October 9, 2019 Atlanta: Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker, left, and pitching coach Rick Kranitz react in the dugout after the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals during game 5 in the NLDS on Wednesday, October, 9, 2019, in Atlanta. Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com
The 2020s are beginning to feel like the 1990s for the Braves after another playoff failure.
After tying a major league record with 307 home runs, the slugging Braves lost to the rival Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Division Series for the second year in a row.
The Phillies dominated the best-of-five series, with the exception of a spectacular comeback in Game 2 when the Braves overturned a four-run deficit with a pair of two-run homers and a fantastic double play to win 5-4.
They defeated the Braves 3-0 in the series opener at Truist Park, their first shutout of the season. They hit six home runs in a 10-2 victory in Game 3. And they terminated Atlanta’s season much earlier than everyone imagined, with three
After six months of brilliant play and an MLB-leading 104 victories, the Braves and two other division winners, the 100-win Los Angeles Dodgers and AL-leading Baltimore Orioles, were eliminated in the first six days.
“A phenomenal year for our club,” remarked manager Brian Snitker. “It didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but it doesn’t always do that in this game.”
In the 1990s, the Braves began a record-breaking streak of 14 consecutive division victories, with only one World Series championship.
They are currently in the midst of six consecutive NL East titles. However, the 2021 World Series title is the first time the postseason did not end in disappointment.
“Look, nobody has the exact formula,” remarked general manager Alex Anthopoulos on Friday, less than 24 hours after the final out. “If they did, the same squad would win every year. That is what makes baseball wonderful. “You’re always looking for answers.”
The last two years have left the Braves with a lot of questions.
They chased down the New York Mets to win the East with 101 wins last season and earned a first-round bye, only to be eliminated in the NLDS by a Phillies team that finished 14 games back and barely made the playoffs.
Now, another blowout for the Phillies, who ended 14 games behind Atlanta during the increasingly meaningless regular season.
The culprit this time was a surprise: an offense that had produced more runs than any other club went cold at the most critical time of year.
Take away Austin Riley, who hit.353 (6 of 17) with two home runs, and the rest of the Braves batted.161 (18 of 112) with one home run and one other extra-base hit in four games.
Most notably, MVP favorite Ronald Acuña Jr. was restricted to a meager couple of hits after being the first player in big league history to record 40 home runs and 70 stolen bases in a season. After the championship game, he stormed out of the clubhouse and refused to talk with the media.
Anthopoulos couldn’t explain the unexpected power outage, which was especially surprising given that the Phillies smashed 11 home runs, much like the Braves. Nick Castellanos outhomered Atlanta alone, going deep twice.
“We’re a team that slugs,” Anthopoulos explained. “There’s no doubt that we have a lot of power on this team.” We simply didn’t slug in this series.”
The division series also highlighted an issue that the Braves had successfully addressed during the regular season: a lack of starting pitching.
Max Fried missed a significant portion of the season, and Kyle Wright, a 21-game winner in 2022, barely threw at all. Snitker compensated for the losses by utilizing 16 starting pitchers, topped by 20-game winner Spencer Strider.
However, Strider was defeated twice in the NLDS, Fried failed in his only start, and Bryce Elder was pummeled in a Game 3 rout, capping off his worrying second-half slump.
Just before the playoffs began, the Braves realized that Wright requires serious shoulder surgery and will miss the entire 2024 season as well. The future of 14-game winner Charlie Morton is questionable after an injured finger prevented him from pitching in the playoffs.
Morton, who turns 40 next month, has a $20 million team option for the upcoming season. Anthopoulos declined to say whether they will activate the option, and Morton has not announced whether he intends to throw another season.
Even if Morton recovers, the Braves are likely to look for starting pitching help, maybe using infield prospect Vaughn Grissom as trade bait.
If Grissom remains in Atlanta, he may go to the outfield to receive more at-bats, maybe taking over in left if the organization rejects Eddie Rosario’s option.
“We want to make sure he plays,” Anthopoulos stated about Grissom. “We will have discussions about where we can get him some at-bats.”
Aside from closer Raisel Iglesias, who is under contract for two more years after earning 33 saves, and set-up man A.J. Minter, who isn’t available for free agency until 2025, the Braves’ bullpen is riddled with questions.
Regarding the rest of the squad, the Braves have signed nearly all of their key players to long-term contracts and are expected to return with essentially the same lineup.
In addition to Acuña’s historic season (.337 average, 41 homers, 106 RBIs, 73 stolen bases, 149 runs), first baseman Matt Olson broke franchise marks for homers (54) and RBIs (139).
Marcell Ozuna rebounded from a slow start to hit 40 home runs and 100 RBIs, Ozzie Albies had 33 home runs and 109 RBIs, and Riley slugged 37 homers and 97 RBIs while playing outstanding defense.
Unfortunately for the Braves, those great numbers didn’t translate to much in the postseason.
