LOS ANGELES — At 6:32 p.m. PT on Sunday, the Braves have been shut out for the second straight night time to finish a four-game sweep in San Diego. A drive up Interstate 5 to face the undefeated Dodgers wouldn’t present any respite.
About 15 hours later, the Braves designated for project one in all their few pitching additions of the offseason. Héctor Neris was entrusted to carry a one-run lead within the seventh inning on Opening Day and coughed up three runs with out recording an out. He wouldn’t make it to April with the workforce.
It was hardly the worst information on a depressing Monday that epitomized the Braves’ inauspicious begin to the 2025 season. Waves of misfortune swelled right into a tsunami of ache.
At 2:56 p.m., Main League Baseball introduced that Jurickson Profar, the Braves’ largest and most vital signing of the offseason, had examined optimistic for the performance-enhancing substance chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) and can be suspended for 80 games. He was simply 4 video games into his three-year, $42 million deal.
In an announcement, the Braves introduced they have been “shocked and intensely disillusioned” to study the information. Braves supervisor Brian Snitker stated he spoke to Profar after the suspension was introduced. Most of his teammates didn’t need to talk about the matter or expound past expressing that it is a powerful and unlucky scenario.
“I am not going to harp on it, speak about it,” Austin Riley stated. “The Braves launched one thing, and we’ll go away it at that.”
“I am not going to get into it, actually,” Matt Olson added. “It is not my story to inform. I am certain he will come out and say one thing for himself, so I will let him deal with that.”
At 3:11 p.m., Profar launched an announcement calling it essentially the most troublesome day of his baseball profession, apologizing to the Braves group and his teammates and claiming he would by no means willingly take a banned substance.
Ought to Atlanta rebound the remainder of the best way and make it to the postseason, Profar won’t be eligible to play in these video games. Then once more, no Braves workforce has ever began a season 0-5 — not to mention 0-6, as their winless begin to the 12 months stretched additional Tuesday — and made the playoffs. They must buck historical past to make an eighth straight journey to the postseason.
They may also should pivot shortly.
Outdoors of including Profar, the Braves did nearly nothing of notice to bolster their membership this winter, which was particularly notable after shedding Max Fried, Charlie Morton and A.J. Minter. They agreed to a one-year, cut up contract with outfielder Bryan De La Cruz, who remains to be in search of his first hit in 2025. Relievers Neris and Enyel De Los Santos have been each signed to minor-league offers and added to the energetic roster on March 21. Neris was DFA’d 10 days later.
Their bullpen is 0-3 with a 5.21 ERA to begin the season, however that’s hardly their largest problem.
Forty-nine minutes after the Profar replace, the Braves introduced that starter Reynaldo López can be positioned on the 15-day injured record with proper shoulder irritation. They didn’t know the extent of the damage till a day later, when Snitker stated on Tuesday that López will want an arthroscopic process to evaluate the injury.
The Braves hope López will pitch once more in some unspecified time in the future this 12 months, however they will not know the extent of the damage till after the exploratory surgical procedure. His shoulder has given him hassle because the finish of final season’s All-Star marketing campaign, a 12 months through which the transformed reliever posted a 1.99 ERA in 25 begins. Bryce Elder, who had a 6.52 ERA final 12 months, was referred to as as much as fill the emptiness.
They a minimum of nonetheless have reigning Cy Younger Award winner Chris Sale and rising star Spencer Schwellenbach to guide the group till Spencer Strider’s return, which may come later this month. Beginning pitching additionally hasn’t been the explanation for the Braves’ first 0-6 begin since 2016.
As a substitute, the largest perpetrator for his or her struggles — and the toughest one to elucidate — is an offense that has been the worst in baseball the primary week of the 12 months.
Already taking part in with out Ronald Acuña Jr, who’s unlikely to return till subsequent month as he recovers from his second ACL restore, the Braves should now transfer ahead with out Profar atop the reconfigured lineup.
As they proceed absorbing hits off the sector, they can not seem to discover any on it.
Two years in the past, the Braves assembled the most effective offenses in MLB historical past. They have been the primary NL/AL workforce ever to slug over .500 in a season and tied an MLB file with 307 residence runs. That group got here crashing down final season, dropping from the highest-scoring offense in baseball to the center of the pack in 2024, scoring 243 runs fewer than the season prior. Other than Marcell Ozuna, their most dependable performers both regressed, received harm or each.
