What a Clunker! Braves 17, Dbacks 2
· Yahoo Sports
Unfortunately, the Diamondbacks fell victim to an early-season clunker in the series opener, thanks to an explosive eight-run fifth inning from the visiting Atlanta Braves. Getting bitten by the big inning is quickly becoming an unwelcome narrative for this young Arizona club.
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In a game that offered few positives, one standout moment provided a bright spot. In the bottom of the third inning, Jordan Lawlar launched his first career MLB home run—a no-doubter that traveled 424 feet into the left-field bleachers. It was another encouraging sign for the 23-year-old, who has gotten off to a tremendous start to the season, batting .333 with a .956 OPS while adapting to a new position in the outfield. His early offensive surge appears tied to improved plate discipline: Lawlar is laying off right-handed spin out of the zone far more effectively, with his chase rate way down. That adjustment is allowing him to see better pitches and drive them with authority.
Adding to the feel-good factor, Lawlar’s first career homer was actually predicted on the pregame show by Mark Grace—a fun, uncanny moment that’s hard not to smile about.
Sadly, even the good news came with a caveat. Lawlar was hit on the wrist by a sinker in the seventh inning and had to exit in the top of the eighth. According to manager Torey Lovullo, X-rays on the wrist were negative, but Lawlar will undergo a CT scan tomorrow for extra caution. Here’s hoping the young outfielder gets a clean bill of health.
On the mound, Ryne Nelson lasted just 4⅔ innings, surrendering seven runs (only two earned, thanks to an error by Nolan Arenado). Nelson looked fairly efficient early on, but he suddenly lost his command in the fifth, and the wheels came off quickly. He walked three Braves in the inning while recording just two outs—including a bases-loaded walk—and the Atlanta hitters seemed to be sitting on his fastball, jumping on it early and squaring it up. Nelson’s slider remained a solid weapon (0-5 with three strikeouts), though that may have been partly because the Braves were geared up for fastballs.
The bullpen fared no better. 2023 postseason hero Kevin Ginkel relieved Nelson in the fourth but struggled with location as well. Despite his velocity sitting back up in the 95-96 mph range, he was hit hard and allowed three runs while recording only one out—not the kind of encouraging sign fans wanted to see from a former high-leverage arm.
Joe Ross also continued to have trouble throwing strikes, walking three batters in his two innings of work. That ineffectiveness prevented him from filling the long-man role he was kept on the roster to handle. With the game well out of hand, Lovullo was forced to burn an inning from Andrew Hoffmann in a mop-up situation he’d rather have avoided.
At this point in the season, the best approach is simple: flush this one and move on. If Nelson had made a couple of key pitches in the fifth and Arenado had converted a play he’s made countless times before, the outcome could have looked very different. Instead, the Braves racked up 17 runs on 16 hits. Time to regroup and come back swinging for the rest of the series.