The Braves lost to the Giants 5-4 on June 7 after a walk-off wild pitch. Despite a Matt Olson homer, Atlanta's struggles in one-run games continue.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
It's a story Braves fans are getting painfully used to. A tight game, a glimmer of hope, and ultimately, a gut-wrenching loss in the final moments. The Atlanta Braves dropped their fifth straight game Saturday, falling 5-4 to the San Francisco Giants in 10 innings after a wild pitch from Pierce Johnson allowed the winning run to score, encapsulating the team's frustrating struggles in close contests.
With their 5-4 loss to the Giants, the Braves fell to a staggering 9-17 in one-run games this season.
The game was there for the taking. After battling back to tie it, the Braves handed the ball to Pierce Johnson in the 10th. With two outs, a wild pitch skipped away, and Tyler Fitzgerald raced home from third, sealing another walk-off defeat for Atlanta. It was a brutal end to a game that felt winnable and marked the team's fifth consecutive loss, deepening the slump that has gripped the clubhouse.
The loss was made all the more bitter by the moments that should have turned the tide. Matt Olson provided the heroics in the seventh inning, launching a massive two-run homer off Ryan Walker to tie the game 4-4 and breathe life back into the dugout. The night also featured a nostalgic moment as Craig Kimbrel made his first appearance in a Braves uniform since 2014. While he allowed a single and a walk, he escaped the inning unscathed thanks to a caught stealing and a pickoff, a chaotic but effective return for the franchise's all-time saves leader. Unfortunately, neither the blast nor the 'pen's most famous arm was enough.
If there's one stat that defines the Braves' season, it's their record in close games. The loss dropped them to 9-17 in one-run contests, a number that's almost hard to believe for a team with this much talent. Both the Braves and Giants have played 26 one-run games, tied for the most in the majors, but the outcomes have been drastically different. Starter Bryce Elder did his job, keeping Atlanta in the game against the tough Logan Webb, but once again, the team couldn't find the clutch hit or crucial out when it mattered most.
As if the game needed more drama, a bizarre moment unfolded in the fourth inning. With the bases loaded, Sean Murphy hit a sacrifice fly. As the play developed, a fan threw a second ball onto the field, creating confusion. After a brief umpire conference, the run was allowed to count, adding a strange footnote to an already eventful and ultimately frustrating night for Atlanta.
The Braves have to find a way to stop the bleeding, and it starts with figuring out how to win these nail-biters. The talent is on the roster, but the execution in key moments is absent. They'll look to salvage the series finale tomorrow and finally put a win on the board to prevent this skid from spiraling further out of control.
