PITTSBURGH – The Braves do not know where their offense went. They are trying to keep a measured perspective and understand it is a long season. They know they will get rolling, but they do not know when.
The Braves on Saturday lost to the Pirates, 4-1, at PNC Park. Atlanta is 29-20.
Five observations:
1. The Braves – one of baseball’s best offenses – are not hitting. And no one has the answer as to why. With a lineup as talented as this one, the best course of action is often to keep working and wait for better days.
“It’s not gonna be for lack of effort or lack of work, if it doesn’t happen,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “They’re in there every day and they’re conscientious about it, and they’re consistent in their work. And it’s a tough game. It just doesn’t go your way all the time. You can’t explain now and you can’t explain when it’s rolling, and you get on those rolls. It just happens and everything happens good, and it’s just like it can be the other way.”
The Braves on Saturday scored one run for the seventh time in 49 games. They had one or fewer runs in only 12 of 162 games last season. And of those seven one-run outputs, six have come since the start of play on April 29.
The Braves have been without Sean Murphy since the middle of their first game. They’ve been without Austin Riley for around two weeks. But they should have enough talent to produce.
But their stars have struggled. Ronald Acuña Jr., the reigning National League MVP, hasn’t yet gotten going. Riley, when healthy, went through a rough time. Matt Olson hasn’t gotten hot. Michael Harris II has slumped at points.
“I’ve always said, hitting is contagious somehow,” Olson said. “It was contagious when we were all squaring balls up last year. We’ve had a couple good games here this year. Sometimes, it can be contagious the other way, too. It’s the same thing as it is for one person – sometimes you just need a couple balls that get barreled back to back, and a big inning comes out, and there we go.”
On Saturday, Mitch Keller – who entered with a 9.97 ERA over five career starts against Atlanta – held the Braves to a run over 6 2/3 innings. The Braves had the tying run at the plate in the ninth in Acuña, but couldn’t make a moment out of it.
Marcell Ozuna, the Braves’ best hitter this season, believes it’s only a matter of time until the offense returns to form.
“Yeah, it’s gonna come, for sure,” Ozuna said. “(Olson) is gonna be good, too. Oly, Harris, Acuña. All the people are going to be on the same page. Right now, it’s like one on one page, the other one on the other page – like that, kind of up and down.”
2. In the top of the fifth inning, Ozuna launched what looked like it might be a game-tying, two-run home run to left field. The way he watched it and jogged out of the box made it seem like he, too, believed he got it all.
It landed in left fielder Bryan Reynolds’ glove at the wall. It became another hard-hit out for a team tired of them.
“I thought it was gone,” Ozuna said. “As soon as I saw the ball stop and saw Reynolds going back, I was thinking, ‘Oh my God. No chance.’”
According to Statcast, this ball – which Ozuna hit 102 mph – would’ve been a home run in 24 of 30 ballparks. The Braves, though, are playing in one of the other six, which is a sign of the times for them
Entering Saturday, the Braves had hit 161 balls at 105 mph or harder, most in the National League and second in baseball. But Atlanta’s 49 outs on such balls in play were also the most in the NL and second most in baseball.
On Saturday, Atlanta hit five balls at 100 mph or harder. Three were outs. The Pirates made some great plays, but the Braves haven’t exactly been lucky.
Harris said the Braves weren’t too frustrated after the game.
“But during the game, yeah, when you need runs, and you’re pretty much doing everything you can at the plate to hit the ball hard, and you get it in a good spot and it’s right at somebody and they make good plays in the gap. I guess in the moment, yeah, it’s a lot more frustrating when you need the runs,” he said. “That’s why we play 162. Every team’s gonna go through stretches like that.”
Olson put the topic of hard-hit outs like this:
“You’re obviously going to be a little sensitive to it when you lose and you don’t get anything going, really. You look at those a little more than you would if other guys were stepping up and getting some knocks. Especially early on, it felt like guys were making some solid contact, just right at guys.”
3. The good news for the Braves: They should get Riley and Murphy back within the next few days. They should soon be at full strength.
“I think that’ll be a big shot in the arm for all of us. It’ll just lengthen our lineup again – which is important, as we saw early on, when we saw the bottom half of the lineup doing so much damage and helping,” Snitker said. “Now I think we’re gonna get back in that same position once we get those guys back.”
On Wednesday, hitters five through nine were as follows: Orlando Arcia, Harris, Jarred Kelenic, Chadwick Tromp and Zack Short. This is no disrespect to Tromp or Short, who have played their roles well, but the Braves’ lineup hasn’t featured the same length as it once did. Losing Murphy hurt. Removing Riley, the No. 3 hitter, has left a hole.
The Braves can’t wait to be whole.
“It’s gonna be good,” Ozuna said. “It’s gonna be the team that we all expect. We’re gonna do damage. As soon as we get the confidence back that we used to have in the past, we’re gonna be fine.”
4. “It’s not fully clicking for us right now,” Olson said. “I think (Chris) Sale just said in there – I don’t know if it’s true – that before the game today, we had the same record as we did last year, same number of games through. I feel like we’re grinding a little bit and it’s not fully clicking, but there’s a lot of season left and we got a chance to win a lot of ballgames.”
What Sale said is correct: The Braves were 29-19 heading into their 49th game last season.
And on this same note, Harris brought up the day the Braves called him up – May 28, 2022. And after losing on Harris’ debut, the Braves were 22-25 and 8 1/2 games behind the first-place Mets.
“It’s a long season,” Harris said. “I know we’ll turn it around at some point.”
5. Reynaldo López said he didn’t have his best day. He allowed three runs – two earned – over 4 2/3 innings. The Braves opted not to send him back out after a short rain delay.
“I couldn’t hit the spot today,” López said. “This is over. Just turn the page.”
He still has a 1.75 ERA. His offense couldn’t back him.
It’s been a theme for the Braves thus far.
Stat to know
9, 8 - The Braves’ .250 team batting average ranks ninth in the sport. Their .726 OPS is eighth.
Quotable
“I always do. The guys are too good. It’s one of those collective things that it’s just not a couple of guys, it’s pretty much everybody, a little bit. And then one guy gets it going. It’ll be there at some point in time. We just gotta keep fighting the fight.” - Snitker on if he can feel the offense coming
Up next
On Sunday, Sale will try to help the Braves avoid being swept. Left-hander Martín Pérez will start for Pittsburgh. First pitch is at 1:35 p.m.
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