Albies homers in Braves’ loss
ATLANTA (TNS) — Sean Newcomb walked seven of the 25 batters he faced and Braves hitters went 2 for 8 with runners in scoring position and failed to score after loading the bases with none out, although one of those hits was a ninth-inning, three-run homer for Ozzie Albies, a resounding first hit in the majors for the diminutive but dynamic Braves prospect.
That about summed up the proceedings at SunTrust Park, where the Braves gave the Dodgers too many scoring chances and failed to cash in any of their own except in the first and ninth innings of a 7-4 loss in a series finale that dropped Atlanta to 2-9 in its past 11 games.
They’ve only won four of their past 17 games, yet three of those wins came against the Dodgers, baseball’s best and hottest team.
Dodgers All-Star Alex Wood (13-1) allowed one run on seven hits and two walks in six innings, two starts after the former Braves left-hander gave up a season-high nine hits and career-high nine runs without making it out of the fifth inning of a 12-3 loss to the Braves at Dodger Stadium. Meanwhile, Newcomb’s control problems continued to worsen as he allowed a careerhigh seven walks and four hits in 4 2/3 innings in his 10th major league start, though managing to limit the Dodgers to three runs before he exited.
His seven strikeouts included a few at most-opportune times to get out of trouble. Newcomb also got an assist from Luke Jackson when the reliever induced an inningending ground out from Yasiel Puig in the fifth after Newcomb issued consecutive two-out walks.
Still, the Braves trailed 3-1 at that point against a team that until Wednesday had a major league-record streak of 53 consecutive wins in games in which it led at any point. The Braves snapped that Dodgers streak with a 5-3 comeback win in the middle game of the series, but would’ve needed to do it two nights in a row to win this three-game and the season series with the juggernaut Dodgers.
They couldn’t get the timely hits to pull it off again and the Dodgers clinched the series (2-1) and seven-game season series (4-3). The Dodgers are 21-3 since July 4, with all three losses coming against the Braves. The Dodgers (76-32) have the best record in the majors including an astounding 41-7 mark since June 7. They are 14-3 against National League East teams other than the Braves.
Newcomb labored trying to throw strikes, piling up 110 pitches while recording 14 outs and falling to 0-4 with a 7.31 ERA in his past six starts.
He lasted 5 1/3 innings or fewer in five of those six games despite throwing 96 or more pitches in each of the past five. He’s issued 22 walks in his past 25 innings.
The big left-hander had a 1.48 ERA, .202 opponents’ average and .557 opponents’ OPS in his first four major league starts, allowing 18 hits, eight walks, four earned runs and one homer with 21 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings while lasting at least six innings in each game.
In six starts since Newcomb has a .287 opponents’ average and plus-.900 opponents’ OPS, allowing 31 hits, 24 walks, 23 earned runs and five homers with 34 strikeouts in 281/3 innings. The strikeouts are up but so is everything else except innings. Most alarming is the spike in walks and homers, a flammable mix.
In two of his past four starts, he has needed 220 pitches to get through 10 total innings vs. the Cubs and Dodgers.
After Jackson got the Braves out of a jam in the fifth inning to keep the deficit at 3-1, the Braves had a prime scoring opportunity in the fifth when they loaded the bases with none out on consecutive walks by Albies and pinchhitter Lane Adams and a single from Ender Inciarte.
But Adams made a big mistake and got picked off second base when Wood caught him drifting too far off second base after a pitch. Brandon Phillips grounded into a double play to end the scoreless inning.
The Dodgers added four runs in the final four innings including three runs in two innings against reliever Jason Hursh.
The Braves also stranded two runners in the sixth when Sean Rodriguez struck out with runners on the corners, and they failed to score in the second inning after Rodriguez doubled with one out and Albies and Newcomb each grounded out. They went 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position to make them 15 for 73 (.205) in those situations over the past 11 games including nine losses.