Atlanta Braves Clippings Thursday, April 30, 2015 Braves.Com
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Atlanta Braves Clippings Thursday, April 30, 2015 Braves.com Wood, Braves bounced in rubber tilt with Nationals By Mark Bowman and Jon Cooper / MLB.com | 1:40 AM ET ATLANTA -- Jordan Zimmermann completed seven innings and aided his own cause with a bases-clearing single that propelled the Nationals to a 13-4 win over the Braves on Wednesday night in the rubber game at Turner Field. Zimmermann's three-run single capped a four-run fourth inning that gave the Nationals a lead they would not relinquish. A.J. Pierzynski's two-run single in the first inning provided an early lead for Braves starter Alex Wood, who surrendered just two hits through the first three innings. "The Woody we love to see and the competitiveness was there," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "It was just a lot of pitches and a lot of deep counts." While Wood was lifted after his pitch count reached 100 through five innings, Zimmermann bounced back from some early-inning struggles and retired eight of the final nine batters he faced, while striking out seven. Danny Espinosa paced the Nationals' offensive attack with his third career four-hit performance and first since 2012. "[Zimmermann] helped himself out tonight. Any time you see that, that's good," Nats outfielder Denard Span said of the pitcher's big three-run single. "He swung the bat really well tonight. He hit the ball a lot harder than I did against Wood." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Nats' bats awake: The 13-run outburst on Tuesday night was no fluke, as the Nationals again came out swinging on Wednesday. The Nats, who had scored 14 runs during their six-game losing streak, and as many as five runs only once in their previous eight games coming into Tuesday night, totaled 26 runs during the final two games of this series. Wood falters in fourth: Wood notched four strikeouts through the first two innings and exited the third inning having retired nine of the 11 batters he had faced. But the young left-hander paid the price for pitching around Tuesday night's hero Dan Uggla to load the bases with two outs in the fourth. Zimmermann then got ahead with a 3-0 count before sending a 3-2 fastball to center field to account for his three-run single. Freeman's red-hot bat: There has not been much for the Braves to celebrate as they have lost seven of their past nine games. But their often maligned offense has benefited from the recent resurgence of Freddie Freeman, who has recorded 10 hits in his last 17 at-bats. Freeman damaged Zimmermann with a first-inning double and a third-inning RBI single that gave the Braves a 3-1 lead. Jordan keeps his cool: Zimmermann appeared to be on the ropes in the first inning, but he limited the damage to two runs and then settled in on the way to completing a season-high seven innings. He had totaled three career RBIs before notching his three-run single in the fourth. QUOTABLE "[Zimmermann] got into a rhythm. There is a reason why I think he is their No. 1 [starter]. They just whooped us tonight, that is really all you can say about it." -- Braves third baseman Chris Johnson SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Washington came into Wednesday's game tied for second in the Majors with San Diego in two-out hits with 71 (only Kansas City had more with 75). The Nats added five more on Wednesday night to drive in eight runs. WHAT'S NEXT Nationals: Washington begins the final leg of a 10-game, three-city road trip by opening a four-game series with the Mets on Thursday at Citi Field. Right-hander Stephen Strasburg will oppose Mets righty Jacob deGrom at 7:10 p.m. ET. The Nationals lost two of three against New York in the first series of 2015 at Nationals Park. Braves: Atlanta welcomes the Reds to Turner Field on Thursday at 7:10 p.m. ET. Shelby Miller will oppose Cincinnati's Mike Leake in the opener of a four-game set. Miller has won each of his past three starts. Freeman's red-hot bat a bright spot for Braves By Mark Bowman / MLB.com | @mlbbowman | 1:00 AM ET ATLANTA -- Now that Freddie Freeman has entered into one of his hot streaks, the Braves' offense has started to show some life. But Freeman's most recent contributions went for naught as the pitching staff allowed the Nationals to tally 26 runs during the final two games of this week's series at Turner Field. Still as the Braves exited Wednesday night's 13-4 loss in the rubber game, they could at least be encouraged by the recent production provided by Freeman. Since exiting