Mike Minor was cruising on Sunday afternoon against the Dodgers, allowing just one run through seven innings of work. With the Braves trailing 1-0 as the eighth inning began, manager Fredi Gonzalez trotted to the mound and pulled his lefty from the game.
Minor had thrown only 97 pitches and was working on five days of rest. He had retired eight batters in a row, and Juan Uribe was the next man up.
On Sunday, it was Gonzalez -- and not the Braves players -- who cost the team any chance they had to win the game.
Gonzalez has a knack for over-managing at times. He has also become quite fond of Chad Durbin, who has been better (but still not great) since a disastrous opening month of the season.
As Minor exited and Durbin entered, the next three batters reached on a walk and two singles. Yes, one of the hits was a bad-luck popup that dropped as Jason Heyward lost it in the sun, but the simple fact is that Minor should have never exited.
The Braves' bats didn't show up on Sunday, but they would've at least had a chance if their manager didn't make a silly decision late in the game. The decision to bring in Durbin did not make sense at the time, and it makes even less sense now.