Atlanta Braves face 3-6 defeat against Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park - MLB Update
Atlanta Braves lose to Cincinnati Reds 3-6, as starter Randall Delgado struggles with his control on the mound, in the fourth game of the four match series, at Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio on May 24, 2012.
Delgado was steady in first five innings and heading to a great show on the mound. The moment he resumed the sixth, his control lost and three runs were given up right away.
Unable to show any evidence of completing the sixth inning successfully, he was scratched and replaced with relief pitcher, Kris Medlen. In little more than five innings, Delgado gave up seven hits and struck-out four.
Braves’ manager Fredi González, despite poor performances by Mike Minor and Delgado, has not made any decision on them. A plan to give young pitchers a chance at the big league and help them polish skills for the long-term need of the club is underway.
In this connection, Delgado will be assured of not being sent to Minors. Therefore, keeping focus right will be easier for him.
Bullpen, which has done a decent job for the Braves and is among the best in the National League, did not live up to reputation on Thursday. Relievers, Medlen and Jonny Venters, were short of blocking the flow of runs late in the innings.
Livan Hernandez was perfect in the eighth, but as the Braves’ offence did not put up any resistance in the ninth, his contribution proved dead-rubber.
Catcher, Brian McCann sat out due to illness and David Ross assumed his role as catcher in the game.
Ross admitted excellence shown by the Reds. Taking a dig at the Braves' line-up, the Reds’ pitchers beat hitters out-and-out, he uttered.
"They're definitely rolling right now," David Ross said. "They've got a lot of confidence. Their pitching staff is better than I think people give them credit for. And we're a little banged up right now, not 100 percent."
For a while, the Braves have slowed, in-particular their offence has stopped providing hits. As soon as they are trailed by few runs, no one lifts the charge during penultimate innings of the game and that seals their fate.
As third-baseman Chipper Jones is out and McCann is not playing, the Braves will look to have them back at the earliest. Probably, by then, their offence will be able to restore its power and will start supplying home-runs frequently.
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