For five innings on Wednesday afternoon, things were going quite well for Lucas Harrell and the Atlanta Braves. In a hurry, though, that positive mojo disappeared and the Braves never recovered in what would become a 6-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.
Harrell navigated the first five innings without allowing a single run, and the veteran right-hander was able to be successful despite a lack of pinpoint command on this day. In support of Harrell’s efforts, Freddie Freeman opened the game with a first-inning home run that would give Atlanta a 1-0 lead, and after a 1-for-19 start to the second half of the 2016 season, that was a welcome sight from the team’s top slugger.