Braves offense comes alive but it’s not enough against the A’s

It was only the second time since April 15 that the Braves scored at least nine runs in a game. They had 13 hits with five multi-hit performances. It ended in a loss, but the Braves see it as a glimmer of hope. The offense looked a lot more like itself.

“We are in a good position; we are going to turn things around very soon and today was a good experience to show that we are coming back,” said outfielder Michael Harris II. He then added: “Obviously you don’t want to lose, but today, I guess, was a ‘good’ loss. We were down 8-3 and found a way to come back in that one inning, which just shows that our offense is coming back and we are a hungry team.

2. There were plenty of encouraging performances from the Braves bats. Matt Olson went 2-for-4 after starting the day hitting .346 (9-for-26) over his last seven games. He is returning to form after a prolonged crisis. He hit the game-tying homer in the fifth, his fifth homer since May 10 after a 26-game drought.

Harris II had three hits as the leader, and the Braves would benefit greatly from his fire at the top of the lineup. Designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, the team’s top hitter, had two hits – including a homer – and four RBIs. He has a 25-game goal streak.

Third baseman Austin Riley had his first hit since May 7 and his first since returning from the injured list on May 27. “It’s just a matter of time for him when he gets his timing back,” manager Brian Snitker said. Left fielder Jarred Kelenic also had two hits for the second straight day.

“It’s a good sign,” Ozuna said. “Everyone knows we’re coming, we just need to be on the same page and put everything together.”

In total, Harris, Riley, Ozuna and Olson combined for nine hits and seven RBIs.

“There have been a lot of positives,” Snitker said. “Michael swung the bat very well. Austin, Matt. … But a lot of positive offensively. A lot of good has happened too. We lost the game but it was good to see the bats come to life a little.

3. Chris Sale had a masterful May, posting a 0.56 ERA in five starts. After one inning in June, he had allowed as many runs (two) as last month. By the end of the afternoon, his ERA had almost reached a full point.

The A’s lit up Sale, scoring eight runs on nine hits against him in just four innings (his shortest outing of the season). Maybe it was due to a snap – it happens to all pitchers, no matter how brilliant they are.

“It seemed like everything I had done to succeed didn’t happen today,” Sale said. “I left my team in a difficult situation and here we are. … There is no secret. We went through a tough stretch and scored nine points, had an explosive game offensively and to put a damper on that sucks.

Sale gave up homers to Miguel Andujar and Brent Rooker. He hadn’t allowed a home run since April 26 and hadn’t allowed several in one outing before Saturday.

This ended Sale’s winning streak in his last seven starts. He allowed more points Saturday than during this stretch (six).

4. Sale took responsibility after the outing, saying: “It’s pretty simple to summarize: There’s a reason we lost that game, and it’s sitting here right now. It’s unfortunate, but at least everyone can see that we’re going in the right direction, it’s just something that happened today.

Snitker dismissed Sale as taking the blame.

“Holy cow, (Sale) came for us so many times this year,” he said. “The guys fought for him. They got it back too. We put ourselves in a hole but we gave ourselves a chance to win. They came for him today, but these things happen.

Ozuna also defended Sale, saying it wasn’t his fault, but the entire team.

5. Reliever Jimmy Herget was hit by a comebacker in the sixth and left the game, but he’s OK and was going to come off the mound anyway, Snitker said. Herget received two runs on three hits and suffered the loss.

Stat to know

8 (Sale gave up eight runs, quadruple the amount he allowed in May.)

Quotable

“Today was a day that was almost the exact opposite of everything I’ve done to succeed.” – Sale

Following

The Braves and A’s finish their series on Sunday when Charlie Morton (3-2, 4.29) tries to bounce back after a poor outing.