Cobb Reporter

PHOENIX -- The Atlanta Braves experienced the harsh realities of a long baseball season in their 7-5 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night at Chase Field. Despite another productive evening for their offense, which has recently shown signs of revival, the Braves' bullpen faltered.

Marcell Ozuna hit a game-tying home run in the eighth inning, inching closer to a second consecutive 40-homer season. However, relievers Joe Jiménez and Pierce Johnson were unable to hold off the D-backs. "Those guys have been so rock solid," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "It’s going to happen. [The D-backs] are really good. So, you turn the page hopefully you get a lead tomorrow and get them back in there."

Ozuna has been a consistent offensive force for the Braves throughout the season. As Jarred Kelenic and Austin Riley have begun contributing more significantly, Atlanta's previously underperforming offense has shown signs of life. The team has scored five or more runs in each of its past six games, marking its first such streak since April.

Johnson allowed a run for only the second time in his last 14 appearances and multiple hits for just the second time since May 31. He entered with two outs in the seventh inning but promptly gave up a double to Eugenio Suárez and an RBI single to Jose Herrera, allowing the D-backs to take a 5-3 lead.

Ozuna's two-run homer tied the game in the eighth inning. However, Jiménez then allowed two hits, walked one batter, and gave up two runs in the bottom half of the inning. Prior to this outing, he had given up just two hits while keeping opponents scoreless over his previous nine innings.

"It’s going to happen," pitcher Charlie Morton said regarding Jiménez's performance. "It’s hard to be as good as they have been."

Ozuna's Statcast-projected 441-foot blast against Ryan Thompson brought his total to 24 home runs for the season, placing him fourth in Major League Baseball. His .942 OPS ranks ninth overall.

Participating in Monday’s Home Run Derby, Ozuna is on pace for 42 homers this season. He aims to join Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Andruw Jones, and Ronald Acuña Jr. as Braves players with multiple 40-homer seasons. The most recent player to achieve this was Jones in 2005-06.

"It’s been unbelievable," Snitker said of Ozuna's performance. "It’s just big hits. He’s coming through in the clutch always."

Ozuna earned his third career All-Star selection this year and his first since 2017 after overcoming struggles from previous seasons that extended into early last year. Since May 1, 2023, he ranks third among all MLB players with 62 home runs and leads with 173 RBIs.

"I think it’s awesome," Morton said about Ozuna's resurgence. "I’ve known he was a really good hitter. I’m really happy for him."