Hot Swanson and more takeaways after loss

ATLANTA -- William Contreras homered yet again, and Dansby Swanson halted his offensive woes with his most productive game of the season. But the conclusion of the 6-4, 10-inning loss suffered against the Pirates on Thursday night proved to be all-too-familiar for the Braves.

The Braves have totaled four hits and five runs in bonus frames while going 1-5 in extra-inning games this season. Each of those hits and runs were tallied during a May 8 victory that required a four-run comeback in the 12th inning.

• Box score

That’s right. Four of the five runs the Braves have tallied beyond the ninth inning this year were scored in one of eight extra innings that they have played.

“I don't know how to explain it,” manager Brian Snitker said. “I know we're not really good in these extra-inning games. Yesterday was our first win when being tied after eight, I believe.”

Yep. Late innings have been disastrous for the Braves, who are now an MLB-worst 1-9 when tied after eight innings. In these 10 games, they have hit .048 (2-for-42) and scored just one run after the eighth.

As the Braves stand 20-24, there’s reason to question what is different about this team and last year’s, which was 26-18 after 44 games. Well, an underperforming lineup is one difference. But the constant weakness over the past few weeks has been the bullpen, which has posted the National League’s fourth-worst ERA (4.83).

So what went wrong as the Braves lost for the seventh time in their past 10 games? Here are four takeaways:

Why Webb?
Just three days after hitting Mets outfielder Kevin Pillar in the face with a pitch, Jacob Webb was asked to pitch the 10th inning, which of course, now begins with a runner on second base. The result wasn’t pretty as he retired just one of four batters faced and allowed Kevin Newman’s decisive RBI single.

So, why was he used in this situation? Well, closer Will Smith had pitched the previous two days and wasn’t going to be asked to pitch three straight days for the second time in less than a week. Luke Jackson had also pitched the previous two days, and A.J. Minter had extended his woes by allowing three runs during Wednesday’s win.

The choices were Webb, Josh Tomlin or left-hander Grant Dayton. In other words, this was another night that highlighted the fact this bullpen is nowhere near as deep as last year’s.

“It's a tough situation,” Snitker said. “I wanted to give him a clean inning. There’s no perfect time, but it was good to get him out there.”

Good with the bad
Adam Frazier delivered a two-out, game-tying single off Sean Newcomb in the seventh. Frazier’s single scored Ben Gamel, who advanced to second base when Contreras was unable to keep a pitch in the dirt in front of him.

Contreras has tremendous potential but still has some defensive shortcomings, which have raised questions about whether he’s limited by trying to use the one-knee style. Snitker chose not to answer this question when asked after the game.

But he certainly has appreciated the offensive contributions Contreras has made since being forced to become Atlanta’s starter when Travis d’Arnaud tore left thumb ligaments on May 1. The 23-year-old catcher’s three-run homer in the second inning was one of four he has hit through 47 at-bats this season.

Swanson’s encouraging night
With fans questioning whether Orlando Arcia should be promoted from Triple-A Gwinnett to become the Braves shortstop, Swanson quieted his critics with his third three-hit game of the season and his second straight multi-hit performance. He singled ahead of Contreras’ homer in the second.

Swanson entered Thursday hitting .209 with a .631 OPS and 31.4 percent strikeout rate. So, the veteran shortstop certainly could benefit from the confidence he gained when he also doubled and hit a go-ahead homer in the sixth. He has hit four of his six homers within his past 13 games.

Smyly’s progress
Drew Smyly hung a middle-middle curveball that Jacob Stallings hit for a two-run homer in the first inning. He also allowed Bryan Reynolds’ solo homer in the sixth. The Braves lefty has allowed a National League-high 11 homers through 37 innings, but he has pitched more effectively in his past three starts.

“You guys could keep talking about three starts in a row that were bad, but in my mind, I've been pretty good throughout the season,” Smyly said. “I just had that couple games slump where I was getting hit pretty hard.”

At this point, it doesn’t benefit the Braves or Smyly to dwell on the fact he was given an $11 million salary. If he pitches like he has the past three starts, he’ll provide the injury-depleted rotation the back-end support it needs.