ATLANTA -- Six outs away from finally killing Philadelphia’s hex, the Braves were undone by their bullpen, the portion of their roster that was supposed to be a postseason strength.
“I was at shortstop when Kirk Gibson did his thing off one of the greatest closers of all time,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “It comes with the territory when you're pitching late in close games. Every once in a while, they get you.”
Nearly 40 years later, Weiss still remembers the sting he and his A’s teammates felt when an injured Gibson came off the bench to hit a walk-off homer against Hall of Fame closer Dennis Eckersley in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series at Dodger Stadium.
A similar type of sting was felt as the Braves blew a two-run eighth-inning lead in a 4-3, 10-inning loss to the Phillies in Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series on Wednesday afternoon at Truist Park. Dylan Lee surrendered consecutive homers to Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper in the eighth. Didier Fuentes allowed Alec Bohm’s decisive homer with two outs in the 10th.
“That's life,” Braves starting pitcher Tyler Mahle said. “Sometimes, it happens. There's nothing really else to say about it. It sucks now, but we're going to have a chance to go out there tomorrow and turn it around.”
Now, Weiss’ bunch must win Game 3 on Thursday to avoid being eliminated from the playoffs by Philadelphia for the fourth time overall and third time in the past five years. The Phillies eliminated Atlanta teams that won 100-plus regular-season games in 1993 (NLCS), 2022 (NLDS) and 2023 (NLDS).
Thursday's Game 3, airing on NBC and Peacock, will start at 2 p.m. ET unless it is the only remaining series. In that case, Phillies-Braves would start at 8 p.m. ET.
“[The Braves] have played great at home,” Harper said. “But again, I'll just talk about the postseason; it's just a different animal.”
Mahle proved he was up to the challenge during what was his first postseason appearance. The right-hander, acquired from the Giants on Aug. 2, became the first Braves pitcher to allow one run or none over seven-plus innings in the postseason since Max Fried threw seven scoreless against the Reds in Game 1 of the 2020 NL Wild Card Series.
Once Harper misplayed a Drake Baldwin fly ball into a go-ahead double off Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez during Atlanta’s two-run seventh, it looked like the Braves were destined for a great storyline.
But instead of celebrating how their trade acquisition helped them end the Phillies’ playoff dominance, the Braves were reminded that Lee hasn’t been nearly as good as he was before the All-Star break, when he posted a 1.47 ERA in 43 innings (44 appearances).
When Schwarber opened the eighth with a Statcast-projected 447-foot homer and Harper followed by depositing another ball into the right-field seats, Lee extended the troubles he had while posting a 6.00 ERA in 24 innings after the break. It should be noted he allowed just two homers during that stretch, and he did not allow any home runs to left-handed batters during the regular season.
“Lee’s our high-leverage lefty,” Weiss said. “He put down the same part of the order yesterday.”
Lee struck out Schwarber and got Harper to fly out in Game 1. How might he fare if he’s asked to go through these left-handed sluggers for a third straight day?
How about Fuentes? The rookie right-hander was masterful during the regular season, posting a 2.05 ERA in 70 1/3 innings as a reliever. But he surrendered J.T. Realmuto’s two-run triple in Game 1, and his psyche was bruised again Wednesday when Bohm sneaked his game-winning homer over the right-field wall.
“[Fuentes] made a good pitch,” Baldwin said. “I think if we need him tomorrow, he'll be ready to go, and I don't think he'll let that affect him too much.”
The Phillies’ rotation was a concern entering this series because Zack Wheeler was needed to pitch on Sunday with a postseason spot on the line. Well, Aaron Nola and Wheeler could be used in Game 3.
As for the Braves, they haven’t announced who will start Game 3. Grant Holmes will be lined up to pitch at least four innings. But will he start? Or will either Ray Kerr or Brent Suter take the mound as an opener?
More importantly, can the Braves bounce back from this and finally end their playoff struggles against their division rivals?
“We’re going to give them hell for 27 outs,” Braves third baseman Austin Riley said. “I like our chances for sure.”