Atlanta fell behind in the first inning on Monday night in Minnesota and never recovered, losing 4-2 to open a three-game series against the Twins.
The first game of a three-city road trip did not go the way Atlanta wanted it to on Monday night in Minnesota.
Martín Pérez lasted five innings but allowed four runs in the first, and the Braves could not dig themselves out of the early hole in a 4-2 loss at Target Field.
The defeat drops Atlanta to 74-51 on the season, though the Braves still hold a comfortable 6.5-game lead in the NL East and remain in strong position heading into September.
Pérez Struggles in the First
Pérez ran into trouble right away against a Twins lineup that came out swinging.
Josh Bell ripped a ground-rule double to drive in two runs in the bottom of the first, and Royce Lewis followed with an RBI single to make it 3-0.
Kody Clemens tacked on another run with a single of his own, and suddenly Pérez was staring at a four-run deficit before he even settled in.
He settled down after that, keeping Minnesota off the board over his final four innings, but the damage was done.
Pérez finished the night with nine hits allowed across five innings and his ERA sits at 3.15 on the season, which still reflects a solid year overall even with the rough start.
The Braves bullpen was the bright spot, as Victor Mederos, Tyler Kinley, and Ray Kerr combined for three scoreless innings of relief to keep the game within reach.
Offense Falls Flat
Atlanta's bats were quiet for most of the night, managing just seven hits and going scoreless until the fifth inning.
Ronald Acuña Jr. came through with a two-run single in the fifth to cut the deficit in half, driving in Austin Riley and Drake Baldwin after both had doubled earlier in the frame.
But that was as close as the Braves would get, as the Twins bullpen locked things down over the final four innings.
Travis Adams threw two scoreless innings to earn the win, and Yoendrys Gómez picked up his 18th save of the year.
Acuña's two-RBI night was one of the few encouraging takeaways on a mostly flat offensive performance.
He is hitting .245 on the year with 13 home runs, and even small contributions like Monday's single can go a long way during a stretch run when the lineup needs everyone producing.
The Road Trip Ahead
The good news for Atlanta is that a loss like this does not change much in the standings.
The Braves are still well ahead of Philadelphia in the division race, and one bad inning from Pérez does not erase the body of work he has put together over the course of the season.
The rotation remains deep enough to absorb an off night, and the bullpen showed Monday that it can hold a game steady when the starter exits early.
Atlanta has two more games in Minnesota before traveling to Chicago to face the White Sox and then Milwaukee.
That is a manageable schedule on paper, but road trips have a way of compounding when the lineup is not clicking.
The Braves need to find their rhythm at the plate sooner rather than later if they want to carry real momentum into October.
