Series Recap: Braves lose two of three to Diamondbacks

That was a disappointing series, no doubt, but there were at least a few positives to be found in losing a three game series to one of the worst teams in the league. One is that Jason Heyward looks to have more-or-less completely righted the ship. Another is that the starting pitching dished three quality starts in a ballpark conducive to runs allowed.
The Braves kicked off the series with a smooth 5-2 win backed by a strong Julio Teheran start. He allowed a home run to Didi Gregorius to start his outing but then pitched seven innings of one run ball to secure his sixth win of the season. Evan Gattis, Jordan Schafer, and Andrelton Simmons all had doubles and Jason Heyward hit an opposite field homer.

The second game was brutal as Craig Kimbrel and Anthony Varvaro blew two save opportunities. The Braves momentarily took the lead on the top of the tenth thanks to another Heyward homer but Varvaro quickly coughed the lead up as Miguel Montero answered with one of his own. David Carpenter pitched the 11th and took the loss.

Even though the second game was rough, the third game was the most difficult to take in. Aaron Harang was effectively wild for a majority of the game and with the bullpen being taxed, Fredi Gonzalez opted to let him hit in the seventh inning and come out to pitch the bottom half. He promptly coughed up a two run lead that was earned thanks to a Justin Upton homer, and the bullpen struggled again to allow a total of six runs in the bottom of the seventh. The Braves rallied and scored three runs but were not able to tie the game up in the top of the ninth and lost 6-5.

Overall this was a frustrating series as the Diamondbacks are simply not good. The hitters did well at times and fell completely cold at other times. The starters for the most part were solid but the bullpen was really rough. Thankfully Jordan Walden is on his way back from the disabled list to give the team some depth and another solid right-handed option.