Smith-Shawver shows promise, but falters in 5th as Braves swept by Twins

MINNEAPOLIS -- Frustration boiled over for the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday afternoon, punctuated by manager Walt Weiss’s eighth-inning ejection as a three-run comeback slipped away in a 6-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.

The loss completed a three-game sweep for Minnesota, overshadowing an encouraging display from right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver, who flashed electric stuff in his second Major League start 14 months removed from Tommy John surgery.

Making his return from Triple-A, the 23-year-old provided four solid frames before hitting a wall in the fifth. His afternoon ended at 75 pitches across 4 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on five hits and three walks while striking out three.

• After 426 days away due to TJ, Smith-Shawver returns to MLB mound

Early on, Smith-Shawver set the tone by pairing an elevated four-seam fastball that touched 97.6 mph with a sharp splitter and heavy sinker. He worked under pressure in the third inning, escaping a bases-loaded jam after Minnesota pushed a run across by coaxing Josh Bell into a 3-6-1 double play to limit the damage.

"I thought that location on the sinker today was [good], and whenever I throw my splitter like I did today in those early innings, it's hard to kind of combo those," Smith-Shawver said of his mix. "Those combo well and look pretty similar, so it's a good add-on and I think it protects my four-seam a little bit, too."

Command issues surfaced in the fifth. After getting Victor Caratini to pop out, Smith-Shawver allowed back-to-back singles before issuing consecutive walks – forcing in a run to end his day. Reliever Dylan Dodd then surrendered a two-run double to Kody Clemens, making it a 4-1 game before Atlanta tied it with three runs in the sixth.

"I thought he came out looking good, looking sharp," Weiss said. "Fifth inning, I think the stuff wasn't quite as crisp. But look, he showed the talented arm that he is, and I think he's going to help us move forward. ... These TJ guys, it takes time … but he's a very talented kid."

For Smith-Shawver, the frustration centered on the final outcome.

"When you lose a game like that, just tough," Smith-Shawver said. "You just think about mistakes you made and just things that you can do better. ... The team really had a chance to win. Just a little frustrating, but just something we make adjustments on. We just go out and compete again when they give me the ball."

Regarding his stamina late in the outing, he echoed his manager's sentiment.

"I think that's just been something I've been working on," Smith-Shawver noted. "Just getting deeper in games, coming back, just getting used to the feels and just how my body is in those innings. ... It wasn't as crisp from the fifth coming out there and just something I got to kind of make sure that I put some emphasis on and just work on."

The 4-4 tie proved short-lived as Minnesota reclaimed control in the seventh. Following a two-out double from Bell off Victor Mederos, reliever Dylan Lee surrendered RBI singles to Clemens and Brooks Lee, handing the Twins a 6-4 lead.

The emotion reached its peak in the eighth. After Mauricio Dubón struck out and voiced his displeasure, Weiss stepped out to confront home plate umpire Carlos Torres regarding a potential check swing call and was promptly ejected – his second ejection of the month.

"He doesn't have to check, but I told him he should have, in so many words," Weiss said. "I just feel like, it's [a] close enough check swing right there that the proper protocol there is to check with the first-base umpire."

Austin Riley was later called out on strikes to end the inning, highlighting the debate around team challenge protocol.

"Looking back ... just got to trust your gut there," Riley said. "I kind of went like I was going for it and ended up not ... I think the big deal there is ... runner on second, ended up being a strikeout. I think that's a situation where I need to pull the trigger there."

While Smith-Shawver’s return provided a bright spot, the game fit a broader, familiar pattern for Atlanta. Throughout the series in Minneapolis, the Braves struggled for consistent at-bats, relying on isolated hits and opponent missteps – even during their three-run sixth inning to draw even, two of the runs materialized courtesy of a sacrifice fly and a balk.

Riley emphasized the need for a quick reset as the team prepares to travel to Chicago.

"It's one of those three-game stretches where [there was] a lot of missed opportunity out there and just capitalizing on timely hits and scoring runs," Riley said. "That's the bottom line. Just got to be able to score some runs there. At the same time ... [we’re] still in a good spot. You got to be able to have a short memory, flush it and get ready for tomorrow."