3 Braves most to blame for untimely losing skid, Astros sweep

1. Braves need Matt Olson to get back to MVP-caliber form, cut down on Ks

Matt Olson began the 2023 season looking like a man possessed after an up-and-down debut campaign with the Braves a year ago. And when you look at the overall numbers, that still holds up as the first baseman leads the team in home runs (6) and RBI (20).

In Game 2 of the three-game set against the Padres, Olson hit a home run that helped propel Atlanta to an 8-1 victory. Since then, though, things have been quite ugly for the lefty.

Over the course of this four-game losing streak, Olson has gone just 1-for-15 with that only hit being a single. He’s reached base just two more times by way of a walk and has not driven in a run. But perhaps the most troubling piece of the equation is that he’s struck out in eight of his 17 at-bats over this span as well.

Even earlier in the season when Olso was mashing, the strikeouts were a bit concerning. However, when he’s racking up extra-base hits, RBI and hitting around the .300 mark, you can most certainly live with a high number of strikeouts. They look a lot worse, though, when he’s not getting on base.

Olson’s OPS has dropped from 1.053 to .913 over the past four games, which is a staggeringly harsh drop that highlights how problematic he’s been at the plate over this skid. Much like Riley too, it’s also this mini-slump that has caused the Braves to not take advantage of players like Acuña getting in position to score.

If Atlanta is going to get out of this streak quickly, they need Olson to find his hot bat again and do so soon.