Braves Report: Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in Game 4
The meat of the lineup went veggie again, the starting pitcher couldn’t make it past the halfway point, and the closer for the game wasn’t on the roster when the series started.
The abused reliever was fine, the offense was anything but clutch, and Atlanta went through seven pitchers in a low-scoring game.
The second-guessing will list until further notice.
Yadier Molina tied it in the eighth and won it in the 10th with a sacrifice fly as St. Louis crept back for a 5-4 win over Atlanta in Game 4 of their NLDS.
Now, the Braves get the dinner-time slot again on Wednesday, with Game 5 at 5:02 p.m.
Atlanta again got little to nothing from the middle of the lineup, hitters 3-5 striking out 12 times and getting only seven hits in 48 at-bats in the series.
The Braves again aren’t clutch at the plate, hitting only .118 (4-for-34) with runners in scoring position. They were 0 for 9 Monday and stranded nine.
The Cards? They were 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position.
Ronald Acuna went 4 for 5 at leadoff, with no runs or RBI while accounting for half of Atlanta’s hits.
Ozzie Albies drove in three runs, two coming on a homer in the fifth as Atlanta went from down 3-1 to up 4-3. Dansby Swanson added two hits and two runs from the eighth spot.
For the second straight game in the series, Dallas Keuchel couldn’t get to the midway point. This time, he left after 3.1 innings and three home runs, Atlanta down 3-1.
The much-maligned Luke Jackson again delivered better than the perception, with one hit, one walk, and three strikeouts in 1.1 innings.
The Braves, whose pitchers struck out 11 with three walks, had to go to Julio Teheran, not on the roster to start the series, in the 10th. It wasn’t bad, but it was unsuccessful.