The Braves’ 46th loss of the season was the team’s seventh shutout. The team was shut out 11 times last year, the highest mark since getting shut out 12 times in 2016, the 68-93 season that led to Fredi Gonzalez’s firing and Brian Snitker’s first year at the helm. As of tonight, this team is on pace for 13 shutouts this year.
The team that beat Atlanta tonight, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, have not finished above .500 since the 2015 season, the year before that Atlanta low-water mark. Ron Washington is out for the rest of the year with serious health issues, but there continue to be a decent number of ex-Braves in Talebravesin West. Jorge Soler had the game’s biggest blow, a two-run double, and Kenley Jansen closed out the game, while Travis d’Arnaud rested. Eric Young was behind first base, as usual, and Sal Fasano’s the assistant pitching coach. Heck, Touki Toussaint is pitching for them in Triple-A with the Salt Lake Bees.
The Angels are now up to a .500 record, 42-42, which is a testament to their effort. But on a night when Grant Holmes allowed three hits and notched ten strikeouts in six scoreless innings, the offense mustered scarcely so much as a prayer. Ronald Acuña’s golden sombrero didn’t help, but other than Austin Riley’s two singles and a double, the rest of the team went 4-30 with eleven strikeouts and two walks.
Actually, the above isn’t fair to Grant — he was so good tonight, and has been so good all year, and he deserves more than a perfunctory ho-hum acknowledgement of his continued brilliance. I genuinely didn’t believe he could stick in the rotation, let alone evolve into the anchor he’s become. The guy is a legitimate number four starter, and he’s a joy to root for. He deserves better than the bupkes he’s getting.
All four runs scored in the eighth, as Brian Snitker brought his best reliever – Dylan Lee – into a tie game, and Dylan just didn’t have it. Neither did Enyel De Los Santos. I can’t really blame Snitker. The bullpen isn’t very good, and the offense is worse.
However, as someone once said, tomorrow’s another day.
📱 Profar: “So, uh, actually, I think I’ll stay down here in Gwinnett. Y’all be good.”
From last thread. Let’s hope we don’t have to worry about Verdugo batting anymore this year. I’m sure we will continue to see a lot of Verdugo homeruns.
I have a suggested Braves Journal Glossary entry. It is a Verdugo homerun. It is any flyout within 20 feet of the warning track.While Verdugo has not hit any homeruns for us, I bet he’s hit at least 10 Verdugo homreuns. I bet Nick Allen has hit at least 5 or 6 Verdugo homeruns.
This season is just over. But AA really can’t even do much for next year.
Ozuna: needs surgery, can’t trade him
Ozzie: can maybe get something for him? And then that team can pick up his option and turn him into a role player
Profar: might be good, might be 3 months behind pitching
Allen: no upgrade available in the org
Harris: needs to be demoted but we don’t have the balls to do it
That’s half your lineup, and there’s nothing you can do but sit on your hands.
Literally no pitching assets to sell off. No immediate reinforcements for this year AND next year. Maybe Waldrep figures it out. Maybe Lopez comes back healthy. AJSS is gone for next year. Ian Anderson will always have more walks than strikeouts.
We can free up payroll for next year. That’s literally it. It’s a lot of payroll, but that’s it. And we’re not going to pay a free agent top prices so we’re left to get buy low candidates and hope it works out.
This window has slammed shut quicker than we could have ever imagined.
Well, I did imagine it. I get no pleasure out of it, but I did call it in the offseason. Harris is much worse than I predicted though.
I agree with your dire assessment. We are done for this year. We can possibly contend again in the short term but only by spending money.
I think you nailed it Rob, for whatever reason we these guys just fell apart, we are stuck with them, and have not drafted or signed any position players that will help us. The Minors are beyond barren for hitters. Get ready for a few terrible seasons gang..
And do you trust AA to properly fix this?
I don’t.
No. Not at all
This team went from the class of MLB in 2022-2023 to looking up at the Marlins in 2025, with largely the same group of players. How?
I can’t help but wonder how much the offensive struggles in the 2022 and 2023 postseasons influenced the team’s current approach. It feels like, in response to those failures, they may have overcorrected by shifting away from their power-heavy identity and trying instead to mold their sluggers into more traditional, contact-focused hitters. The problem is, in doing so, they seem to have lost the edge that made their offense dangerous in the first place. Now, instead of finding a balanced middle ground, they’ve ended up with a lineup that struggles to hit at all.
Verdugo DFAd.
His glorious walk-up music will be missed.
His plate appearances, not so much.
His defense as well…lol
You can’t have a winning team if 4 or 5 of your 9 can’t hit. This is the worst lineup we’ve had in a LONG time. Money can fix some of it but we all know that ain’t happening. We’ll spread $10M here and there to make it look like we’re doing stuff but that’s about it. It’s going to take years to rebuild this.
