The Atlanta Braves couldn't withstand a power binge from the Milwaukee Brewers en route to a 16-7 loss on Thursday afternoon at Truist Park. The loss cemented a sweep for Milwaukee, while Atlanta's now lost five straight games.
Here's what you need to know about from the contest.
Is Charlie Morton done?
The veteran righthander, who turned 40 shortly before Atlanta picked up his 2024 club option at a cost of $20M, has been candid with the media this season about his struggles.
Morton's discussed his difficulty in figuring out who he is as a pitcher at this point in his career, often speaking at length about how he's been asked to change by various teams so much that he's not entirely sure what the best path forward is - Tampa Bay wanted him to elevate fastballs, while Atlanta has emphasized the curveball, even having him throw it more than either his four-seam or sinker.
Those struggles continued today. Morton allowed a career-high four homers in this one, finishing with eight runs allowed on nine hits. Walking one and striking out three, he was lifted with two outs in the third inning after a disengagement violation and a single scored the eighth and final run. Despite throwing 83 pitches, he picked up just four whiffs, three on the curveball and one on the four-seam fastball. But those two pitches were also his problem pitches today, with three of the four homers coming on curveballs that were elevated into the zone.
For Morton, this is another data point in a season that has become one of extremes. In the righty's 21 starts for Atlanta this season, seven of them have been for four or more runs, while nine of them have been for one or no earned runs. He's 6-7 on the year, while the Braves are 9-12 in his starts.
Austin Riley, one-man offense
To add insult to injury, at the time Morton left the game with two outs in the third, Frankie Montas was cruising. Despite entering the day with an ERA over 5.00, he recorded his first five outs via strikeout and didn't allow a hit until the third inning.
Riley made the hit count, however, cleaning up the two inning-opening walks with his seventeenth homer of the season, getting RBIs 51, 52, & 53. Since the All-Star Break, Riley's been one of the best hitters on the team with a .294 average and .886 OPS, second to only shortstop Orlando Arcia's .316 average and .962 OPS.
With his slow start to the season - Riley was batting .228 with only three homers through the end of May - he's not going to finish with a homer total in the 30s but it's a good sign that Riley has been able to cure whatever malaise was ailing his bat early in the season.
Marcell Ozuna added a solo shot late in this one, taking former Braves starter Bryse Wilson deep in the 7th inning for his 33rd homer of the season.
Welcome to the Bigs, Parker Dunshee!
Having to cover additional innings in both of the last two games with short starts by Bryce Elder (3.2 innings) and Chris Sale (4.2), Atlanta's bullpen needed some reinforcements for the finale.
Enter Parker Dunshee.
The 29-year-old, who signed a minor league free agent deal last offseason, was called up and made his major league debut today.
The righty pitched 2.1 innings, finishing Morton's third inning and taking both the fourth and fifth. He finished with five runs allowed on four hits, walking two and striking out three. The longball proved to be his undoing, with youngster Jackson Chourio (his second homer of the game) and first baseman Jake Bauers both tagging him for two-run homers in the fifth inning.
He's likely to get sent back down to Gwinnett after today's game as the team prepares to leave for a multi-city West Coast swing. There are no off days on this upcoming trip, with ten games in ten days, and so a roster move will need to be made for a fresh arm after the bullpen's been asked to cover sixteen innings in this series.
If the season were to end today, they'd be home in October
For the first time this season, Atlanta's on the outside looking in on the playoff picture.
With both the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres on hot streaks right now - they're both 8-2 in their last ten games and had four-game winning streaks entering today's action - Atlanta was already on thin ice, just half a game above the Mets for the final Wild Card spot.
But Atlanta's loss puts them at risk of being out of the postseason standings this evening, depending on the outcome of New York's series finale with the Colorado Rockies.
What's next for the Atlanta Braves?
The Braves head out for West for tomorrow's series opener in Coors Field against the Colorado Rockies. Game one is scheduled for 8:40 PM ET. Atlanta has yet to announce their rotation for the series, while Colorado is sending 26-year-old Tanner Gordon (0-3, 6.75) to the mound.
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