The Braves are now out of playoff position for the first time since June of 2022. They’re losers of four straight, and there are not many smiling faces in Atlanta.
Though we just watched the Braves pitching staff give up 34 runs over the last three games, it’s been an inconsistent offense that has plagued this club all season. We are still watching Brian Snitker trot out Adam Duvall and Ramon Laureano, but what else is he supposed to do? That’s all Alex Anthopoulos has afforded him.
The Braves aren’t going to magically get better. This offense is bad, and while Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies are slated to return at some point, I’m not sure how much positive regression the Braves can expect.
Hell, we might not even make it to Albies’ return before the club is out of the Wild Card race altogether. ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle identified the Braves’ lingering concern down the stretch run, and it’s the team’s attempt to bridge the production at second base with Whit Merrifield until Albies’ return, along with Orlando Arcia’s struggles.
Lingering concern: Production up the middle
Let’s be generous and say that deadline pickup Jorge Soler gets hot down the stretch and approximates the production Atlanta might have gotten had Ronald Acuna Jr. not been injured. Let’s also say Reynaldo Lopez‘s injury isn’t serious and Atlanta keeps preventing runs at an NL-best level. Even if those things happen, the Braves still need to get healthy and more productive at the up-the-middle positions. Orlando Arcia hasn’t hit at all this year and the Braves need more than the occasional homer from him, especially as his glove is too good to take out of the lineup. Ozzie Albies probably won’t be back for much of the regular season, so it’s up to Zack Short, Whit Merrifield and Nacho Alvarez at the keystone. In a perfect world, one of them would seize the position until Albies returns. Finally, when Michael Harris II returns from his hamstring injury, he needs to perform better than he did at the plate before going on the shelf.
I don’t know what’s worse — the middle infield or the outfield. Right now, I’d argue it’s the outfield, but Michael Harris II should be returning to Atlanta this time next week. That will put Jorge Soler into an everyday role in right field, Harris in center field, with a left field platoon of Duvall and Jarred Kelenic.
At that point, the Braves biggest weakness will be up the middle. Orlando Arcia has turned it around recently, but he’s a below average offensive player at best. Whit Merrifield is just a stopgap option until Ozzie Albies returns. It could plague the Braves down the stretch run.
—
Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
You must log in to post a comment.