Brian Snitker throws cold water on Braves latest win in wake of Dodgers sweep

The Atlanta Braves were given a dose of reality over the weekend when they were swept by the World Series favorite Los Angeles Dodgers. LA added Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and more over the winter, spending $1 billion-plus via free agency and new contracts.

A trip to Los Angeles was an early-season test for this Braves team, and they failed miserably. Atlanta's pitching has remarkably held up despite a season-ending elbow injury to ace Spencer Strider. The lineup, however, has struggled to get much of anything going just a season after they set the MLB record for home runs. It's remarkable how much can change in a year with the same group of players, for the most part.

Brian Snitker preached patience following a tough weekend. Braves fans have been here before, and despite a couple of rough series offensively, Atlanta remains nine games over .500 and locked in an NL Wild Card spot. The red-hot Phillies lead the division by three games.

Braves back to winning, but Brian Snitker isn't sold

Atlanta got back to their winning ways against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night, claiming victory at Fenway Park by the final score of 4-2. Marcell Ozuna came through in the clutch with a run-scoring single in the eighth inning to help secure the win.

Despite the victory, Snitker didn't see enough from the Braves lineup to declare their offensive slump over. Atlanta had seven hits on the night, along with four runs.

“It’s a rough thing to go through,” Snitker said. “We’re not through it yet.”

Snitker makes a good point. One game doesn't eliminate several weeks of struggles. Matt Olson, Austin Riley and Ronald Acuña Jr. still need to hit at a more consistent clip. Jarred Kelenic came through for the first time in awhile on Tuesday, picking up two hits as FanSided's John Buhler documented:

"Fortunately, good things may be on the horizon for Kelenic and the rest of the Braves' offense. He had two big hits on Tuesday night vs. Boston, including a two-run shot, his first homer in an Atlanta uniform. It was the difference in the Braves' much-needed 4-2 victory over Boston. The Braves are no longer in first place and need to take advantage of a softer spot in their schedule before it is too late," Buhler wrote.

If Kelenic can regain his early-season form, all the while the Braves stars finally start hitting like they're supposed to, perhaps Atlanta can use the Boston series as a springboard offensively. But, as Snitker knows all too well, Braves fans shouldn't get overexcited just yet.