Max Muncy couldn’t help but throw his hands up in disbelief.
In a frustrating loss to the Dodgers, it was the defining image of the day.
In the bottom of the sixth inning Sunday, with the Dodgers facing a four-run deficit to the Braves, Muncy thought he did everything right at the game’s most important moment.
He worked a full count into a bases-loaded, two-out opportunity. He got the pitch he was looking for from Braves reliever Robert Suarez with a fastball — but not out — in the strike zone. Although he’s been slumping lately, Muncy has connected with what appears to be a good swing, including a 107 mph rocket deep to right. And as the ball moved into the afternoon sun, it seemed that the comeback was on.
Braves right fielder Eli White, however, had other ideas.
With a jump attempt that sent him crashing into the wall and landed on his back near the warning track, White held on for the game-changing catch.
It was as close as the Dodgers would go in their 7-2 defeat at Dodger Stadium.
And it left Muncy — who later hit a two-run homer that would have been too little, too late — stunned as he got up past first base.
Instead, on a day they fell behind by four runs in the second inning, the Dodgers (24-16) failed to avoid a fourth series loss in their last six tries.
Where they could not take advantage of the rubber match of this marquee series, the Braves (28-13) took advantage, maintaining their status as MLB’s winningest team in the first season.
What does it mean
That, at least for now, the Dodgers are not the best team in baseball.
That honor probably belongs to the Braves, who made Dodger starter Justin Wrobelski pay for his own defensive error in their four-run second inning.
After giving up one run on two consecutive three-run singles (one on a bunt), Wrobleski got Sean Murphy to hit a grounder that had to be turned into an inning-ending double play.
Alas, Wrobleski was unsuccessful on his throw to second, which was too high for Alex Freeland to turn to first. After that, Wrobleski walked No. 9 hitter Jorge Mateo to load the bases, then gave up a two-run double to Mauricio Dubón.
The Dodgers couldn’t replicate that kind of two-out magic.
In the first inning, they left two runners stranded when Muncy struck out Atlanta starter Bryce Elder to end the threat. And though they went hitless over the next seven frames, until Muncy hit a two-run homer in the eighth, they still missed a few more opportunities along the way; including Muncy getting robbed by White in the sixth following a two-out triple that ended the senior’s day, and Alex Freeland and Shohei Ohtani coming up empty with two on in the seventh following an interception on another catch.
Who is hot
Wrobleski may be gone. But his strange statistics are certain.
A week after becoming the first Dodgers player in a quarter-century to throw six scoreless innings without a hit, the young left fielder turned in another unusual streak Sunday, going 8 ⅔ innings while giving up seven runs.
After a disastrous second inning, Wrobleski retired 16 batters in a row to keep the Dodgers within striking distance. He also set a season high with seven strikeouts.
However, he faded late, giving up solo home runs to Drake Baldwin and Matt Olson in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, before falling just shy of his first career complete game by striking out Mike Yastrezmski for his 100th pitch of the day –– prompting manager Dave Roberts to finally pull the plug.
Who is not
Simply put, the Dodgers offense is at it again.
They finished the day with only two hits. They finished the series with only seven runs.
Most frustrating, too, is their inability to take advantage of situations. They went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. They tied down seven men.
It all raises questions about their inconsistent schedule, which remains a big factor in what is now a 9-12 slide heading back to April 18.
Next
The Dodgers open a four-game series with the San Francisco Giants on Monday. Roki Sasaki (1-3, 5.97 ERA) will face right-hander Trevor McDonald (1-0, 1.29 ERA).
