Braves' bullpen strong until the final pitch

Mark Melancon had surrendered one home run over his past 40 appearances, and Scott Kingery had tallied just one extra-base hit over his previous 66 at-bats. The odds were in favor of the veteran closer extending the Braves’ bullpen’s success at the expense of the versatile Phillie, who may not have even entered the game without the new extra-inning rules.

But an impressive performance by the ‘pen was blemished when the Phillies sent the Braves to a 7-4 loss with the Kingery’s three-run homer in the 11th inning off Melancon on Friday night at Citizens Bank Park.

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“The outcome wasn’t what we wanted, but there were a lot of great things that transpired over the course of the game,” manager Brian Snitker said.

The Braves’ bullpen totaled 101 pitches while allowing just three hits, including a bunt single, over 6 2/3 innings. The first 100 pitches induced a much different result than the 0-2 fastball Melancon left elevated and in to Kingery, who lined the pitch into the left-field seats.

“I was thinking, ‘Just get something up,’ and thankfully, he threw a pitch that was up,” Kingery said.

It was the second time this year the Braves played in extra innings, when teams begin with an automatic runner on second base in accordance with the rule adjustment made for this season. The speedy Kingery, who is hitting .134 with a .388 OPS, likely would have never been in the game had he not been inserted to start the 10th inning as a pinch-runner at second base instead of Alec Bohm, the scheduled automatic runner.

Of course, Atlanta wouldn’t have had a chance to win without its relievers, who went into lockdown mode after Robbie Erlin allowed two-run homers to Andrew McCutchen and Jean Segura within the first four innings.

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Accounting for their depleted rotation, the Braves have given Erlin three starts over the past couple of weeks knowing he might not give them more than four innings. They can do so confidently because of the depth of their bullpen, which ranks second in the National League with a 3.29 ERA.

Once Ender Inciarte and Austin Riley hit back-to-back homers in the seventh to tie the game, the Braves had the momentum over the Phillies, who rank last in the Majors with a 7.27 bullpen ERA.

But Atlanta did not provide further offensive support to its bullpen, which has been strengthened by the re-emergence of A.J. Minter and the added success Shane Greene has had this season.

“If you go out there to make pitches to win games, your personal numbers will be there,” said Greene, who has produced a 0.59 ERA through 14 appearances (15 1/3 innings).

Chris Martin struck out two in a scoreless seventh, and Will Smith did the same in a perfect eighth, showing why they were top offseason targets. The need to strengthen the ‘pen over the last year was influenced by the decline of Minter, who went from being the closer in 2018 to spending much of an injury-plagued ‘19 at the Triple-A level.

Yet after stranding the two runners he inherited in the sixth inning, the lefty found himself with a 0.84 ERA through 12 appearances (10 2/3 innings). But his escape wasn’t as impressive as the one Greene fashioned four innings later.

“Greeny has just been lights out,” Snitker said. “He’s been so good. He’s another one who just doesn’t give in to hitters.”

Kingery was placed on second base to begin the bottom of the 10th, and he advanced to third base on Roman Quinn’s bunt single, but then was thrown out at the plate after Austin Riley snared Rhys Hoskins’ sharp grounder. Greene intentionally walked Bryce Harper and ended the threat when his eight-pitch battle against J.T. Realmuto resulted in a groundout.

So what did Greene think about starting an inning with a runner on second base?

“To be honest, I didn’t even think about it until I got out there,” Greene said. “I saw the runner going out to second and I was like, ‘Oh crap. Extra innings. New rules.’ But once he’s there, it’s just about making pitches.”

Unfortunately, for the Braves, they made plenty of good pitches and then were doomed by what proved to be the last one of the day.