Huascar Ynoa wasn’t the dominant pitcher — or hitter — Sunday that Braves fans may have come to expect recently.
After allowing four runs (three earned) across 24-1/3 innings on the mound in his previous four starts, the 22-year-old right-hander surrendered five runs in 4-1/3 innings in this one. And after hitting two home runs and posting a 1.300 slugging percentage at the plate in his previous four starts, he was 0-for-2 with two strikeouts in this one.
The Braves trailed the Brewers 5-0 in Milwaukee when Ynoa left the game in the fifth inning and fell behind 8-0 in the sixth. The Braves went on to lose 10-9 despite a stirring seven-run rally in the seventh inning, capped by a Freddie Freeman grand slam.
The game marked roughly the one-quarter point in the Braves’ season. They are 19-21, still not having gotten above .500 this year, and open a three-game series against the NL East rival New York Mets at Truist Park on Monday night.
Over his previous four starts before Sunday, all wins, Ynoa had driven in more runs as a hitter (six) than he had given up as a pitcher (four). In those starts, he had a 1.11 ERA and a 1.300 slugging percentage, making him the first player since Babe Ruth in 1916 to have a sub-1.30 ERA and 1.300-plus slugging percentage (minimum 10 plate appearances) over a stretch of four starts.
But on Sunday, the Brewers had baserunners in every inning against Ynoa, collecting nine hits and two walks.
Ynoa got out of the first inning without allowing a run despite two hits and got out of the second inning still scoreless despite two walks. But the Brewers scored in each of the next three innings.
A two-out full-count double to deep right field by Daniel Vogelbach gave the Brewers a 2-0 lead in the third inning. Another two-out run in the fourth and a two-run homer by Avisail Garcia in the fifth made the score 5-0. Braves center fielder Ender Inciarte almost took the home run away from Garcia with a leaping catch, but the ball fell out of the end of his glove, outstretched above the wall.
