Bullpen implodes as Braves fall to Marlins 5-4

The Atlanta Braves carried a four-run lead into the ninth only to watch the bullpen give it away in a 5-4 loss to the Miami Marlins.

Kyle Wright allowed the leadoff man to reach in each of the first three innings, but he was able to keep them stranded. Garrett Hampson led off the third with a single to center and moved up to second on a wild pitch. Wright came back though and struck out Jazz Chisholm, Garrett Cooper and Bryan De La Cruz to leave him stranded. Wright had six strikeouts through the first three innings.

The game entered into a rain delay in the top of the fourth inning that would last for over three hours. Collin McHugh took over on the mound in the fourth replacing Wright who unfortunately had a good start washed out. Wright allowed just two hits, a walk and struck out six over three innings. He threw 45 pitches with 35 going for strikes.

McHugh allowed singles to Luis Arraez and Jean Segura, but got Yuli Gurriel to ground into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning. He returned for the fifth and saw Nick Fortes reach on an infield single, but then came back and retired the next three hitters in order to keep the game scoreless.

Matt Barnes tossed a scoreless fourth for Miami, but came back out for the fifth and wasn’t as fortunate. The Braves loaded the bases with a leadoff walk by Sean Murphy, a bunt single by Vaughn Grissom and an opposite field single by Eddie Rosario. Barnes then walked Kevin Pillar to force in a run and make it 1-0.

Chadwick Tromp followed with a single to left to plate Grissom for his first RBI of the season. The rally didn’t end there as Ronald Acuña Jr. smoked a ball back up the middle that Luis Arraez made a diving stop on, however Garrett Hampson was unable to handle the flip at second. Another run scored on the play to make it 3-0. Matt Olson brought home another run with a grounder to third to round out a four-run inning.

The Marlins got the leadoff man on in each of the first five innings, but weren’t able to do anything with it. That changed in the sixth when Dylan Lee retired the side in order. Kirby Yates allowed a two-out walk, but nothing else in a scoreless seventh.

Nick Anderson worked a scoreless eighth before A.J. Minter found trouble in the ninth. Arraez led off the inning with a single. Minter then struck out Jorge Soler, but Segura follows with a double to right. Gurriel followed with a single off the wall in right that scored Arraez to make it 4-1. Minter again came back and struck out Nick Fortes. Avisail Garcia then brought the Marlins closer with another single to left to cut the lead to 4-2. Things would continue to go bad for Minter as Chisholm followed with a single to right to make it 4-3.

That would end Minter’s night as he would give way to Jesse Chavez. Chisholm stole second base to move into scoring position. That would prove to be big as Garrett Cooper sent a double into the gap in right center that scored two more to give Miami the lead. Dylan Floro retired the side in order to end the game.

Minter’s struggles continued. Over his last four games, he has allowed 10 hits and 10 runs in just 3 2/3 innings.

The Braves fall to 17-9 for the season and see their three-game winning streak come to an end. They will now head to New York for their first matchup of the season against the New York Mets.