The Atlanta Braves have wrapped up a challenging 13-game stretch within the NL East. Although they started strong with a sweep of the Mets, their momentum quickly faded. They went on to drop two of three to the Marlins, split four games with the Mets, and just lost their series to the division-leading Phillies.
Atlanta needed to capitalize on this stretch to close the gap in the standings, but instead, they finished 7-6 and now trail the Phillies by 10.5 games in third place. Any spark they found has fizzled out, and the team continues to struggle with consistency.
Jurickson Profar is expected to return on July 2, and there’s hope he can provide a spark, though fans are understandably cautious many thought Ronald Acuña Jr. would ignite the offense, but that hasn’t panned out either.
Pitcher Spencer Strider, speaking after Sunday’s loss, emphasized accountability: “There’s no excuses and I don’t think you’re going to find any. The belief that we are a better team is in the clubhouse. At some point, that’s going to have to translate into results.”
Once again, Phillies ace Ranger Suárez proved to be a thorn in the Braves’ side. The lefty tossed seven dominant innings, surrendering just one run a solo shot by Sean Murphy—while walking one and striking out eight. Though Suárez holds a 4-4 record with a 3.48 ERA against Atlanta since 2018, the Braves’ bats continue to struggle mightily against him, batting just .220 with a .692 OPS as a team.
On Sunday, the Braves were 0-for-1 with runners in scoring position only reaching that situation in the ninth inning and left seven runners on base while striking out 11 times. The team’s offensive inconsistency remains a major concern, especially in tight games like this one.
The Braves won’t face the Phillies again until late August. Until then, they’ll need to find some stability and hope to be in better form by the time they see Suárez again.
