Mike Foltynewicz was his own worst enemy in the fifth inning, allowing the Rays to sever a 3-3 tie and top the Braves 5-3.
Kevin Kiermaier started the game with a bloop triple - yes, he blooped a triple - to shallow right field along the foul line; by the time Nick Markakis retrieved it, Kiermaier had already reached second base on his way to third. Steven Souza then singled to bring home the first run of the game.
Atlanta would take the lead, however, in the second inning. After loading the bases with nobody out, Erasmo Ramirez walked Andrelton Simmons to force home a run; Cameron Maybin brought home Todd Cunningham with a single to right; one out later, Jace Peterson's weak groundout scored the third run of the inning.
Evan Longoria singled home a run for the Rays in the third inning to cut the Braves' lead to one. Then in the fourth, Asdrubal Cabrera tied the score with a long home run to right leading off the inning. Up to this point, Folty hadn't pitched all that bad, and hadn't walked anyone. That would change in the fifth.
Foltynewicz quickly struck out Souza and Longoria to start the inning, but then walked James Loney; like leadoff walks, two-out walks can be just as bad. Folty's next pitch sailed very wide to the backstop to allow Loney to reach second. Logan Forsythe then ripped a single to left, and Todd Cunningham had a chance to throw Loney out at the plate. Too bad that Cunningham tripped over his own feet and had no play, allowing Loney to score. David DeJesus would rip a double over Cameron Maybin's head and off the wall, scoring Forsythe for the final run of the inning and the game. The Braves had only three base runners the rest of the way, and totaled four hits for the whole game.
Nick Masset debuted for the Braves in relief in the eighth and pitched a perfect inning; Adonis Garcia debuted in the ninth and struck out to end the game.
Foltynewicz struck out seven in five innings. Atlanta's bullpen tossed three perfect innings of relief.
Win Expectancy