3 takeaways from Braves’ series vs. Yankees

“We’re always gonna stay confident,” said starting pitcher Grant Holmes, who took the loss in Sunday’s series finale after allowing two runs through six innings. “This team that we have is a really good team, especially when everything starts to click.”

Holmes gave a polished answer after the Braves dropped to 43-55 on the season and 10½ games out of the National League’s final wild card spot. But the reality is this — the club’s hope of making its eighth consecutive postseason is quickly dwindling (if there is any left), and time is running out.

Here are three takeaways from the series:

Marcell Ozuna is out as the primary designated hitter

If Brian Snitker’s lineup cards were not enough to confirm that Marcell Ozuna no longer will be the team’s primary designated hitter, the manager said as much during the series.

But as long as Ozuna, who had appeared in only two of the club’s past six starting lineups, is on the roster, he will sparingly see the field.

“If he’s going to be here, he’s going to play every now and then,” Snitker said. “If he’s going to be here, he’s not going to rot. I’m going to keep him active. But on a daily basis, I’m probably going to go with (catchers Sean Murphy and Drake Baldwin).”

The Braves’ catching duo is hitting a combined .348 average — Murphy at a .375 mark and Baldwin with a .318 average — over the team’s past seven games. Ozuna, on the other hand, is batting just .200 during that span.

Snitker said Ozuna’s benching is more about the production from Murphy and Baldwin, rather than his personal struggles. The Braves need all the offensive help they can receive, and the catchers are showcasing more productive at-bats.

Their 27 combined home runs are the second-most by a backstop duo in MLB this season, and they are on-pace for more than 44 homers across 162 games.

Credit: Butch Dill/AP

Credit: Butch Dill/AP

Ozuna is one of the Braves who could find himself with another team by the July 31 trade deadline, since the 34-year-old is set to become a free agent after the 2025 season (and the Braves seemingly have their designated hitter position already squared away with Baldwin and Murphy).

But Ozuna said he is not focused on trade rumors and that all of the conversations are between his agent and the club’s president of baseball operations, Alex Anthopoulos.

“Whatever they decide, I have to get it,” Ozuna said. “I’m working for (the Braves). They have the decision, and whatever they make, I have to do it.”

Ozuna could veto any trade the Braves attempt to make because of his 10/5 rights, which apply to players who have completed at least 10 years of service time, with their last five years spent on the same team.

Yankees expose major weakness of Braves

The Braves’ starting rotation shut down a Yankees lineup that leads MLB with 156 home runs, but the bullpen collapsed.

The starters surrendered only three runs in 16 innings, but the relievers allowed 16 runs through 11 frames.

Snitker shut down the idea the four-day All-Star break contributed to the ineffectiveness of the relievers, who posted a 3.55 ERA — seventh-best in MLB — before the time off.

“I don’t think these guys ever forget how to pitch,” Snitker said. “I don’t use rust as an excuse. I just think we had a hard time putting innings down against a really good team (in) some stressful situations (with) big crowds and good ballgames. We just didn’t get the job done.”

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

The Braves’ bullpen have skated on thin ice throughout the season, but with 64 games left to play, the surface is beginning to crack. And even the club’s high-leverage relievers are falling victim.

Dylan Lee, who slid into the closer role during Raisel Iglesias’ struggles, still possesses a 2.68 ERA on the season, but has pitched to a 9.00 ERA through eight appearances in July.

As for Iglesias, the right-hander still cannot execute his slider, and teams are batting .429 off him, with six home runs (of the eight he’s surrendered this season), including Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham’s go-ahead grand slam Saturday with two outs in the ninth inning.

There is no immediate solution to fixing the Braves’ bullpen, as any major additions would have been made before the start of the season.

But there are minor league relievers who could either help the Braves or at least gain major league experience with 64 games to play.

Hayden Harris, who represented the club along with JR Ritchie in the All-Star Futures Game, has a 0.81 ERA in 28 games across Double-A and Triple-A this season.

And Daysbel Hernández, who posted a 2.10 ERA in 30 games for the Braves before being sent down, has yet to surrender a run in two outings for Triple-A. He also recorded five strikeouts with no walks through three innings.

The Braves likely will call on Hernández, a proven MLB reliever, and Harris to bolster their bullpen, and their call-ups might become expedited if the club moves Iglesias and Pierce Johnson at the trade deadline.

But two arms, no matter how talented, will not fix an issue that likely should have been addressed during the offseason.

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

The offense is showing signs of life but lacks consistency

The Braves are close to finding the lineup that gives them the best chance to score, but the club is still inconsistent with its run production.

The team scored 16 runs across its first two games against the Yankees but were held to just two runs — on solo home runs from Matt Olson and Ronald Acuña Jr. — in Sunday’s series finale.

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Part of the inconsistency can be attributed to who the Braves faced. The Yankees threw a bullpen game Friday and used six pitchers Saturday, while Marcus Stroman started Sunday. The two-time All-Star has made only six appearances this season because of knee inflammation but is steadily returning to form.

And there was not much the Braves could do against him in the series finale. The club tallied five hits in six innings with no walks and four strikeouts.

But scores aside, the offense showed positive signs throughout the series.

Michael Harris II, after making a mechanical adjustment in his batting stance, earned his first walk in 178 consecutive plate appearances — the longest streak by a position player in the team’s Atlanta history — and recorded three hits in the series.

Ozzie Albies also broke out of his slump with three hits, two home runs and nine RBIs.

“This game is a game of adjustment,” Albies said. “You’ve just got to keep making adjustments.”

Harris’ and Albies’ productive at-bats are a welcome sign for a Braves offense that was top-heavy for most of the season. But the inconsistency of both the bats and bullpen does not bode well for a team whose playoffs odds — 3%, according to FanGraphs — are on life support.