The Brave were hoping to take care of business against a hangover lineup from Kansas City, behind a returning Reynaldo Lopez.
From the start, Reynaldo looked like his peak self, touching 99 MPH and getting two swinging strikeouts on his slider on his way to a 1-2-3 first inning (with a little help from a great catch by Michael Harris for the third out). The Braves offense put together a threat with two outs, as Ozuna walked and Olson grounded a single through, with the runners advancing to second and third on a misplay by the outfielder. Jorge Soler grounded out sharply to end the threat, keeping the game scoreless for the time being.
Reynaldo looked fantastic again in the second, with two more strikeouts on soul-stealing sliders. After a 1-2-3 inning from Lugo, the Royals got their first baserunner from a line drive single that would have been a double, but for another fantastic play by Michael Harris to cut it off an get the ball in. A ground ball single put runners on first and third with no outs for Kansas City in the third. A double-play brought the run home, but cleared the bases of any further baserunners before a flyout ended the inning…