3 Braves most to blame for tough Game 1 against Phillies

Braves most to blame: Brian Snitker

It’s Snitker’s job to have his team ready, layoff or not, and put them in the best position to succeed. Snit is a tremendous manager and will be for quite some time, and he’s likely to prove this post wrong in a matter of days. But, even he will tell you he doesn’t make excuses.

So, if not the layoff, then what?

Situational hitting can make great teams look like little leaguers, and that was the case until Matt Olson’s ninth-inning blast on Tuesday.

Braves most to blame: Dansby Swanson, Austin Riley

We’re going 2-for-1 in our last Braves to blame tab, if only because fans expect so much more from these players in particular.

Atlanta left 19 men on base, which is an exceptionally-painful stat for a team that lost by one run overall. Riley and Swanson are responsible for seven of those LOB, and they are at the heart of the Atlanta order.

Riley signed a massive contract this season, while Swanson is likely next on deck (or Braves fans hope). They are superstars, and ought to be treated as such. Now, one bad game doesn’t eliminate that status, and surely they will rebound. But it’s also fair to pick apart the faults, especially in a Best-of-5 series.