Talking Chop

The losing streak now sits at eight. Tommy Hanson didn't make it out of the fourth inning, and Atlanta mustered only two runs against Lance Lynn and company in a 8-2 loss Monday afternoon.

Hanson got into trouble in both the first and second innings, but escaped from both unscathed. After two singles and a hit by pitch to load the bases with no outs in the first, Hanson coaxed a pop out and back-to-back strikeouts to get out of the jam.

In the second, Tyler Greene tripled to right with one out, but Hanson struck out Lynn and Rafael Furcal to escape again. However, St. Louis finally got to him in the top of the third. The Cardinals loaded the bases again on a single, walk, and another single with one out in the inning. A passed ball by McCann allowed Matt Holliday to come in and score to make it 1-0.

After tagging out Carlos Beltran for the second out after Yadier Molina missed a squeeze sign, Molina singled to center which scored Matt Adams to make it a 2-0 game. Daniel Descalso followed with the big blow, which was a two-run shot to right field. Descalso's homer upped the lead to 4-0.

In the fourth, St. Louis added on to its lead and chased Hanson in the process. Furcal homered to right field with one out, upping the advantage to 5-0. Hanson then walked Skip Schumaker, who advanced to second on an errant pick-off throw from Hanson. Another walk to Holliday signaled the end of the day for Hanson.

Kris Medlen entered, and allowed a run to score via an Adams single, but that was it.

Atlanta finally got on the board against Lynn in the bottom of the frame. Down 6-0, Dan Uggla singled and Jason Heyward doubled with two outs to put runners on second and third. Juan Francisco followed with a single to center, scoring both Uggla and Heyward to cut the deficit to 6-2.

In the sixth, Furcal and Schumaker started the frame with back-to-back singles. Medlen rallied to strikeout Holliday and Beltran. However, Adams prevented him from getting out of the inning unscathed by doubling into the right field corner, scoring both Furcal and Schumaker.

Lynn was dominant for the Cardinals. He pitched seven innings, giving up five hits, two runs (earned), walked one, and struck out eight.

That ended the scoring at 8-2, in favor of St. Louis. Atlanta is still winless on Monday's this season.

Man, this is getting old fast. Once again, the Braves were unable to muster any kind of offense, falling 7-2 in the third game of the series. The loss was the Braves' seventh in as many games, and Atlanta now sits in 4th place in the division.

Gio Gonzalez started for Washington and started wild. He walked Michael Bourn who promptly stole second base. Then, instead of letting Tyler Pastornicky swing, Fredi Gonzalez put the bunt sign on. After giving Gonzalez an out and moving Bourn to third, Prado drove him in on an RBI groundout. The Braves struck again in the third thanks to Bourn. Bourn hit a one-out triple then scored on a squeeze bunt by Pastornicky. That was all the scoring the Braves would get on the night.

The Nationals would tie the game in the 4th. After Adam LaRoche walked, Pastornicky bobbled a sure double-play ball off the bat of Ian Desmond all hands were safe. A walk, single, and sac fly later, LaRoche and Desmond had both scored to tie the game. Both runs were unearned.

Brandon Beachy only threw 5 innings because of a high pitch count, so after he hit the first batter he faced in the 6th, Fredi Gonzalez brought in Livan Hernandez. Predictably, Livan imploded, giving up 4 runs on a series of hits. The first run was charged to Beachy. That put the game well out of reach of Atlanta, who never threatened again. Bryce Harper, who struck out in his first at-bat against Livan, hit a solo shot off him in the 7th to close the scoring.

The Braves will attempt to break this losing streak tomorrow at 1:10pm as they open a series at home against the Cardinals.

The Braves put up a valiant effort against Stephen Strasburg today, but the bullpen was unable to hold against a suddenly white-hot Nationals offense. Mike Minor was once again bitten by the gopherball, but pitched much better than he had in last several starts.

As the game got underway, it initially looked to be more of the same bad Mike Minor we've seen over the last few starts. He surrendered a leadoff double to Danny Espinosa, but was able to limit the damage to one run on an Adam LaRoche sacrifice fly. The second inning is where Minor got in trouble. After two quick outs, Minor gave up back to back hits to light-hitting catcher Jesus Flores and Strasburg. Minor then hung a first-pitch changeup to Danny Espinosa who deposited it in the seats for a 3 run jack. Two of the homers he allowed in Cincinnati came off the changeup as well, so that's a pitch Minor is going to have to work on keeping down in the zone.

Minor settled down over the next three innings though, allowing on two hits, both doubles. Minor seemed more poised and relaxed from the 3rd through the 5th - hopefully he use that to generate a little bit of confidence in advance of his next start.

On the other side, the Braves weren't intimidated by Stephen Strasburg, and hung 4 runs on him over 6 innings. The first two came in the second on an RBI single by Juan Francisco and an RBI groundout by recent call-up J.C. Boscan. The last two came in the 5th, when Dan Uggla took a 3-1 fastball and gave it a ride into the center field seats. That would temporarily knot the score at 4 apiece.