Nonetheless, for Riley and Michael Harris II specifically, the underlying numbers steered higher days forward. There have been loads of causes, even with Acuña tabled at the beginning, to imagine the Braves’ offense would bounce again.
They determined to chart a brand new path ahead. After 10 years with the membership, hitting coach Kevin Seitzer was fired after the 2024 season. The Braves introduced in Georgia native Tim Hyers, who spent the final three years because the Rangers’ hitting coach and received a World Collection in Texas.
Six video games in, the offense is spiraling additional.
The Braves are hitting .137/.238/.220 as a gaggle. Every slash line class represents the worst mark in baseball. They’ve scored 9 runs by way of six video games and two runs of their final 4 video games. Once they’ve gotten an opportunity, they’ve squandered it.
Ozuna is 1-for-4 with three walks with runners in scoring place this season; the remainder of the workforce is 0-for-30 mixed in these eventualities.
“I can not clarify it,” Snitker stated. “I am certain they’re urgent. That is human nature to press when all people desires to be the man.”
The Braves have been at risk of being shut out for a 3rd straight recreation Monday earlier than a Harris solo homer within the eighth inning in Los Angeles snapped a 29-inning scoreless skid.
It didn’t, nevertheless, flip the script. The Braves misplaced that recreation 6-1, unable to resolve Tyler Glasnow and the Dodgers’ pitching employees.
“I really feel like as soon as we get rolling, all the pieces will get again on monitor,” Harris stated.
That didn’t occur the next night.
On Tuesday, Atlanta wanted Sale to be pristine. For 5 innings, he was. The Dodgers gifted the Braves the lone run of the sport to that time when shortstop Mookie Betts threw away a possible double-play ball. Within the fifth, Betts made up for the error with a go-ahead homer. The Braves didn’t creator a response, mustering simply three hits within the loss.
“We have positively been tried,” Sale stated. “It is simply been powerful. We actually simply have not performed very well as a complete and have not clicked. That is clearly dangerous, however the excellent news is you go searching this room and see who’s in right here, we all know it is solely a matter of time, proper? And fortuitously at this level within the season, we’ve time.”
For now, they’re looking for assistance on the margins.
When Neris was DFA’d, the Braves referred to as up 41-year-old Jesse Chavez, who allowed one run in two innings Monday earlier than the bullpen revolving door continued. Chavez was DFA’d a day later, and the Braves chosen the contract of Zach Thompson.
On the day they misplaced Profar, they acquired outfielder Stuart Fairchild from the Reds. Eleven days prior, they added free-agent Alex Verdugo on a $1.5 million deal for outfield depth. After lacking a lot time within the spring, nevertheless, the Braves need to get Verdugo extra at-bats at Triple-A.
Because the losses pile up, although, they might not have a selection however to name him up.
On Tuesday, the beginning lineup featured extra hitters batting beneath .100 than above .200. The bulk sat someplace in between. 4 of the hitters the Braves are relying on most — Harris, Riley, Olson and Ozzie Albies — have a mixed .129 batting common.
“We have pitched and performed protection nicely sufficient to win,” Snitker stated. “The one factor we have not finished is rating sufficient runs to win. It is just about so simple as that.”
There’s nonetheless time for everybody to seek out their type. Final 12 months, the Braves endured a six-game shedding streak and nonetheless squeaked right into a playoff spot. FanGraphs nonetheless provides them a 73% likelihood to make the playoffs, they usually’ll get to host the Marlins of their residence opener Friday.
With Strider due again quickly and Acuña to observe a month from now, they simply should hold the ship afloat.
With every passing day, although, there appears to be one other gap to patch and a brand new wave approaching out of nowhere.
“There’s confidence on this room nonetheless,” Sale stated. “I imply, I do know it is coming from inspiring locations proper now simply sitting the place we’re at, however we have not performed a recreation at residence but. We’re one rotation by way of, and, once more, it is a lengthy season. You do not need to dangle your hat on that quote, however on the finish of the day, it’s.”
Rowan Kavner is an MLB author for FOX Sports activities. He beforehand lined the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved again to the West Coast in 2014. Observe him on X at @RowanKavner.
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