Snitker's call to stick with Smyly backfires

With Drew Smyly exiting the fifth inning with a lead, everything seemed to be shaping up for the Braves, who had a fresh bullpen and the luxury of having another off-day precede this weekend’s big division series against the Mets.

But instead of tapping into his rested relief corps, Braves manager Brian Snitker rolled the dice with Smyly and paid the price. The left-hander allowed four runs in the sixth inning of a 9-5 loss to the Red Sox on Wednesday night at Fenway Park.

“He was throwing the ball really well,” Snitker said. “What had he given up, two hits? If I’d have known he was going to give up four runs, I’d have probably kept him in the dugout, but I don’t have the ability to see that.”

Rafael Devers’ go-ahead, one-out double off the Green Monster highlighted the decisive sixth that denied the Braves from winning a fifth straight game and moving their winning percentage above .500 for the first time this year. But there were plenty of reasons this potential victory was squandered.

Adding to the frustration of the sixth was the fact it was followed by a two-hour, 53-minute rain delay. The game resumed at midnight and concluded about an hour later.

“It’s part of what we do,” Snitker said. “I wanted a crack at it. I know that.”

Austin Riley’s solo homer off Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta provided a 4-3, fifth-inning lead for Smyly, who kept Boston scoreless in the bottom half of the frame. The Braves southpaw had thrown just 71 pitches, but he was preparing to go through one of the game’s best lineups for a third time.

“I felt like I was throwing the ball pretty good,” Smyly said. “I gave up two hits, they just happened to be home runs.”

Smyly had surrendered Hunter Renfroe’s solo homer in the second inning and Devers’ two-run homer in the fourth. In other words, this was a familiar battle for the veteran hurler, who has allowed 13 homers, which ties him with the Tigers' Tarik Skubal for the most in the Majors.

The only Braves pitchers who have allowed more home runs through the first eight starts of a season are Mike Foltynewicz (15 in 2019), Phil Niekro (14 in 1970) and Lew Burdette (14 in 1963).

So, there was reason to be concerned about the game possibly changing with one swing in the sixth. At the same time, Smyly had retired 15 of the 18 batters he had faced through the first five innings. And, while the sample size was small, opponents had gone 5-for-28 with two homers and a .696 OPS while Smyly went through a lineup for a third time this season.

Snitker’s decision to stick with Smyly started to unravel when Alex Verdugo snuck a one-out single through an unmanned left side of the infield. J.D. Martinez followed with a single and both baserunners advanced 90 feet when rookie catcher William Contreras whiffed on a first-pitch cutter to Xander Bogaerts.

When Bogaerts followed with a slow chopper that was gloved on the left side of the infield grass, Riley’s throw to the plate was too late to prevent Verdugo from scoring. Two pitches later, Devers drilled his go-ahead double and later scored on Christian Vázquez’s two-run single off Luke Jackson.

“Devers is big right there in that inning,” Snitker said. “I don't know if you can point to any one thing. I mean, the guy was going good and went out for the sixth inning and, yeah, I don’t know.”

During his pregame media session, Snitker said Chris Martin, who had been unavailable on Tuesday, and every other reliever was available. So, the option was present to ask the bullpen to cover the final four innings.

But Snitker opted to stick with Smyly, who had surrendered three earned runs or less over exactly six innings in each of the three previous starts he had made since returning from the injured list.

“I never even thought about [removing him], quite honestly,” Snitker said.

Smyly was charged with seven earned runs in this outing and now has a 5.95 ERA. His improvement over the past four starts has lessened the sting of the $11 million invested in him. But the conclusion of this latest outing adds to the frustrations he and the Braves have felt through the season’s first two months.

“I was very efficient with my pitch count, and I wasn’t walking anybody,” Smyly said. “I mean, it’s pretty hard to give up five hits and one walk and seven earned runs. But I accomplished that tonight. So, I’m not happy with the results or the outcome.”