ATLANTA -- Dethroning the two-time World Series champion Dodgers with just two healthy starters was going to be a daunting challenge. But as the Braves head into the offseason, they’ll be haunted by two bullpen decisions and a frustrating offense.
One night after Chris Sale’s middling five-inning effort created further reason to question whether the veteran lefty should have been used as a reliever a few days earlier, Tyler Mahle looked like a legit playoff-caliber starter.
That is, until he was prematurely lifted in the seventh inning of what became a season-ending 4-1 loss to the Dodgers in Game 4 of the NL Division Series on Wednesday night. Braves manager Walt Weiss’ decision to pull Mahle in favor of a fatigued Didier Fuentes backfired in an irreversible manner.
Three days after throwing 3 2/3 innings (47 pitches) in a Game 2 win, Fuentes entered with one out and one on in the seventh. The 21-year-old hurler walked two of the three batters he faced. Robert Suarez entered with the bases loaded and promptly allowed Andy Pages to hit a go-ahead two-run single to center.
Mahle surrendered three hits and allowed just one unearned run before being lifted with his pitch count at 85. His average four-seam velocity in the sixth inning (94.9 mph) was actually higher than it was in each of the first three innings. This is the same guy who posted a 1.99 ERA in nine regular-season starts for Atlanta and then limited the Phillies to one run over seven innings in Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series.
But instead of continuing with Mahle, Weiss went to Fuentes, who appeared to be feeling the effects of Sunday’s outing. The five four-seamers he threw on Wednesday averaged 95.9 mph. The 25 four-seamers he threw in Sunday’s scoreless effort averaged 99.4 mph.
As for Suarez, he was impressive in Sunday’s Atlanta victory. But Wednesday’s appearance was just the fifth he has made since right elbow discomfort shut him down in June, when he had a 0.56 ERA through 31 appearances.
Sale was the only consistently reliable piece of Atlanta’s injury-depleted rotation until Mahle arrived. The Braves protected his 37-year-old arm by giving him at least one extra day of rest before nearly all of his regular-season starts. But after he threw 95 pitches in a Game 1 win over the Phillies in the Wild Card Series, he threw 21 pitches two days later to close out Game 3.
This seemed to affect his command when he allowed two home runs while lasting just five innings in Tuesday night’s Game 3 loss to the Dodgers. But even had he surrendered just one run, it might not have been enough.
MIchael Harris II, who was Atlanta’s only productive offensive player during the postseason, was placed in the leadoff spot on Wednesday. He singled and scored on a wild pitch in the first inning. But that was the only run the Braves mustered against Tyler Glasnow and Los Angeles’ bullpen.