This story was originally published by Dead Spin
The Atlanta Braves will try to rebound after blowing a four-run lead in a critical loss as they oppose the host Cincinnati Reds in the second game of a three-game series on Wednesday.
If the Braves (81-70) don’t reach the playoffs for the first time since 2017, the Reds will have played a major role. Cincinnati (74-78) has won all four meetings this season, with just two games remaining in the season set.
The Braves blew a 5-1 lead on Tuesday in the series opener and fell 6-5 to the Reds. With the Mets routing the Washington Nationals 10-1 and the Diamondbacks losing to the Colorado Rockies 8-2, the Braves are two games back of New York and Arizona for the final two National League wild-card spots.
Injuries might finally be catching up to the Braves, who captured the 2021 World Series and won 100-plus games in 2022 and ’23. The team lost staff ace Spencer Strider to an elbow injury in April, right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. to a torn ACL in May, shortstop Ozzie Albies to a fractured wrist in July and third baseman Austin Riley to a hand injury in August.
Albies might be able to return this weekend after homering in his first rehab game on Tuesday.
In their loss to the Reds on Tuesday, the Braves went 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left 14 on base, including the tying run in scoring position in the ninth.
“It’s hard,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “We’ve been talking about it all year, really. We were talking about it before all the injury bugs started, really. But you know what, honestly, that’s not an excuse. We are what we are, we got our guys, and they’re all capable of doing the job. It’s just, I think, about not trying too hard and adjusting in some situations.”
Once a candidate for the National League triple crown, Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna has slumped lately, going 26 games without a home run.
The Reds, meanwhile, are enjoying the spoiler role, having won three of their past four games, all against playoff contenders. Spencer Steer belted a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning to cap the Tuesday comeback.
“I think we can hopefully string together a really good couple weeks here in the season and have our heads held high going to the offseason,” Steer said. “We know what we’re capable of. And when we play clean baseball in all phases of the game, I think we’re really tough to beat. So I think that’s gonna be a big focus for us going forward.”
It was Steer’s 20th homer of the season to go along with his 25 steals. Steer and Elly De La Cruz, with 24 homers and 64 stolen bases, are the first Cincinnati teammates since Barry Larkin and Eric Davis in 1996 to reach 20-plus homers and 20-plus steals in a season.
The Braves will send rookie right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach (6-7, 3.73 ERA) to the mound on Wednesday. Schwellenbach earned a win in his latest outing, allowing four hits and two runs over six innings in a 6-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday. Schwellenbach has never faced Cincinnati.
The Reds will counter with one of their hottest pitchers, right-hander Jakob Junis (4-0, 2.73 ERA), making his fourth start as part of the injury-riddled Cincinnati rotation. Junis allowed three hits and one run over five innings on Thursday in a no-decision against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Junis is 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA in three career games (two starts) against the Braves, all while he was with the San Francisco Giants the previous two years.
–Field Level Media
