The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bullpen collapses in sixth straight loss
Back-to-back-to-back home runs in eighth negate Folty’s 4-hit gem.
PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies flailed at Mike Foltynewicz’s sliders and curveballs for much of Sunday afternoon. His Braves teammates did the same against Zach Eflin’s fastball-heavy offerings until, finally, outfielder Matt Kemp knocked a solo homer to give Foltynewicz a 1-0 lead in the seventh inning.
But extending a rocky April trend, the Phillies tied the game against Foltynewicz in the bottom of the inning and then hammered Braves relief pitchers for three consecutive home runs in the eighth en route to a 5-2 victory.
“It didn’t take long,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “Three hitters.”
The Braves (6-12) lost their season-high sixth game in a row and were swept in a three-game series for the third time. Their starting pitching has been effective but the offense has sputtered. The bullpen had stabilized after a rough stretch but fell apart in the series finale against the Phillies (9-9).
Hard-throwing reliever Arodys Vizcaino replaced Foltynewicz for the start of the eighth with the score tied 1-1 and didn’t record an out. Michael Saunders led off
with a double and Cesar Hernandez and Aaron Atlherr hit back-to-back homers to chase Vizcaino.
Vizcaino said he thought the offering to Hernandez was a good pitch but that Hernandez was waiting on a slider low in the strike zone. Vizcaino had also given up a go-ahead, two-run homer to the Padres in the eighth inning on April 17.
“It hasn’t really happened to me in my career,” Vizcaino said through an interpreter. “Everybody has bad outings. I can’t try to focus on it. I’ve got to just go on to the next game and another opportunity to do my job and prove myself.”
Snitker next called on lefthander Ian Krol to face the left-handed Odubel Herrera. He sent Krol’s full-count fastball over the wall in left-center field for a 5-1 lead.
The three consecutive homers tied a Phillies club record. The Braves hadn’t allowed three consecutive homers since the Dodgers did it against Ben Sheets on Aug. 8, 2012.
The Braves added Kemp’s RBI single in the ninth inning and loaded the bases with one out against reliever Hector Neris. He secured the victory by getting pinch hitter Tyler Flowers to ground out with the bases loaded.
The Braves have made a habit of keeping games close only to falter at the end. “That’s the thing that I respect so much about those guys in that room is they never quit,” Snitker said. “They just keep coming at you and eventually this thing is going to turn and we are going to get the hits and be on the other end. But you’ve got to handle something like this in order for something good to happen on the back end.”
The Braves led 1-0 after Kemp homered on Eflin’s first pitch of the seventh inning. Until then, the Braves had managed just two singles and three base runners (one via hit by pitch).
Foltynewicz limited the Phillies to one single over six innings while striking out nine. He allowed just three base runners over that span, none of them advancing past first base.
“He had a great outing,” Snitker said. “That might have been the best one of his major-league career. He was on the attack.”
The Phillies finally strung together hits against Foltynewicz in the seventh inning.
Daniel Nava hit his fastball through the middle for a single, Brock Stassi poked a slider to right field that moved Nava to third base and Freddy Galvis singled on Foltynewicz’s first-pitch curveball for an RBI. Foltynewicz got Andrew Knapp to ground into a double play to end the inning.
Foltynewicz allowed four hits and a run over seven innings, dropping his ERA to 3.20. His nine strikeouts were a season-high for Braves pitchers this season.
“All of it was clicking early,” Foltynewicz said. “The sliders and curveballs, I was picking my spots when to throw them. Me and (catcher) Kurt (Suzuki) had a great plan going into the game with using the off-speed. We executed it really well today and very happy with all my pitches, really.”
The Braves had a chance to take the lead in the eighth when Dansby Swanson led off with a single, went to second on Emilio Bonifacio’s sacrifice bunt and moved to third on Ender Inciarte’s ground out. But reliever Joely Rodriguez struck out Brandon Phillips to end the inning.
The Phillies piled it on in the bottom of the inning.
“We’re in every game we play,” Snitker said. “It’s a play here, a hit here, a pitch here. Overall, they are not that far off. That’s the thing that’s frustrating more than the losses.”