Braves' Brian Snitker Responses to Second Guessing With Latest Bullpen Decision

Right-handed relief pitcher Rafael Montero pitched two shutout innings for the Atlanta Braves in a loss against the Washington Nationals three weeks ago. Manager Brian Snitker asked Montero to do that again Tuesday night versus the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Montero was one out away from achieving that goal. But then in a blink of an eye, he allowed three runs off a Corbin Carroll homer to center field.

It was the exclamation point on another disappointing night for the Braves, who suffered an 8-3 loss in the series opener to the Diamondbacks at Truist Park.

Following the loss, which was their ninth in the last 12 games and dropped the team to 27-32 this season, Snitker mostly spoke generally about the team's need to hit and pitch better. But Snitker defended his decision to try and get two innings out of Montero on Tuesday.

“He had nine pitches going into [the ninth inning]. That’s his job to get through that inning because if we start chasing wins, it will kill the guys that we use when we do have a win," Snitker said. "When you have a clean inning like he did, then that’s hit job, to get through that inning.

"We’re not going to burn Iggy and those guys behind. If we do that, you just can’t do that. You can’t sustain a bullpen.”

In the eighth inning, Montero retired the Diamondbacks on two fly balls and a ground out. Needing only nine pitches to complete the frame, he returned for the ninth so the Braves could avoid using a fourth reliever in the game.

But after recording his fifth straight out, Montero allowed four consecutive hits. The home run from Carroll turned a two-run contest into a five-run deficit.

Montero was unable to complete the ninth inning, so Snitker inserted the Braves fourth reliever of the game after all -- Scott Blewett -- for the final out.

Snitker received criticism on social media for the decision to allow Montero to pitch the ninth. In summary, social media users took issue with the fact the Braves just had an off day on Monday and that Montero faced the left-handed hitting Carroll after giving up two straight hits in the ninth.

Montero entered Tuesday with a 4.11 ERA and 1.448 WHIP in 19.1 innings of relief with the Braves and Houston Astros this season. Other than the outing versus the Nationals on May 14, Montero had pitched more than an inning one other time this season -- a relief appearance for the Astros on April 6.