An Aroldis Chapman wild pitch scored Phil Gosselin in the top of the ninth inning, proving to be the difference in a 2-1 victory for the Braves over the Reds on Monday at Great American Ball Park.
Following Sunday’s walk-off defeat vs. the White Sox, Chapman has suffered losses on back-to-back days for only the third time in his career. With one out in the ninth inning of a 1-1 game, Gosselin delivered a pinch-hit single through the middle and Nick Markakis followed with a single to center field. Andrelton Simmons was batting when Gosselin stole third base. Freddie Freeman was up when Chapman’s 0-1 pitch, a 103-mph fastball, sailed outside and past the glove of Tucker Barnhart. The catcher slipped and fell as he retrieved the ball, preventing a play at the plate.
“They’re getting the ball in the air and through the infield — not a lot of extra-base damage but singles,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “They took advantage of his slower delivery to steal third base. Things we have to work on, for sure, because we can’t just give away third base there.”
The Braves snapped a three-game losing streak while the Reds have dropped three in a row. Both teams have identical 15-17 records. Reliever Luis Avilan earned the victory for Atlanta with a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth inning.
It was a no-decision night for both starting pitchers. Braves starter Shelby Miller pitched seven innings and allowed one run and three hits, while Reds starter Mike Leake gave up one run and eight hits over six innings.
The game began following a one-hour, 40-minute rain delay.
“The offense came around in the ninth against one of the best closers in the game, which is pretty special,” said Miller. “So, you tip your cap to them. We made some nice plays and got out of some jams. We needed this win bad.”
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