The Braves could not secure the sweep Wednesday afternoon as the Marlins won the series finale 6-2. Here are three observations from the game:
From the time Marlins leadoff hitter Justin Ruggiano stepped into the box, it was clear that Maholm did not have his best stuff. A leadoff walk to Ruggiano, followed by an Ed Lucas single, not only put the Braves' lefty in early trouble but it disrupted the National League's tried and true strategy of pitching around Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton.
Right on cue, Stanton laced a two-RBI double before Maholm could record his first out. By the time the 36-pitch, four-run first inning was over, the Marlins had inflicted most of their damage to Maholm's ugly final line: 4 1/3 innings pitched, seven hits and four earned runs on 103 pitches. He would run into more trouble in the fourth and fifth inning -- much of it stemming from a season-high five walks, the most he's issued since May 26 when he was still a member of the Chicago Cubs -- before being relieved by David Carpenter.
"I think the game could have gotten out of hand in a heartbeat," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "He kinda kept (us) right there right until the end … we battled back and battled back and make it a two-run game and you feel pretty good that you got a good chance. I thought after Pauly's (first) inning, he settled down a little bit and tried to go as long as he can."
Fortunes were not exactly in Maholm's favor on Wednesday, either, as the ball kept finding him. And not in a good way.
"You battle as hard as you can," said Maholm, who fell to 9-8 on the season. "I foul one off my foot. I take a line drive -- or, I don't know if it was a line drive or one-hopper or what it was -- that hits both my knees. (Gerald) Laird tries to foul one back at me (in the batter's box). Then the next at-bat I foul one off my knee."
The rough outing is a continuation of an inconsistent stretch for Maholm that has shot his ERA up to a season-worst 3.98. He's allowed four earn runs or more in three of his past four starts, five of his past nine.
Though there have been quality starts (versus the Nationals, Dodgers, Mets and Diamondbacks) sandwiched in between his lackluster efforts, the trend since early June has not been a positive one. At this point, as has been alluded to time after time, it would appear that Atlanta would be best served moving Maholm to the bullpen (or elsewhere, if necessary) if forced to make room for Brandon Beachy during the second half of the campaign. Overall, he's been a strong rotation's weakest link … not a weak link (nine wins and a sub-4.00 ERA is worth something), but the weakest nonetheless.
There's been quite a bit of clamoring for Johnson and his .335 batting average to be moved up in the lineup, and with Gonzalez giving his starting catcher/No. 5 hitter Brian McCann the day off after two night games, Johnson moved into the fifth spot for the 12th time this season. To little surprise, he delivered.
Johnson finished the day 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
Earlier this week, Johnson said he does not have a problem providing the team with one of the best back-of-the-lineup bats in baseball. But if he produces in the second half like he has in the first -- at this point, there's no reason to believe he'll trip up -- it will be difficult for the Braves' brass not to try and find him more and more plate appearances. Outside of the four games he hit in the No. 2 hole in Jason Heyward's absence, Johnson has not looked overmatched in any one spot this season. Take a look at his averages in each batting position (minimum 10 plate appearances):
Batting 2nd: .118
Batting 5th: .300
Batting 6th: .355
Batting 7th: .352
Batting 8th: .371
Among MLB third baseman with at least 200 plate appearances, only reigning American League MVP Miguel Cabrera boasts a higher batting average than Chris Johnson. And while he does not provide the power numbers of most elite offensive third basemen (Cabrera, David Wright, Evan Longoria, Josh Donaldson, etc.), the Braves could not have asked for a better 73-game start from the "throw-in" of the Justin Upton deal.
After his two-RBI double, the Braves reverted back to their approach to Stanton: walk, walk, walk. But it was just a little too late, as the damage was essentially done. The Braves never reclaimed the lead. Stanton finished the game 1-for-2 with that double and three base-on-balls.
Overall, Braves pitchers walked Stanton seven times in the three-game series, an overwhelming testament to his bat and the lack of protection Miami has provided him this season. He's been walked in 13.8 percent of his at-bats this season, a career-high rate that just keeps climbing.
Only Joey Votto, Shin-Soo Choo, Dan Uggla, Carlos Santana (Indians catcher, not the rock star) and Billy Butler featured a better walk rate entering Wednesday's games.
With 13 free passes already in July, expect the 23-year-old outfielder to keep climbing up that list.