Saturday in the midst of a 1-for-18 slump, the All-Star first baseman has recorded 10 hits, including four doubles, in his past 17 at-bats. "I don't think everybody is ever worried about Freddie Freeman," third baseman Chris Johnson said. Before finding a groove during the latter part of Wednesday's seven-inning effort, Nationals starter Jordan Zimmermann allowed a double to Freeman during a two-run first-inning and an RBI single in the third. Freeman's recent surge has coincided with the lineup adjustments manager Fredi Gonzalez made on Saturday in Philadelphia. The Braves have tallied at least four runs in each of the five games since Nick Markakis moved into the leadoff spot. With Markakis and Andrelton Simmons filling the top two spots, there have been more frequent run-producing opportunities for Freeman, who is now batting just ahead of red-hot cleanup hitter A.J. Pierzynski. Pierzynski has hit safely in each of his first 12 games of the season. The 38-year-old catcher has compiled a .422 batting average through his first 52 plate appearances. He is now in position to become the first Braves player (minimum 50 plate appearances) to exit April with a .400 batting average since Chipper Jones in 2008. Unfortunately for Freeman and Pierzynski, their recent offensive contributions have been blemished by the 5.64 ERA Atlanta's pitching staff has posted as the club has won just four of its past 14 games. "It's hard to complain about the way we're scoring runs," Gonzalez said. Wood pays heavy price in decisive fourth inning By Mark Bowman / MLB.com | @mlbbowman | 12:20 AM ET ATLANTA -- It did not take long for the Braves to be burned by the carryover effect that developed when the Nationals erased an early eight-run deficit and completed an incredible comeback victory on Tuesday night, courtesy of Dan Uggla's three-run homer in the ninth. Had Uggla not recorded a pair of triples and the home run during the previous two nights, Alex Wood might have attacked him the same way he would have any other hitter who has batted .173 since the start of the 2013 season. But with those extra-base hits still fresh in his memory, the young Braves lefty proved cautious with his ex-teammate and ultimately paid the price during the decisive four-run fourth inning the Nationals produced during Wednesday night's 13-4 loss at Turner Field. After pitching around Uggla to load the bases with a four-pitch walk, Wood fell behind Jordan Zimmermann with a 3-0 count before allowing the Nationals starting pitcher to lace a go-ahead three-run single to center field. "You throw some pitches around the zone kind of hoping [Uggla] swings at," Wood said. "You're not going to let one of their hitters beat you. So, it was whatever four straight [balls] to him and he walks. Then I don't know if it was a focus thing where you're kind of pitching around him and it carries over to the pitcher, where you get behind 3-0 and you're just in a bad situation." The Braves certainly aren't in a comfortable situation as they have lost seven of their last nine games. Julio Teheran has labored through each of his past three starts and Wood has not been dominant in any of his first five starts. Consequently, a rotation that was thought to be one of the team's strengths has posted a 5.11 ERA over the 14 games that have followed the club's 8-3 start. Wood entered Wednesday having totaled just one strikeout during his past two starts. Thus, when he notched a pair of strikeouts during a perfect first inning and then added two more while surrendering a run in the second, it looked like he was primed for an effective outing. But his night began to crumble after Bryce Harper doubled with one out in the fourth inning. "Mechanically and from a stuff standpoint, I feel that is the best I've been all spring," Wood said. "I was happy with the process, but I was pretty disappointed with the results." Wood has posted a 4.03 ERA through his first five starts. Though statistics can be misleading at this point of the season, he has not yet looked like he did while producing a 1.92 ERA through his final 11 starts of the 2014 season. Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez pulled Wood after he totaled 100 pitches through five innings on Wednesday night. "That was definitely not the same Woody," Gonzalez said. "It was a good first inning and then he just got into a lot of deep counts." Braves may turn to Foltynewicz for Friday's start By Mark Bowman / MLB.com | @mlbbowman | April 29, 2015 ATLANTA -- The Braves have not announced that Mike Foltynewicz will start Friday night's game against the Reds.