For the first time in what felt like a long time, the Atlanta Braves had momentum. They had won nine of their last 12 games to not only take a 2.5-game lead over the New York Mets for the third Wild Card spot, but they had cut their deficit in the NL East to 5.5 games. A win on Sunday to complete the sweep against the Washington Nationals would’ve only added to their already increasing momentum.
Reynaldo Lopez certainly looked like a pitcher who had a sweep in mind, as he held Washington to one run in six innings of work. The Braves offense continued to struggle, but they did manage to tie the game at one in the bottom of the sixth thanks to Matt Olson’s solo shot.
Unfortunately, the tie did not last long. For whatever reason, Braves manager Brian Snitker chose to turn to the worst reliever in Atlanta’s bullpen, Luke Jackson in the seventh inning. It went about as well as Braves fans expected.
Jackson wound up allowing three runs (two earned) while recording a total of one out. The Nationals took a 4-1 lead, and eventually won by a final score of 5-1.
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Brian Snitker costs Braves chance of win with unnecessary Luke Jackson trust
Turning to Jackson late in a tie game makes no sense. He might’ve been good in that kind of spot in 2021 when he helped them win the World Series, but it’s 2024 right now. Jackson had a 5.40 ERA in 36 appearances with the San Francisco Giants before the Braves acquired him alongside Jorge Soler at the deadline, and he entered Sunday’s action with a 6.23 ERA in seven appearances for Atlanta. That number has only gone up after his meltdown on Sunday.
Yes, the Braves played shoddy defense behind him, and yes, it’d be nice if Atlanta could muster up more than one run. Still, what’s the rationale for going to Jackson?
Jesse Chavez, a pitcher with a sub-3.00 ERA this season, hadn’t pitched in ten days yet he couldn’t get in over Jackson? He wound up pitching the ninth inning with Atlanta trailing 4-1. Why not switch those roles? Pierce Johnson, Aaron Bummer, and Dylan Lee all pitched in Saturday’s game, but they all threw 10 pitches or fewer. Bummer even relieved Jackson to try and limit the damage in the seventh.
An argument could be made that a guy like Daysbel Hernandez should be in the majors over Jackson who has struggled all year. If Jackson has to be up in the majors, though, he should not be pitching in important spots when the rest of the bullpen is mostly available. That’s been clear, and Sunday’s rough outing only emphasizes that.
