Braves Offense Stuck in Neutral as Missed Opportunities Mount

Apr 19, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves left fielder Alex Verdugo (8) hits an RBI single against the Minnesota Twins in the sixth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Braves have had a few opportunities and two golden ones especially to climb back to a .500 record this season, and they've continued to come up short. First, they faced the struggling Colorado Rockies, a team with just four wins at the time. Despite the Rockies' woes, the Braves' offense faltered in a great game pitched by Chris Sale, failing to support him with the opportunity to sweep and reach .500. They remarkably, went an entire series in Colorado without hitting a home run. While they managed to win the series, it was disheartening not to reach an even record.

After the Dodgers series, which honestly looked somewhat promising, all things considered, came the series against the Cincinnati Reds. Again, the Braves secured a series win, but it required late-game heroics to avoid dropping it. That type of play isn't sustainable and the troubling pattern continues: Atlanta’s offense often doesn’t show up until the eighth inning. Sometimes they open with a decent frame, only to disappear for the next seven. Other times, they’re completely silent early and suddenly come alive late. It’s puzzling and speaks volumes about how this Braves lineup has become one of the more underwhelming offensive groups in baseball.

This past weekend in Pittsburgh was another classic example. The Braves dropped two out of three games to the Pirates, a team that entered the series at 12-26 and had just fired their manager. It’s hard to explain how something like that happens, and even harder to accept it. It’s time the hard questions are asked, and more importantly, that answers actually start coming with a plan behind them. Because this brand of Braves baseball is just not good enough.

It’s easy to look at the injury report and say, “Well, wait until Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider are back.” But that misses the bigger picture. Strider can’t pitch every day. And frankly, pitching hasn’t even been the issue for Atlanta this season. The offense has been. The dry spells have been relentless.

And while Acuña is a superstar, he’s still just one bat. Hopefully he returns to full strength and gives the lineup a boost, but this offense isn’t faltering just because one guy is out. The problems go much deeper. The total body of work just hasn’t been promising. Sure, every team goes through slumps and streaks, but right now, it feels like there are far more slumps than streaks in the Braves' camp. That’s the real concern.

According to TeamRankings, the Braves are currently averaging just 3.97 runs per game, placing them 21st in the league. Their team batting average sits at .237, also 21st overall. Digging deeper, the Braves are averaging 3.65 runners left in scoring position per game, which ranks 20th in Major League Baseball. Most of Atlanta’s losses have come by a difference of one to three runs. A tale as old as time, even though we’re only a month and a half into the season.

A stat that nobody thinks about, but one that speaks volumes about both the lack of base runners and the inability to bring them home, is sacrifice flies per game. The Braves rank 29th in the majors in that category. It’s pretty telling that they can’t even use a long out to plate a run when given the opportunity. Even productive outs have been hard to come by.

The Braves once again have a struggling team this week, with a four-game set against the Washington Nationals, who are 17-24. Atlanta is just two games under .500, and if they can turn some things around this week, they could head to Boston finally over that mark. Matt Olson stated a few nights ago that they weren’t thinking about the .500 mark, that they go out every night to win. I would certainly hope that is the case. It would just be nice to see Atlanta put together a solid stretch, win more than a game or two at a time, and not make every victory so dramatic.

Players aren’t blind to the struggles either. They know what's going on. We all do, but we all just have to play the waiting patiently, or not so, game for not just a spark, but a full on change with their approach and production. Brian Snitker may need to play with the lineup some. At this point what would it hurt? Drake Baldwin is the only player even hitting .300 at the moment. He needs to see more time in the batter's box. However Snitker can make it happen, he needs to. I know it's a touchy subject for some fans, but there is no room for feelings in Major League Baseball, this is a business. Find ways to win and do it. If that means shuffling and moving some things around, that is what has to be done.

None of this is said to point fingers or play the blame game. It’s simply the reality that numbers and trends are revealing. There are still a lot of games left, sure—but eventually, that excuse runs out. The margin for error thins, the division picture starts to take shape, and suddenly you’re on the outside looking in.

The Braves have proven players on the roster, that have been here before and done this at a high level. That’s not the question. But if the bats keep falling asleep for innings at a time, and if they continue letting winnable games slip by, it won’t matter who’s healthy or what the rotation looks like. They’ll be continuously chasing the season from behind.

It’s time to get back to playing complete baseball. Not just flashes of brilliance, but full nine-inning efforts. Otherwise, we’ll keep having the same conversations, with fewer games left to change the narrative.