The Atlanta Braves fell to the Philadelphia Phillies in four games, thanks in part to a number of faults at key positions.
It’s tough to blame an entire organizational failure on three positions, but we’ll try. Atlanta fell to the Phillies in four games, thus officially eliminating them from the 2022 MLB Postseason. With that, the Phillies will move on to the NLCS, and are just four wins away from the World Series.
It’ll be a long winter for Braves fans, who must come to terms with an uncertain reality for star shortstop Dansby Swanson. While most in the industry assume the homegrown product will stay in the ATL, free agency is far from guaranteed.
But in the meantime, fans need to aim their vitriol at these parties in particular.
Braves to blame: Pitching, pitching and pitching
Atlanta’s pitching staff wasn’t what it needed to be in the postseason. While it was always a risk heading into the playoffs, timing played a key role in the Braves untimely demise. Here’s what I mean:
Max Fried pitched Game 1 while still recovering from an illness. Spencer Strider’s first game back since mid-September did not go according to plan. Charlie Morton, previously undefeated in elimination games, was thusly defeated in rather emphatic fashion in Philadelphia.
The numbers were on the side of the Braves starting staff, but numbers don’t physically throw said pitches. Injury troubles doomed Atlanta in the final four games of their season, and the bullpen alone couldn’t help them recover.