Atlanta Braves Clippings Friday, May 1, 2015 Braves.Com
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Atlanta Braves Clippings Friday, May 1, 2015 Braves.com Miller stung by Reds' consecutive HRs in 7th By Mark Bowman and Michael Hunt / MLB.com | April 30, 2015 ATLANTA -- Mike Leake surrendered two hits over eight scoreless innings and accounted for one of the consecutive home runs Shelby Miller allowed as the Reds claimed a 5-1 win over the Braves on Thursday night at Turner Field. After teaming with Tucker Barnhart to begin the seventh inning with back-to-back home runs, Miller completed his 97-pitch outing in impressive fashion. The right-hander retired 19 of the last 20 batters he faced and did not pitch from the stretch after Chris Johnson drew a two-out walk in the fourth. Nick Markakis' infield single to begin the bottom of the first accounted for one of the four hits recorded by the Braves, who have lost 11 of their past 15 games. "[Leake] threw strikes and he threw his breaking ball over, but I thought we weren't as patient as we had been before," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "I think we swung at some pitches out of the strike zone and made contact. Then, he beat us with the bat." Miller shared a shutout bid with Leake through the first five innings and then was undone by a Christian Bethancourt passed ball on a third strike that led to an unearned run during a 29-pitch sixth inning. The Braves' bullpen woes were extended when Todd Frazier began the eighth inning with a homer and Billy Hamilton added a solo shot in the ninth. Freddie Freeman dropped an RBI double into left off of Reds reliever Tony Cingrani in the ninth to account for the Braves' run. "[Leake] was terrific," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "He was locked in. He has a really good rapport with Tucker. He worked really quickly and attacked the zone. It's a nice lineup. They mix and match so well with players who have had success against Michael, and he pitched a dandy." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Leake does it all: Besides hitting his fifth career home run, including his second against the Braves, Leake shut down Atlanta. After giving up singles in the first and second innings, Leake allowed nothing else the next six innings for his first victory of the season. Miller's misfortune: Miller might have been fatigued by the 29-pitch sixth inning, which began with Bethancourt allowing Hamilton to reach safely on a dropped third strike The right-hander had allowed just three homers over his past 58 1/3 innings before allowing Barnhart and Leake to deliver their back-to-back shots. Bringing the power: The Reds hit four home runs, their most this season since hitting five against the Brewers on April 21. Cincinnati had scored three runs or fewer in five of its last seven games. CJ to the DL: Atlanta's Johnson sustained a fractured left hand while attempting to steal second base with two outs in the fourth inning. Johnson, who exited after playing defense in the fifth, will go on the disabled list. The vacated roster spot will be filled by Mike Foltynewicz, who will make his first Major League start on Friday. QUOTABLE "We were joking in the clubhouse. If [Hamilton] would've hit one, it would have been the most unexpected back-to-back-to-back [home runs] in Major League history." -- Barnhart, on the back-to-back homers SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Leake has gone 7-for-20 with two homers in his career against the Braves. He was 0-for-5 with three strikeouts against Miller before going deep Thursday night. WHAT'S NEXT Reds: Right-hander Anthony DeSclafani, who leads National League rookies in strikeouts, will start Friday night at 7:35 p.m. ET against the Braves. Opponents are hitting .154 against DeSclafani, who came to the Reds in December from the Marlins in the Mat Latos trade. Braves: Foltynewicz, a highly-regarded prospect who joined the Braves in January from Houston in the Evan Gattis trade, will make his much- anticipated season debut on Friday. The 6-foot-4 right-hander went 0-3 with a 2.08 ERA in four starts with Triple-A Gwinnett. Miller takes no solace in solid outing Right-hander tagged with consecutive homers, hurt by passed ball By Mark Bowman / MLB.com | @mlbbowman | 12:04 AM ET ATLANTA -- Through this season's first month, Shelby Miller has provided a clear indication that he has the potential to serve as Atlanta's ace for many years to come. At the same time, he has proven to be an unselfish competitor, who certainly does not take solace in tough-luck outcomes. Miller fit this latter description