The Braves showed positive offensive signs in their first two games against the Rockies — with 16 runs on 22 hits — but Sunday’s series finale demonstrated the group is still searching for consistency.
The Braves fell 10-1 for their worst loss — run differential wise — since Sept. 16, 2024 against the Dodgers. The team managed just one run on a sixth-inning single from Marcell Ozuna.
“We just can’t get off the mat and put anything together for an extended period of time,” manager Brian Snitker said. “We haven’t all year. Just one of those things. I don’t know what the answer is, so it’s just keep waiting for it to happen.”
Snitker said there is not much he can do to help ignite the offense besides changing the batting order, which he tried on Friday. Snitker hit Alex Verdugo second due to his previous success against the Rockies’ starter, and the move worked to perfection.
Verdugo reached base in three of his four plate appearances and notched a pair of singles in the Braves’ 12-4 victory. The momentum carried into the second game, and a 4-1 win gave the Braves consecutive series wins.
But the lineup went quiet in the series finale, despite entering the game with a favorable matchup — Rockies starter Austin Gomber was making his season debut coming off an injury.
“I thought we were going to score runs,” Snitker said. “I felt really good about today. Going into it thinking our offense is clicking here a little bit, and we’re going to continue this on and take some momentum into the next series.”
Gomber stifled any momentum the Braves’ offense had with five scoreless innings, but there are signs the club is closer to displaying consistent productive outings.
It improved with runners in scoring position, hitting .333 in those situations in its last six games. Situational hitting is a key component of the Braves’ victories, with a .325 average in their 31 wins entering Sunday and a .180 mark in their 38 losses.
“I think the at-bats have been better,” Matt Olson said. “Obviously, we’ve been putting up some runs (and) winning the last couple of series. We didn’t get the sweep today, couldn’t get it going, but if we keep building up some series wins, we’ll get this thing going.”
The Braves also have better plate discipline than previous seasons. Their 27.2% chase rate is down from the 29.4% they posted in 2024 and 30% in 2023. They are also taking fewer swings with a 2.2% decrease in their swing rate.
However, the slight improvements cannot transform a team that is eight games below .500. And with one month until the All-Star break, there is only so long the Braves can wait and hope their offense gets rolling.
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