ATLANTA – The Detroit Tigers lost two players.
Right-hander Casey Mize (right groin tightness) and center fielder Javier Báez (unspecified right leg injury) left due to injuries in the Tigers' 5-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday, April 28, in the first of three games in the series at Truist Park.
The Tigers – losers in six of their past 11 games – were limited to six hits and five walks against the Braves.
The Tigers (15-15) and Braves (21-9) meet again Wednesday (7:15 p.m., Detroit SportsNet), with left-hander Tarik Skubal on the mound for the Tigers.
In Tuesday's game, Mize exited with one out in the third inning after fielding a weak grounder, then Báez departed with one out in the fifth inning after trying to avoid a potential tag on an awkward slide at first base.
Mize stranded runners on the corners in the first inning, but the Braves struck in the third with back-to-back doubles from Mike Yastrzemski (off a middle-middle fastball) and Ronald Acuña Jr. (off a middle-down splitter) to open the inning.
On the board!#BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/JbxbFgvgRC
After Mize left the game, Matt Olson delivered a sacrifice fly against left-handed reliever Brant Hurter for the second out in the third, extending the Braves' lead to 2-0.
The 28-year-old allowed two runs on three hits and one walk with three strikeouts across 2⅓ innings, throwing 34 pitches. He has a 2.90 ERA across 31 innings in six starts.
The Braves didn't score again until the seventh inning.
That's when right-handed reliever Burch Smith struck out Austin Riley and Kyle Farmer, only to give up back-to-back hits to Mauricio Dubón (double) and Yastrzemski (double) with two outs.
The Tigers had their best scoring opportunity against right-handed reliever Tyler Kinley in the eighth inning.
A single from Kevin McGonigle and a double from Dillon Dingler put two runners in scoring position for Riley Greene, who struck out looking on a slider. The breaking ball painted on the down-and-away edge of the strike zone.
Greene contested the call from home-plate umpire Alan Porter using the ABS challenge system.
It was a called strike for an inning-ending strikeout.
In the eighth inning, the Braves upped their lead to 5-0 with damage from Olson and Ozzie Albies against left-handed reliever Tyler Holton. After Olson's double, Albies pulled a changeup for a two-run home run to left field.
Ozzie, we love him!#BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/Bm8LM1auwS
Left-hander Martín Pérez set the tone for the Braves.
The 35-year-old tossed five scoreless innings on two hits and four walks with five strikeouts, throwing 91 pitches. Pérez stranded two runners in the second with a strikeout of Hao-Yu Lee, then he stranded two runners in the fifth when McGonigle flew out to the wall in center field.
Left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer gave up a two-run home run to Wenceel Pérez in the ninth inning, but before that, Spencer Torkelson grounded out.