Braves lose 7-3 to Giants as Elder allows 5 runs
Bryce Elder allowed 5 earned runs in a 7-3 loss to the Giants, Atlanta moved Robert Suarez to the 60-day injured list, and the Braves close out the road trip in Washington behind AJ Smith-Shawver.
Elder's 5 runs undo Harris' home run
The Braves fell 7-3 to the San Francisco Giants at Truist Park on August 31, a result that came a day after Matt Olson's walk-off homer had made it seven straight wins, per FoulTerritoryTV. Atlanta is 4-1 in its last five games, but the loss to San Francisco kept the club from extending that further before it left for Washington.
Giants3-7Michael Harris II went 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI. Bryce Elder started and worked 5.1 innings, allowing 5 earned runs on 8 hits with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts, and Ray Kerr followed with 3.1 innings out of the bullpen, allowing 1 hit and 1 earned run while striking out 4.
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Atlanta transferred Robert Suarez to the 60-day injured list Tuesday, formalizing what the elbow injury had already made clear for the reliever's season. Reynaldo Lopez, working back from a knee issue, is expected to make another rehab start this week before being activated from the 15-day injured list, manager Walt Weiss said Monday, per Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal.
Joe Jimenez, also out with a knee injury, has been responding well to bullpen sessions over the past few weeks, but Weiss cautioned Monday that a return from the 60-day injured list this season would still be "a giant leap," per McAuley. Between Suarez, Jimenez and Lopez, Atlanta's bullpen has spent most of the summer patching around three key relievers, and only Lopez looks close to actually pitching again.
Upcoming
The Braves are in Washington tonight, sending AJ Smith-Shawver to the mound against Jake Irvin. Smith-Shawver is 0-0 with a 5.93 ERA and last started August 26 against the Dodgers, allowing 3 earned runs on 5 hits over 5 innings with 3 strikeouts and 3 walks in a no-decision. Irvin is 2-8 with a 5.62 ERA for the Nationals and was even shakier in his last outing, walking 6 and allowing 1 earned run on 3 hits over just 4.1 innings against the Rockies on August 27.
Atlanta, 4.0 games up on Philadelphia in the NL East, is favored on the road, and the market expects a high-scoring game between two clubs whose starters have had trouble missing bats or the strike zone lately. With Irvin averaging close to 6 walks a start and Atlanta's bullpen thin behind Kerr, neither team figures to make this one quick.