Unfortunately, the stoppers in the Braves' pen weren't up to the task tonight. Kris Medlen came on in the 6th and promptly gave up an RBI double to Chad Tracy and then and RBI triple to Rick Ankiel (Déjà vu, much?). Johnny Venters came in in the 7th and gave up a solo home run to Bryce Harper, followed by an RBI double to Adam LaRoche. That made the game 8-4, and that was how it would end.

One bright spot in the game for Atlanta was Juan Francisco, who went 3-4 on the day. I won't lie, I cringed at the thought of Francisco going up against Strasburg, but the third baseman handled the bat very well today. He was the only Brave with a multi-hit game today. With Chipper on the DL, someone needs to step up for Atlanta, and if Francisco can be that guy, it'll be a big boost for the club.

The Braves will attempt to avoid the sweep tomorrow night as Brandon Beachy goes against Gio Gonzalez in what could potentially be the best pitching matchup on the season so far.

Another game, another night where it seems nothing will go the Braves way. The Nationals pounced on Tim Hudson early and added insurance late to ruin Huddy's line score, though he pitched far better than the boxscore will indicate. For the fifth time in as many games, it seemed the Braves offense struggled to string together hits to score runs, and although they broke through a bit late, it wasn't enough.

The Nationals struck first in the first on a cheapie. After Bryce Harper singled, and Ryan Zimmerman doubled, the Nats had 2nd and 3rd with only one out. Hudson struck out Adam LaRoche on a gorgeous backdoor sinker on a full count, and looked like he would get out of trouble, only to have Ian Desmond roll a dribbler right up the middle to score two. After plunking Danny Espinosa, Rick Ankiel hit a triple that was quite the opposite of cheap. He might have had a chance at an inside-the-park homer, but the Nats' third base coach held him.

The Braves would strand two in each of the first two innings, but made in 4-1 on a Matt Diaz RBI single in the 3rd, before stranding another pair. Diaz struck again in the 5th, hammering a 2 RBI double into center field. Diaz then broke the cardinal rule of baserunning: "Thou shalt not run on Rick Ankiel". Diaz tried to stretch his double into a triple, and Ankiel gunned him down.

Hudson settled in after the 1st, allowing only one baserunner between the 2nd and 6th. The Nats would strike again in the 7th however, and this one hurt. After easily retiring the first two men he faced, Hudson walked Chien-Ming Wang. Steve Lombardozzi promptly slapped an RBI double, putting men at 2nd and 3rd. Huddy then issued a 4 pitch walk to Bryce Harper, loading the bases for Ryan Zimmerman, who made sure they weren't loaded for long. On an 0-2 count, Zimmerman hit a bases clearing double that would prove to be the difference in the game.

Jason Heyward closed the scoring with a first-pitch home run in the 8th inning. The solo shot off Wang was his 6th of the year. It was Heyward's only hit of the night, though he did draw a walk as well.

David Ross strained his groin in the 3rd inning and was replaced by a sick Brian McCann. Ross will be reevaluated tomorrow and is now listed as day-to-day.

Well, there's good news and then there is bad news. The good? This series is finally over. The bad? Cincinnati used a grand slam from Devin Mesoraco to sweep the Braves with a 6-3 victory.

Things stayed scoreless thanks to starters Randall Delgado and Homer Bailey until the bottom of the fourth inning. Chris Heisey singled with one out, bringing up Todd Frazier. Frazier swung at the first pitch he saw, doubling into left field and scoring Heisey.

Down 1-0, Atlanta responded in the top of the fifth. Delgado helped himself out with a two-out single to left to bring up Michael Bourn. Bourn followed with his third home run of the series, crushing a no-doubter into the right field stands to give the Braves a 2-1 lead.

Delgado really pitched well until the sixth, when his control got away from him. A walk, a wild pitch, a single, and another walk loaded the bases with one out for Mesoraco. That would be the end of the day for Delgado, as Kris Medlen came in from the bullpen.

After starting him with two balls in a row, Medlen grooved a two-seamer and Mesoraco took advantage with a majestic shot into the left field seats for a grand slam. The home run gave the Reds a 5-2 lead.

The two teams traded solo shots in the seventh. Juan Francisco hit his fifth home run of the year to center in the top of the frame, and Drew Stubbs launched his sixth of the year off Jonny Venters in the bottom of the inning.

Logan Ondrusek entered in the ninth and worked around two hits to earn his second save.

Great American Ballpark strikes again. Todd Frazier homered in the ninth inning against Cristhian Martinez to give the Reds a 2-1 walk-off victory.

Both Tommy Hanson and Bronson Arroyo pitched well tonight, as Hanson worked six good innings while Arroyo worked into the seventh.

