Braves closer tries to calm angry fans after disastrous outing

Atlanta Braves closer A.J. Minter tried to ease the minds of fans after a disastrous outing on Thursday against the Miami Marlins.

The Atlanta Braves are among the best-performing teams in the National League thus far, alongside the Pittsburgh Pirates. On Thursday afternoon, the Braves had the chance to complete a four-game sweep of the rival Miami Marlins. They were almost close to it, until the top of the ninth inning.

Atlanta had a 4-0 lead, and manager Brian Snitker called upon closer A.J. Minter to officially pack in the “W.” Snitker had to feel good about the chances of winning, as Minter carried a 2.00 ERA. But then, Minter surrendered five earned runs, resulting in the Marlins falling 5-4.

After the game, Minter reassured fans who watched the collapse of a surefire win, saying that he and the team are “gonna be okay.”

Braves: A.J. Minter reassures fans after surrendering five earned runs vs. Marlins

Upon entering the game, Minter gave up a single to Luis Arraez on his fourth pitch thrown. Although he did strike out Jorge Soler right after, Minter gave up a double to Jean Segura, followed up by an RBI single to Yuli Gurriel to cut Atlanta’s lead to 4-1. Although he did strike out Nick Fortes for the second out of the inning, Minter surrendered RBI singles to Avisail Garcia and Jazz Chisholm Jr. to bring Atlanta’s lead down to 4-3.

Minter was replaced by Jesse Chavez, who gave up a two-run double to Garrett Cooper to give Miami the 5-4 lead. Minter was credited for both runs.

As The Athletic’s David O’Brien points out, Minter’s ERA has increased from 2.00 to 8.53 in his four appearances in the team’s homestand. In his two appearances against the Houston Astros (Apr. 21, 23), Minter gave up five earned runs on five hits in two innings. On Wednesday night against the Marlins, he struck out two batters in one scoreless inning.

Minter is stressing to Braves fans that he and the team will be just fine. There’s still plenty of season left, so Braves fans will see if Minter can turn it around.