(I still think we were cheating and knew what pitches were coming a few years back)
Unfortunately, I think you are right. I understand the issues with SS and LF (due to the suspension), but the bigger issue is that two of your cornerstone types, Ozzie and Harris, are almost as bad as SS and LF. These facts, coupled with the fact Ozuna has been meh (because of his hip) and Riley and Olson have been both good and bad, that really only leaves two consistent spots with RAJ and whichever catcher is playing. I know Snit dropped his famous ‘back of the baseball card” line last night, but Babe Ruth’s card looks pretty good too but he isn’t going to help us this year either.
The free agent market this offseason is not very good. What we need wont be available.
I disagree. We need middle infield and there are several available. Bo Bichette can be had for money. You can possibly get Nacho and Nick Allen to man the other position. Murphy and Baldwin can share DH. We are actually a healthy Profar and one big signing away from being decent on offense. You also need two high end relief arms. You can spend $50MM, some of which will be freed up with Ozuna and be a contender but I somehow doubt this regime will do it.
AA will never sign a premier FA though.
So, uh, don’t look at the Braves latest release.
Forget about 90 losses; 100 is legitimately in play,
good lord, what next? Sell anything not nailed down, then again, who wants our junk.
We don’t have much to sell. Maybe the remains of Ozzie and some relievers.
Un effing real.
Still my team, but just wow, wtf.
DOB says he might be ready in September. Why bother at this point? Just got him and Sale healthy and have them prepare for ‘26.
Profar is hitting 5th tonight. Ozuna is still in the lineup batting 4th instead of getting surgery on his hip while Baldwin is on the bench. Albies continues to bat in front of Murphy for some reason, though I guess it doesn’t matter much.
Would like to point out that the edit function seems to be broken now too in addition to the saving name and email function on this blog.
The editing function has a broken elbow. We lost the “rememeber your login function” in the Rule 5 draft a few years ago,
But the edit function is working for me…. anyone else having a problen?
Meanwhile there are some in Braves Facebook land who are laughably most upset about Verdugo being DFA’ed.
I have it on good authority that we are so stacked at starting pitcher that we can weather this storm.
My optimism is being challenged.
We still have half a season left. Anything can happen.
Strider and Holmes and pray for… alms?
First, it appers that Didier is going to get a chance to grow up fast. But….
Strider and Grant… add a 3 day rain chant.
Strider and Locks… and some guys from the docks.
Holmes and Strider… then mass suicider.
Kenny, Quadzilla and not much more thrilla
https://x.com/DOBrienATL/status/1940513562189074617
Just… fire everyone. Literally everyone. Blooper, you’re fired. We’re starting fresh here.
Once Schwelly started throwing harder, WE KNEW THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. Strider, AJSS, probably Lopez, now Schwelly. Why can’t we tell these guys to dial it back? Schwelly was getting outs just fine throwing a few MPH slower. So, so, so incredibly dumb.
The 102°F August home game at 12pm on a Thursday with Jackson Stephens as the opener is gonna slap.
I do think this is true: we’ve seen our last “team-friendly” contract extension (aside for something absurd like the Albies one).
The worst part of this is when attendance craters and revenue drops as the losses accumulate with this absolute dumpster fire of a remaining rotation paired with this lineup, ownership will use that as an excuse to cut payroll for 2026.
But those six new buildings will fix MHII’s plate approach, I’m sure. (At this point, he should be sent down to be rebuilt in the hopes of fixing him long-term. Zero reason for him to get major-league at-bats right now.)
Well, Profar looks like he fits right in.
Another 2025 Braves inning.
With Schwellenbach blaming increased velocity for the injury … and AJSS and Strider’s recent TJ surgeries … at what point do we start pointing the finger at the club’s approach to pitching and prioritizing velocity above all? And who is the responsible party?
Ehhh, I mean, I don’t particularly trust Schwellenback as far as analyzing why he got hurt. That seems like a complicated question. Pitchers get hurt in lots of ways. I find it hard to believe people in MLB can afford to not be trying to get better.
I don’t think he got a fractured elbow bowling…
Last night a leadoff triple doesn’t score and tonight 1st and 2nd with no one out and bases loaded with one out and all we get are two Ks. Watching these guys, I’ve never seen anyone give up like this. They look totally lifeless; I don’t care what Snit says.
No amount of different personnel will solve the problem of being lifeless.
Ka-boom!
Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting that…
Now let’s see if we can hold ’em.
EDIT: Hey, even better…
That was a 2023 Braves inning.
The way this year’s bullpen was put together, we should redefine a 5 run lead as REITsma room.
Ozuna was the only guy who didn’t get on base in that big inning.
Recapped