Some might want to blame AJ Smith-Shawver for yesterday’s loss, and they’d have the absolute right to blame him, but let’s clear the air a bit: this Braves team is 1/4 of the way through the season and 3 of the Braves mainstays are carrying a .619, .601, and .613 OPS. While I understand Nick Allen is here because he’s the best defensive SS in the league, both Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris II have been fairly consistent in their time with the Braves, but both are really struggling to even make average contact in 2025.
That’s a real problem. And while I make it a point to not talk bad about our players, the reality is both are going to continue to get regular starts because there’s really not any other options, ask least until the trade deadline.
Shawver still feels like a work in progress and I’m ok with that. In most of his starts, he’s danced around danger to come out on the winnings side, but Thursday just wasn’t his day. Even late in the minors, he’s struggled with location so hopefully he’ll continue to get the reps and find strength in the experience.
Question for Braves Journalers: Finding Regular PT for Drake Baldwin
Sean Murphy‘s counterpart, Drake Baldwin, is mashing baseballs and his stat cast page is chock full of red. This is the William Contreras problem all over again. The dude needs to be in the everyday lineup, but is, and has been, a catcher for his baseball career. Is it worth sending him to AAA for a month to get him acquainted with an OF glove?
The Return of Ronald Acuña Jr.
Tonight is the night that we’ve been waiting for as RAJ will, once again, lead off and play RF for the Braves. Unfortunately for Ronald, his good buddy will not be with the team, as he was the roster casualty. While I’m excited to see Acuña back, it doesn’t resolve the lineup yet, but hopefully his presence has a spiritual impact on the bats and we fans can finally say WE’RE BACK!
And look who else is back! Welcome, Ryan!
No Fn’ way….
That’s 2 big welcome-backs…
FIRST. PITCH.
Welcome back!
Wow.
Ryan, you hit the nail on the head with your comment of the offensive underperformers. MHII and Ozzie have been terrible. And since his modestly good beginning, Verdugo has been just about as poor. Combined with Allen (whose defense is terrific but whose offense is comparable to the other four), that’s four spots of the nine that are simply not competitive. When half your lineup is that bad, you’re doing well to win half your games. A lot of commenters have called this team mediocre; at 24-25, that’s assessment is hard to argue with.
But you know, before the season pretty much all projections services and most of the experts thought this is a mid-90’s win team, second only to the Dodgers in all of MLB. If Ronald is anything like his former self, and if Harris and Albies can remember how to hit, the offense should be much better going forward. The pitching is much better than mediocre. The starters have been good to excellent, and although the bullpen needs an arm or two, it’s not as bad as many think. This is a playoff calibre team. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
And just as I was typing all that, Ronald does that!!
I’m not ashamed to admit, that put a slight tear in my eye.
my god that throw
Iglesias keeps showing us he is absolutely washed but yet we keep throwing him in high leverage situations.
Tui threw up the stop sign, per Joe on the radio. White thought it meant go back. He meant don’t go home. They need to work on their signs. This dumbass team.
This is getting ridiculous. It’s like we are the Washington Generals against the Globetrotters.
Could the Braves please play a game without an egregious baserunning error? This is ridiculous and out of control. We may have DFA’d the wrong player today. The Braves play like they skipped spring training. Ugh!
Did he not hear the crowd cheering the hit also?
Season tickets holder for many years. Done. Completely done. We have paid coaches that doesn’t know the basic rules of baseball. See y’all in five years.
They can fire Tui anytime. He’s useless. They can get someone out of the stands and not have three baserunning gaffes of which he played a part in five games.
Recapped