Another heartbreaking series loss to the Nationals is the fault of the five Braves.
May saw the Braves go just 13–14, culminating in a disheartening home series loss to the Washington Nationals. At Truist Park, they have dropped three out of four games against their NL East rivals. Atlanta recovered and won three of their next five games, but they still had to play the Nationals in another series.
The team’s last four-game series loss to the 30-35 Nationals is mostly the result of their own doing, but these five individuals in particular should take the bulk of the responsibility.
On Opening Day, Sean Murphy had an oblique injury that kept him out of the game for nearly two whole months. Since his return at the end of May, he hasn’t appeared to be the same person.
Travis d’Arnaud was replaced as the team’s starter by Murphy, who essentially accomplished nothing during this series. The 29-year-old recorded just one thin hit in his 12 at-bats. Though, to his credit, the hit did cross the fence for a home run, it happened in the seventh inning of a game in which Atlanta was behind 7-2. They would ultimately lose that game 7-3.
To make matters worse, Murphy committed a throwing error in the second game of the series, allowing CJ Abrams to score and Nick Senzel to swipe second. There’s a chance Senzel would’ve beaten Murphy’s throw even if it was on target, but we’ll never know. Senzel wound up scoring soon after, and the Braves lost that game 2-1. Murphy going hitless in his four at-bats with a pair of strikeouts didn’t help things either.
4. Hurston Waldrep did not have the expected MLB debut.
Not long after the Braves brought up rookie Hurston Waldrep from AAA to the majors, Atlanta made the same move with another unproven prospect, Spencer Schwellenbach, who had made just one start in AAA this season, to make his MLB debut. Waldrep made his debut against the Nationals, much like Schwellenbach did.
Waldrep blazed through three scoreless innings to give his MLB career a fantastic start. During those three frames, he even encountered the minimum. But for the 22-year-old, everything went south in the fourth inning.
The Nationals would score seven runs that inning, highlighted by a three-run homer off the bat of Keibert Ruiz who has just a .538 OPS this season. Waldrep showed some flashes, but he also let what was a 2-0 lead get completely out of hand. By the time the book was closed on his performance, the Braves were down 7-2. With where their offense has been, that was essentially game over.
Waldrep pitched a bit better than the stat line indicated, but the bottom line is he allowed seven runs and didn’t complete four innings. Most teams lose any game in which their starter has that kind of performance, and the Braves turned out to be no exception.
3. When the Braves most needed Aaron Bummer, he failed to deliver.
In the end, Waldrep let up seven runs in his Major League debut, but his final line might have been much better. With the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth inning, he was removed from the game after giving up four runs. The Braves would have only been behind by two runs after one pitch from the typically dependable Aaron Bummer. That was not the case.
Bummer was brought in to face struggling Nationals leadoff hitter CJ Abrams. The 23-year-old had just three hits in his last 29 at-bats entering play on Sunday. Waldrep got him out twice. Going to the left-hander in Bummer to face the left-handed hitting Abrams made some sense, but it backfired on Brian Snitker immediately.
Bummer’s first pitch was deposited down the right field line and into the corner. It plated three runs. What was a manageable 4-2 deficit turned into a 7-2 deficit in the blink of an eye. Waldrep loaded the bases, but Bummer had been as reliable as they come since Atlanta’s opening series in Philadelphia. He didn’t execute on Sunday. The Braves wound up scoring five runs on the day, which makes it even more frustrating.
2. Ozzie Albies’ struggles in the Nationals series loss persisted.
Although the Braves were not having much success offensively this season, Ozzie Albies had had a strong start, with a.878 OPS in his first 15 games before he was hit by a pitch in the foot and placed on the injured list. In just 11 days, he would return, but during that time, his OPS dropped by more than 150 points. In this Washington series, his troubles persisted.
Albies has been hitting at the top of the order against left-handed pitching with Ronald Acuña Jr. out for the year and has been hitting fifth against righties. No matter where Snitker puts him, Albies hasn’t been producing. That remained true in this series as he had just three hits in his 17 at-bats.
Albies did drive in a run, but that came in Atlanta’s 7-3 loss. He did score a run, but that came in a three-run victory. In other words, when he did do something, it was rather inconsequential. The Braves desperately need Albies to snap out of his funk to get their offense going. He failed to do so in this series.
1. Austin Riley’s difficulties for the season persisted
Austin Riley has been the most reliable superstar in the National League over the past three seasons. Every time, he had placed among the top seven picks for the National League MVP award and had replaced himself in the midst of baseball’s greatest batting order. He just hasn’t looked like the player he has been thus far this season.
Riley was having a rough season; prior to sustaining an injury to his side, he had a.707 OPS in 37 games. Before getting back to work, he sat for a few weeks, and all he has done since is struggle even more.
Riley had just six hits in 34 at-bats with ten strikeouts since his return to action before this series. In the four games he played against the Nationals, he had three hits in 15 at-bats. A .200 average in the four games isn’t quite as bad as Albies or Murphy, but those players don’t have the same MVP-level expectations that Riley has.
In addition to his offensive struggles, Riley committed a throwing error that led to a Washington run in the third game of the series. It was rather inconsequential as Washington won the game easily, but it just adds to the frustrating season-long struggles that Riley has had.
