The Braves have stunningly lost four straight games and five of their last six, but which players are most to blame for the recent decline in Atlanta?
Just based on the standings, the Atlanta Braves aren’t necessarily in trouble. They still hold the best record in MLB at 61-33 and are miles ahead of their NL East rivals with a 9.5-game lead in the division.
Yet, things haven’t been going smoothly for the Braves of late. With a 5-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night, Atlanta has now dropped four straight games and five of their last six dating back to just before All-Star weekend. Moreover, that puts them at a paltry 4-6 over their last 10 games.
Again, this hasn’t bit the Braves yet with their place in the standings and the playoff race — but if it continues, that might no longer be the case. So it’s time to start pointing fingers at which Braves deserve a ton of the blame for this recent losing skid.
These aren’t the only players to blame — looking at you, Marcell Ozuna — but based on expectations and the results, these three players deserve the lion’s share of the blame for the recent struggles.
Braves: 3 players most to blame for untimely losing skid
3. Sean Murphy, C
When you look at the numbers on the whole for Sean Murphy this season, it’s obviously no wonder why the Braves’ biggest offseason acquisition in another big-name trade with Oakland earned his first All-Star nod this season.
Murphy is hitting .289 on the season with the sixth-best OPS in baseball (.950) as he’s mashed 17 home runs and 18 doubles on the year with 57 RBI to his credit in just 71 games. Throw in the fact that he remains one of the best defensive catchers in the league, and he’s obviously been worth everything for Atlanta on the year.
But it’s impossible to ignore the slump that he’s experiencing right now.
Coming out of the break, Murphy has played in four of the five games for the Braves. In 19 plate appearances, he’s reached base just three times, recording one hit and two walks. Granted, that one hit was a two-RBI double, but the fact that his slash line since the All-Star Game reads .059/.158/.118 while striking out five times in 19 plate appearances tells you everything you need to know about how much he’s pressing right now.
With the pitching crashing down to earth of late (which we’re going to touch on shortly), the offense has been more necessary than ever. As part of the heart of the order, though, Murphy just hasn’t been delivering results in the Braves lineup. To kick this skid to the curb, the All_Star catcher needs to get his groove back at the plate.