they left six men on base and went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. The Braves are now 12-for-69 with runners in scoring position in their previous nine games (and one of those games they went 0-for-0 in that category).
“I thought our bats have been much better these last two days, especially compared to the series before in Minnesota. I didn’t think they were very good,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “But these last two games against a couple tough starters – we’ve run into some tough starters here, but at the same time, our offense is taking a step back. Over the course of the season, I think we’re a top-10 offense in all of baseball. Doesn’t feel like it right now because we’re struggling a little bit.”
With the Brewers (81-49) now leading the season series 3-2, the Braves will try to avoid a sweep at 7:10 p.m. Sunday when the two squads meet at Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, in the Little League Classic.
Perhaps playing in a park that is home to a collegiate summer league will help the Braves’ offense get going.
“It’s kind of just sticking to our plan, trying to execute the game plan we go into the game with, and adjust accordingly throughout the game,” Braves’ center fielder Michael Harris II said of the offense. “Pitcher’s gonna make adjustments to us, and we have to adjust back. Yeah, we face some tough pitching lately, and that’s kind of what’s going to happen in a playoff-like game. I think it’s good for us to get that right now and make some changes.”
Harris helped the Braves jump on Milwaukee starter Logan Henderson in the first inning Saturday. His RBI double into the left field corner made it a 1-0 game and gave the Braves runners at second and third with one out. But Ozzie Albies fouled out to third and Mauricio Dubón flied out to right to end the frame.
The failure to add on there loomed large as the afternoon waned.
Braves starter Martín Pérez didn’t allow a hit until the third, but it was a costly one.
Nine-hole hitter Cooper Pratt had begun the inning by hitting a check-swing dribbler to the right side of the mound that Pérez tried to scoop with his glove but fumbled instead for an error. Pratt went to second on a swinging bunt by Jackson Chourio, to third on Brice Turang’s grounder to first and scored on William Contreras’ RBI single to left.
That brought Jake Bauers to the plate, and the Brewers’ first baseman crushed a 92-mph fastball, the 12th pitch of the at-bat, 413 feet over the center field wall for a two-run homer. It was Bauer’s 23rd homer of the season.
“Everything (started) with the error. I think if I get a different position, I was able to make that play,” Pérez said. “But after that, it was a battle. I faced (Bauers), and he was the guy who killed me today. Almost 30 pitches in two at-bats. I threw everything I got. He was on everything. He’s a good hitter, too. The last pitch was an up-and-away fastball. He was on it and connected for a homer.”
The offensive struggles for Atlanta continued when it couldn’t cash in back-to-back singles by Albies and Dubón, respectively, to begin the fourth. Mike Yastrzemski hit into a 4-6-3 double play and Austin Riley flied out softly to right to end the inning.
That stung even more in the bottom of the fourth when Pérez gave up a double, single and sacrifice fly to left, giving the Brewers a 4-1 lead.
Pérez (8-8) battled through four innings and threw 97 pitches. Only one of the four runs he allowed was earned, and he gave up only four hits, but walked three and only 59.7% of his pitches were strikes.
“They just made me work a little bit more,” Pérez said. “Even was throwing my pitches, and they were swinging a lot and a lot of foul balls. That’s going to happen when you face a good lineup like these guys.”
Henderson (8-2) threw 100 pitches in six innings of work. The righty struck out four and walked two while allowing just the first-inning run.
In the ninth, the Braves got back-to-back singles from Albies and Dubón again. Pinch-hitter Lane Thomas flied out to left and Austin Riley hit into a game-ending double play.
Asked if he might make some changes to the lineup or batting order moving forward to try to spark the offense, Weiss said probably not.
“I’ve switched some things around here and there a little bit, but it’s just a matter of staying at it,” the first-year manager added. “We got some good names in that lineup, but just a matter of getting going again, hitting some homers. We have been pretty reliant on the homer over the course of several years here. When we’re hitting the ball in the seats, that’s when we’re really thriving offensively.”
The Braves have gone four straight games without a home run, last getting a long ball when catcher Drake Baldwin hit a solo shot in the sixth inning of Tuesday’s loss to the Twins.
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