Paul Maholm clueless in fifth as Atlanta Braves routed by Milwaukee Brewers 2-8 - MLB Update
Starter Paul Maholm crumbles in the fifth as the Atlanta Braves suffer 2-8 loss at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin on September 12, 2012 in the last match of the three game series.
Everything was going fine for the Braves before the fifth. They were ahead of the Brewers by two runs. With a couple of hits from the likes of Chipper Jones or Jason Heyward, they will have easily taken their lead to a substantial level.
However the beginning of the fifth turned out to be the harbinger of their demise. With eight runs given up in one inning alone, it became extremely difficult for the Braves to bounce back into the game thereafter.
Maholm will be disheartened at the moment. Before he surrendered a three-run homer in the fifth, he was going scoreless and thus was heading toward claiming the victory.
As soon as he gave up the home-run, his confidence shattered. Afterward the opposition exploited the situation and kept striking hits off his throws. Following the home-run, he allowed a single which brought another run for the Brewers.
Maholm was scratched from the mound after little more than four innings.
Braves’ manager Fredi Gonzalez criticises performance of the offence in the last few games. The runs batters are scoring not enough to win matches on a regular basis.
Commenting on the game, Gonzalez has stated his confidence to end up as victorious when he witnessed the two-run lead before Brewers experienced the run-rampage in the fifth.
"Early in the game, we made some great defensive plays. Guys were bouncing everywhere and got a couple of quick runs and I thought, 'OK, here we go,’" Gonzalez said. "But it's hard to win ballgames when we score three runs in three games and we give up a
bunch."
Maholm talks after the match about his outing on the mound.
"I can't say I like this place. I'm kind of glad to be out of here and not coming back this year. They've got a good lineup. Obviously, they know me and I know them," Maholm said.
Braves cannot afford to keep losing in the face of the imminence of the post-season. They will be trying to reverse their decline at the earliest and return to their winning ways.
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