Both pitchers kept the game scoreless until the top of the fourth inning, when Dan Uggla crushed a sinker from Arroyo deep into the left field seats for a solo home run. That gave the Braves an early 1-0 lead.

Hanson didn't struggle until the sixth, when back-to-back singles from Cozart and Heisey put runners on first and second with one out for Brandon Phillips. Phillips worked a walk to load the bases for Jay Bruce.

Bruce followed with a grounder to first baseman Freddie Freeman, who threw to second for the first out. Tyler Pastornicky's throw back to first to attempt to complete the double play was late, allowing Cozart to score and tie the game.

Hanson left after the sixth, finishing with a line of 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K.

Arroyo worked into the seventh, leaving with Pastornicky on second after a one-out double. Jose Arredondo then entered and walked pinch-hitter Chipper Jones, but then Brandon Phillips made a great play after bobbling a ball at second to escape the jam.

Chad Durbin entered in a tie game in the seventh, which isn't the role Durbin should be used in. It didn't harm Atlanta though.

Dusty Baker elected to use his closer in the ninth, and Aroldis Chapman recorded two strikeouts and a groundout in a scoreless top of the inning.

In the bottom of the ninth, Fredi Gonzalez didn't use his closer, electing to use Martinez instead. After striking out the first batter, Frazier popped a home run to right to end the game at 2-1. The ball went an estimated 355 feet.

Different game, same story. One day after Mike Minor allowed four solo home runs against the Reds, Cincinnati tagged Brandon Beachy for three homers in a 4-3 Braves loss.

Michael Bourn started the game off right for Atlanta, homering in the first at-bat of the game against Mat Latos. That would be just the beginning of a big night at the plate for Bourn.

In the bottom of the inning, Drew Stubbs singled with one out against Beachy and then stole second. Two batters later, Brandon Phillips launched the first of his two home runs to center field. This one was a no-doubter, and put the Reds up 2-1.

The Reds added another run via the long ball in the bottom of the third, as Zack Cozart took one out to center field. He homered last night as well, giving him five total on the season. That made it a 3-1 game.

Atlanta responded in the top of the fourth, but the inning could have been even bigger. Freddie Freeman led off and crushed a ball to right center that bounced off the bottom of the wall. Freeman attempted to go to second on it, and was gunned down on a great play from Drew Stubbs. Dan Uggla followed with a walk, and then scored on a double from Jason Heyward to right field. That closed the gap to 3-2.

Brandon Phillips made sure that score didn't stay that way for long, hitting his second home run in the bottom of the fourth to make it a 4-2 game. This was a true Great American Ballpark home run, and just confirmed that this stadium is a bandbox.

Things stayed scoreless until the eighth, when Michael Bourn faced off against Reds reliever Logan Ondrusek. Bourn homered for the second time in the game, this one to right-center. Tonight was the first multi-homer game of his career.

Aroldis Chapman entered and pitched a scoreless ninth to record the save.

WP:

Mat Latos - 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K.

LP:

Brandon Beachy - 7 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K.

Atlanta mustered only two hits offensively and fell to Cincinnati 4-1 Monday night.

Mike Minor came into today's game needing a good start. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Issues with home runs have been hurting Minor in 2012, and they showed up again tonight.

It started early, as he allowed a home run to Drew Stubbs with one out in the first to make it 1-0. Minor had two strikes on him, but left a pitch over the plate and down, allowing Stubbs to knock it out.

Juan Francisco responded in the top of the second inning against Reds starter Mike Leake. Francisco turned on an inside and low slider and golfed it over the fence down the right field line for a solo home run. It was a pretty funny moment, as he posed for a couple seconds and added a nice bat flip for kicks.

Minor flirted with disaster again the second, as he loaded the bases for Joey Votto with two outs. However, he got Votto to pop out to left field on a 3-2 pitch to escape the jam.

After a scoreless third, Minor had some trouble again with the long ball in the fourth. The left-hander surrendered back-to-back-to-back home runs to Leake, Zack Cozart, and Stubbs. That makes it 11 home runs that Minor has given up in his last six starts including tonight.

Those homers made it 4-1 Reds.

A couple of the balls that were hit out may not have been in other ballparks, but it's safe to say that Minor and Great American Ballpark don't mix well.

Minor's rough night garnered most of the attention, but the bigger story was the fact that Atlanta managed just two hits against Leake, who has been awful this year.

He allowed only two hits and the one run in eight innings while striking out six and walking one. The right-hander needed only 98 pitches in those eight innings, and pounded the strike zone to the tune of 68 strikes.

The Braves attempted to rally in the ninth with Reds closer Aroldis Chapman unavailable.

Against Jose Arredondo, Atlanta put runners on first and second with two outs for Jason Heyward. Left-hander Sean Marshall entered, and after a wild pitch moved runners to second and third, he got Heyward to pop out to right for the final out.

Tomorrow night's game is at 7:10 PM ET as Brandon Beachy takes on Mat Latos.