as he spoke to reporters after the Braves experienced Thursday night's 5-1 loss to the Reds at Turner Field. His effective seven-inning effort was blemished by consecutive home runs to begin the seventh inning and marred by a 29-pitch sixth inning that might have been much cleaner had Christian Bethancourt secured a strike-three pitch. "Personally, I feel like I'm pitching well, but we needed a win tonight, and it's that simple," Miller said. "We didn't get the job done. I can talk about myself and how I'm doing, but we didn't get the job done. We didn't win tonight, and that is the biggest thing on my mind right now." Miller had to take responsibility for allowing Cincinnati's No. 8 hitter Tucker Barnhart and starting pitcher Mike Leake to begin the seventh inning with back-to-back home runs. But at the same time, there was reason to wonder if things would have been different had Bethancourt not committed his miscue. When the Braves removed Bethancourt from his starting role during the regular season's second week, they said they wanted him to earn the position. He has been lauded for his strong arm, but his inability to catch the third-strike fastball thrown to Billy Hamilton in Thursday's sixth inning conjured memories of the defensive struggles that frustrated the Braves late last year. "I know passed balls and stuff like that are going to happen, and wild pitches," Miller said. "I think we did a good job of getting out of some trouble there in the sixth. There were a couple times we got out of some trouble with some good defensive plays." After surrendering the game's first run on Joey Votto's double in the sixth, Miller escaped a bases-loaded threat without incurring any further damage. But the misplaced fastballs he threw to Barnhart and Leake in the seventh soured what was an otherwise impressive performance by the Braves' hurler, who has posted a 2.17 ERA through his first five starts. "I thought Shelby Miller was outstanding today," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "If he goes out and gives you 28 more starts like that, he's going to have a [great] year." C. Johnson goes on DL with broken left hand Braves third baseman injured on headfirst slide By Mark Bowman / MLB.com | @mlbbowman | April 30, 2015 ATLANTA -- Braves third baseman Chris Johnson's frustrating season took a downturn when he fractured his left hand while sliding headfirst into second base during an unsuccessful steal attempt in the fourth inning of Thursday night's 5-1 loss to the Reds. The Braves placed Johnson on the disabled list Thursday night and revealed that his roster spot would be filled by pitching prospect Mike Foltynewicz, who will make his first Major League start during Friday night's game against the Reds. "Being on the DL will stink for me because I just want to be out there and playing baseball," Johnson said. "But it will get better and I'll get back." After serving as Atlanta's primary third baseman the past two seasons, Johnson has been in the starting lineup for just 11 of this season's first 22 games. Now, the 30-year-old will have to delay his bid to prove he deserves more playing time. Johnson's hand will be placed in a cast and undergo an MRI on Friday morning to determine the extent of the ligament damage. The Braves will evaluate the results of this exam before revealing a potential timetable for his return. After his hand stuck in the dirt during his slide, Johnson shared a brief exchange with second-base umpire Jerry Layne and then took his position at third base. Though he felt some discomfort while fielding warmup tosses from first baseman Freddie Freeman, Johnson did not exit the game until he was examined by the Braves' medical staff in the middle of the fifth inning. "After the trainer looked at it, he told me I was done pretty quick," Johnson said. Veal latest addition to Braves' bullpen mix Club continues to give successful Triple-A relievers a shot to impress By Mark Bowman / MLB.com | @mlbbowman | 1:54 AM ET ATLANTA -- As the Braves attempt to find the right pieces for their bullpen, they might continue to provide some of their Minor Leaguers a chance to prove whether they can be productive at the Major League level. Before Thursday's series opener against the Reds, the Braves purchased left-handed reliever Donnie Veal's contract from Triple-A Gwinnett. Right- handed reliever John Cornely, who made his Major League debut on Wednesday night, was optioned to Gwinnett to create a roster spot for Veal. "Donnie is pitching well down there," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said before Thursday night's 5-1 loss to the Reds.