ATLANTA -- Now that the Braves’ rotation is finally whole, the injury-depleted bullpen has started to leak. Such is life, as teams navigate the highs and lows of a 162-game season.  

Max Fried again looked like a National League Cy Young Award candidate as he pitched effectively into the seventh inning at Truist Park on Sunday afternoon. That’s where the good news ended for the Braves, who suffered a 5-2 loss to the Astros after fill-in closer A.J. Minter endured a blown save for the second time in three days.

“We played three weeks without any of these hiccups; they’re going to happen,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said after his team suffered a fourth straight loss for the first time since Aug. 18, 2021.

But recognizing the inevitable doesn’t necessarily make the result any easier, especially when late leads are squandered. The Braves scored four runs in the first inning of this series and were outscored 17-5 over the remaining 26 innings. Their starting pitchers allowed just five (three earned) of those 17 runs. The bullpen surrendered 12 runs over 9 2/3 innings.

The Astros outscored the Braves, 11-0, after the sixth inning in this series. 

“We’re still in good position, and it’s still early in the season,” Minter said. “I’d rather be in this position than the one we were in at this point last year.” 

The Braves are 14-8 and in a far better position than they were a year ago, when they won just 10 of their first 22 games. But as the bullpen faltered again on Sunday, there was reason to wonder how much better this team will be once closer Raisel Iglesias and veteran reliever Collin McHugh are activated from the injured list.

McHugh (right shoulder discomfort) is expected to return Monday. Iglesias may need another couple of weeks to strengthen his ailing right shoulder, but he has been cleared to throw live batting practice on Monday.  

“We are already a strong bullpen,” Minter said. “With those guys coming back, it is going to be a game changer.” 

The healthy presence of McHugh and Iglesias might have preserved Fried’s latest impressive effort. The lefty scattered three hits over 6 2/3 scoreless innings as he faced the Astros for the first time since tossing six scoreless innings against them in the clinching Game 6 of the 2021 World Series.

It looked like the storyline would center on Fried, who has worked 11 2/3 scoreless innings in two starts since returning from the injured list. But the landscape changed when Nick Anderson allowed the Astros to load the bases with two outs in the eighth.  

Yordan Alvarez greeted Minter with a game-tying two-run single. Minter later ended his 30-pitch appearance by allowing Corey Julks’ two-out go-ahead single in the ninth.  Alvarez also tallied the go-ahead two-run homer against the Braves’ current closer during Friday’s 6-4 loss.

“Going back, I don’t know what I could change,” Minter said. “I went in there and made some pretty good pitches. That’s baseball. Y’all probably want a better answer than that, and I wish I could give you one.”  

Alvarez’s game-tying single on Sunday came as he reached across the plate to hit a low cutter on the outside corner. Minter was trying to miss off the plate. The Astros slugger’s Friday night homer came against an elevated cutter that caught a little more than just the outside corner. 

There’s certainly no shame in getting beaten by Alvarez, who is one of the game’s most dangerous offensive threats. But the events that led to him having a chance to doom the Braves twice in one weekend created some frustration.

With Fried pitching effectively into the seventh, the Braves were right where they wanted to be, even with Dylan Lee unavailable because of his recent workload.  Anderson had allowed just four hits and one run over his past five innings.  Before Friday, Minter had allowed a hit in just three of his previous nine outings.  

Once Minter exited, Snitker opted to go with Danny Young to hold a one-run deficit. Young, who could be the odd man out when McHugh returns Monday, allowed two more runs to score, lessening the Braves’ chances of a ninth-inning rally. 

But the Braves’ skipper understands the potential value of  protecting some of his relievers during the early stages of a 17-day stretch without any off-days. 

“In the long run, it could end up being a good thing,” Snitker said.