Luke Jackson Do you remember the summer of 2019, when Luke Jackson was the Braves’ lone reliable reliever amidst a sea of bullpen woes, yet every time he took the mound, it felt like he was haunted by some cosmic misfortune? Well, for those who recall those quirky times with a mix of nostalgia and exasperation, today’s game might have felt either amusingly familiar or just plain frustrating. The Braves called on Jackson in a tie game, and once again, the oddities and mishaps returned, contributing to a 5-1 defeat that could hardly be pinned on Jackson or the Atlanta pitching staff alone.
The game, marked by an unusually early start, unfolded with a rather sleepy offensive performance, reminiscent of a lazy Sunday afternoon. The Nationals managed to score their lone run in the first inning in an unconventional manner.
With runners on first and third and one out, Andres Chaparro hit a comebacker that glanced off pitcher Reynaldo Lopez’s leg and deflected towards second baseman Whit Merrifield. Though Merrifield had no chance for a double play, he was forced to throw to first base to complete a rundown, allowing the runner from third to score.
Despite this unorthodox run, Lopez kept the Nationals scoreless for the rest of his six innings. He struggled with his command, ending with a 7/3 strikeout-to-walk ratio, but managed to limit the damage. The Nationals were unable to capitalize fully on Lopez’s occasional wildness, largely due to their poor plate discipline against his breaking balls.
On the other side, the Braves’ offense struggled significantly against Nationals starter DJ Herz. Despite loading the bases in the first inning—thanks to a hit-by-pitch on Michael Harris II and two walks—Whit Merrifield’s groundout to second base ended the threat. Harris stayed in the game initially but was later replaced by Jarred Kelenic for precautionary reasons. The Braves failed to generate much more offense, with Herz striking out the side in the fifth inning and finishing with an 8/3 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Reliever Jacob Barnes, who oddly doesn’t go by “Jake,” came in to replace Herz in the sixth inning and promptly gave up a towering home run to Matt Olson. Olson’s proficiency against fastballs was evident, although he has struggled with consistency in other areas of his game. This home run tied the game and set the stage for the return of Luke Jackson and his infamous “ghosts.”
The decision to use Jackson in a tie game was perplexing and soon led to chaotic results. The inning began with Keibert Ruiz hitting a grounder to Merrifield, who committed a fielding error. After a strikeout, the Nationals executed a hit-and-run with Drew Millas, whose awkward swing produced a soft grounder that managed to evade the Braves’ defense despite Orlando Arcia’s attempt to cover second base. Jackson managed to get ahead of Jacob Young with two swinging strikes, but a passed ball allowed Millas to advance to second. A controversial ball call on a third strike slider followed, and Jackson’s next pitch was a wild curveball that scored the go-ahead run. Jackson then allowed a fastball that was dangerously inside, which Young managed to pull for an RBI double.
Jackson’s outing ended with that, but the inning’s misfortunes didn’t stop there. Aaron Bummer came in and allowed another grounder to Merrifield, who made yet another error, leading to a fourth run. Jesse Chavez faced the Nationals in the ninth and, despite two strikeouts, couldn’t avoid the ghostly influence as a couple of bloop hits, including a missed catch and a failed throw by Sean Murphy, resulted in a final run, making it 5-1.
Aside from Olson’s home run, the Braves’ offense was virtually nonexistent. Nationals pitcher Eduardo Salazar had a perfect seventh inning, striking out both Kelenic and Marcell Ozuna, with only a walk to Jorge Soler as a blemish. Kyle Finnegan then came in for the save, retiring the Braves with relative ease despite a couple of errors and a hit by Murphy in the ninth inning. Finnegan struck out Arcia on three close pitches.
As the Braves look ahead, they will be hoping for favorable results from other games and, perhaps, a bit of cosmic intervention to avoid losing further ground. With no sweep since June, the Braves face the challenge of maintaining their position amidst the quirky and unsettling occurrences that seem to follow them.
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