Atlanta Braves suffer 2-7 defeat against Detroit Tigers in 2012 Spring Training - MLB Update
Starter, Jair Jurrjens, goes for six earned runs as the Atlanta Braves face a 2-7 defeat against Detroit Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida on March 20, 2012 during their Spring Training Grapefruit League contest.
Coming off a great last season when Jurrjens hit 2.96 ERA, he was looking to build on his previous season performance. The way he was hammered for two home-runs and eight hits in five innings however tells something bad about his preparations this year.
"I felt good," Jurrjens said. "They got some cheap hits in and there's nothing you can do about it. I felt good and I am happy with my control."
Although manager, Fredi Gonzalez, is not hurried for making conclusions about him, he will put him at ease by bringing few victories to his side. After all, manager is looking forward to a same win-loss record he had last season of 13-6.
Since the start of training, it was more their pitchers than batters that let Braves down, but today latter also fared equally poor. Only two runs scored in the third and remaining innings did not see any run coming.
Bulk of the contribution in their score came from their first baseman Eric Hinske, who added two RBIs while connecting one hit in four at-bats.
Braves’ right-fielder Jason Heyward, unlike his terrific performance so far in training, went hitless in four at-bats he came across. Similarly, their infielder Matt Diaz connected only one hit in three at-bats.
On the mound where Braves were hit on numbers of occasions, Tigers on the same place made batters toil for hits. Tigers’ starter, Justin Verlander alone threw for five innings and while he gave up two runs, he brought four important strike-outs.
All the relievers and closers following him proved even better as they all did not conceded any run.
Only silver-lining for Braves in the game was their closer, Craig Kimbrel, who while continuing his amazing time in Spring Training went through another scoreless one inning in the game.
Braves’ mild surge they just started to experience has been pushed back again by this defeat. Irrespective of the kind of results they get in their next games, their flaws in many areas remain conspicuous and only time will tell how they will grapple with
them during the upcoming regular season.
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