LOS ANGELES — The Braves got a homecoming home run from Joc Pederson and a clutch performance by “Big Game” Charlie Morton and still came away with a 3-2 loss to the Dodgers, their sixth in a row at Dodger Stadium and ninth in their past 10 games at the venerable ballpark.
However, all things considered, things could have been a whole lot worse. Ozzie Albies could have broken his kneecap.
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That’s what was initially feared when the Braves’ All-Star second baseman fouled a pitch off his left knee in the fifth inning, fell to the ground in a heap and had to be carried off the field by two athletic trainers a few minutes later, the grimace on his face displaying his degree of pain.
But a couple of innings later, just as the Dodgers were about to score the tying run in a game the Braves had led since the third inning, the Braves announced that X-rays on Albies’ knee came back negative.
His status was listed as day to day, and manager Brian Snitker said the blown lead and second loss in two nights in L.A. didn’t feel as bad as it might’ve had Albies suffered a season-ending fracture.
“Because that could have been something really bad right there,” Snitker said. “He hit that thing hard. I’m just so glad that the X-ray came back negative. He’ll be sore, I’m sure, in the morning. We’ll just see. They’ll treat him up really good, and we’ll take it a day at a time.
“I’m sure he’ll be down a day or two, I would think, and then we’ll see where he’s at.”
The news came as a great relief to the Braves and any of their fans who stayed up late to watch the second game of the series between National League East-leading Atlanta and the defending World Series champion Dodgers, who’ve been playing their best ball of the season.
“That’s huge,” Pederson said of the negative X-ray. “It looked really bad. Huge part of this team, and we need to get him back ASAP.”
The Braves’ lead over the second-place Philadelphia Phillies was reduced to 2 1/2 games, but the Braves could leave Dodger Stadium knowing Albies isn’t expected to miss the rest of the season and a potential playoff run, which would’ve been the case had he broken a bone when he tipped the 0-2 fastball from Walker Buehler directly into his kneecap.
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“Either way, I know he was in pain,” Morton said. “The news that we have so far is we’re pretty optimistic about it. Just hope that he starts to feel better in the short term and that he’s not dealing with too much pain tonight and tomorrow. And obviously, take another look at it and make sure he’s clear, try to get him back as soon as possible.”
The Braves have capable options who can fill in at second base, though none will give them anything close to what the switch-hitting Albies provides at the plate and in the field.
Options include utility player Ehire Adrianza, who replaced Albies after the injury, and infielders Orlando Arcia and Johan Camargo, who’ve been at Triple-A Gwinnett recently. One of those two — most likely Arcia — might’ve been added to the roster for September anyway.
MLB rosters can be expanded Wednesday, though only by two players, unlike in past years when teams could add anyone on their 40-man roster in September. The Braves were expected to add at least one reliever as well as a position player, though it was unclear if Albies’ situation would change anything.
The Braves, after moving from third place to first with a 16-2 run against mostly mediocre-to-bad competition from Aug. 3 through Aug. 22, have since lost five of seven games against powerful opponents. They were swept by the Yankees in a two-game home series before taking two of three against NL West leader San Francisco, which has baseball’s best record.
That series win against the Giants, which ended Sunday, has been followed by two losses at Dodger Stadium: a 5-3 defeat Monday that saw the Braves have an early 5-0 deficit created by four homers off starter Drew Smyly, and Tuesday’s loss in a game the Braves led 2-0 before Mookie Betts’ solo homer in the fourth inning off Morton. A boisterous crowd of 44,952 got ever louder as the night wore on.
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“That’s a really good team over there,” said Pederson, who played seven years for the Dodgers before signing with the Cubs as a free agent last winter. “And, I mean, it could have went either way today. They came up with some big hits late in the game, but it was a great game, two great teams, and I like our chances (for a playoff run).”
Pederson got a loud ovation when he was introduced, just as he did when he returned earlier this season with the Cubs. But this time, he turned some of the cheers to boos when he homered off his friend Buehler and pumped his fist a couple of times as he rounded the bases.
Asked how that felt, Pederson said, “Pretty good. I haven’t been slugging righties like I want to, so I was able to get a good pitch to hit, especially off a good buddy on another team. So it was pretty funny. I’ll talk some trash later.”
Betts’ homer was the only run off Morton, who worked six innings and allowed three hits and two walks with eight strikeouts. It was the 37-year-old’s first time pitching at Dodger Stadium since the 2017 World Series, when he was the winning pitcher in Game 7 for Houston after working the final four innings in relief.
“They’re great,” Morton said of the Dodgers (84-49), who trail the Giants by a half-game in the NL West. “And it’s nice to go out there and pitch a good game against a team like that.”
He added: “It’s been a tough couple of days here, and this is a really tough team. It’s not the easiest place to play. We’ve got to come back tomorrow and get after it.”
The Dodgers scored the tying run in the seventh against Luke Jackson with a one-out walk, followed by a single on a grounder through the right side of the infield and a sacrifice fly.
They scored the winning run in the eighth on Corey Seager’s one-out double off Tyler Matzek, who walked Betts to start the inning. Matzek had not allowed a run in his previous 17 2/3 innings before Tuesday.
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“The seventh inning was just a groundball that got through, perfectly hit, that put (runners on) first and third,” Snitker said. “I mean, Luke threw great. He gave up a groundball and a fly ball. I mean, God, those guys, he and Matzek, have just been so, so, so good. It’s gonna happen. They’re gonna give up a run every now and then. But just kind of everything aligned right for (the Dodgers) in the seventh inning. If Freddie (Freeman) wasn’t holding him on, it’s a routine grounder.”
(Photo: Brian Rothmuller / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
