The Atlanta Braves were swept by the Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend. Losers are four in a row, who's to blame?
At 25-15, the Braves still have plenty of breathing room in the NL East. Atlanta have a five-game lead over the second-place Phillies, and a 5.5-game lead over the third-place New York Mets.
Still, that gap is closing some thanks to Atlanta's recent play. Add in injuries to the pitching staff — namely Max Fried and Kyle Wright being out until late July at the earliest — and it's easy to see why fans might panic.
In the long run, the Braves should be fine. There are bound to be some bumps in the road, and Alex Anthopoulos has plenty of weapons at his disposal should this squad need an upgrade by the trade deadline. For now, though, they'll try to ride it out with what they have, including some intriguing starting pitchers at the minor-league level.
Atlanta Braves to blame: Brian Snitker
When any team is in the midst of a losing skid, it's often on the manager to pull the right strings and get them out of it. Brian Snitker, as far as we can see, has not made the right calls.
Bullpen and lineup management are essential to this Atlanta team, especially without their usual starting pitching depth. The Braves wasted an electric start from Spencer Strider over the weekend, who is on pace for a record 15.9 K/9. No pitcher has ever averaged over 15 strikeouts per nine innings.
Yet, the Braves lineup has been top-heavy, or the wrong mix of players needed to drive runs home. Atlanta's RISP problems have been well-documented, and it reared its ugly head against a good Blue Jays team.
Snitker's patience has paid off in the past, but this team needs to make wholesale changes before a short skid turns into a tailspin. When discussing A.J. Minter's struggles, for example, Snitker opted for the wait-and-see approach.
"He's a year removed from being one of the most effective relievers in baseball. This game's cruel. It just keeps testing you," Snitker said. "He's just gonna have to keep getting after it and competing…and not be careful."
Minter's ERA is over eight. The time to act was yesterday.
This has been a theme for Snitker, with varying levels of success. For example, his choice to stick with Marcell Ozuna has paid off in recent weeks. Sometimes, though, urgency is needed.
That time is now for Atlanta.
Atlanta Braves to blame: A.J. Minter and Raisel Iglesias
Don't ask me what's gone wrong with A.J. Minter. How a pitcher goes from one of the best relievers in baseball to a liability on the back end is a mystery to most baseball pundits.
Minter appeared in over 80 games last year for the Braves and had an ERA just over two. He was arguably the best high-usage pitcher in MLB, and certainly the national league. Yet, here we are just months later and every time Brian Snitker puts Minter in the game, Atlanta residents hold their breath.
As Sports Illustrated points out, there's really only one noticeable flaw in Minter's game from this year to last, other than obvious control issues:
"The only noticeable change is usage: After throwing his changeup almost 20% of the time in 2022, he's dialed it back in 2023 to 11.9%, with most of that difference going into the cutter. It's possible that sequencing and/or game-calling issues between Minter and new catcher Sean Murphy is to blame, but either way, it's something Atlanta needs to figure out soon."
Minter, though, isn't the only Atlanta bullpen issue. Raisel Iglesias has given up two runs in his last two outings, thus blowing a couple of saves in the process. The Braves need Iglesias to be rock solid, and he hasn't been that since returning from injury. Just under a week ago, I suggested that Braves fans shouldn't overreact to one blown opportunity by Iglesias:
"As for Iglesias, Atlanta baseball fans shouldn't freak out. He was activated off the injured list just under a week ago, and is one of the best closers in baseball when he's hot. And when he's not, the Braves have other capable pitchers who can fill that role, including Joe Jimenez and more."
It's true, Iglesias had just returned from injury. Nonetheless, if Snitker insists on using him in these high-leverage situations rather than letting him get his feet wet, then perhaps it is time to worry in the ATL. Something isn't right.
Atlanta Braves to blame: Matt Olson and the lineup
Atlanta changed up their lineup on Sunday — credit where it's due for Snitker — and it worked. The Braves scored five runs after what had been a multiple-game power outage. Snitker dropped Ozzie Albies to third, and batted Austin Riley cleanup. Both players had been struggling of late, and they received a wake-up call.
Albies hit a home run and drove in two runs, while Riley notched two hits in his four at-bats. If they can continue that type of production, then perhaps blaming them at all is a moot point. However, there's a reason changes were necessary, and that's because the Braves failed to drive in base-runners, and score at a consistent clip.
Matt Olson, for one, was hitless the entire series. For a player who is a centerpiece of the Braves lineup, that's not good enough. Perhaps Snitker needs to send Olson a message, as well, and drop him in the lineup until further notice. On Sunday, OIson hit second in place of Albies, who moved down a spot.
Players go through slumps, and that appears to be the case with the Atlanta first baseman right now. The Braves will stick with him, as when he's on he's one of the best hitters in the NL.
