The Atlanta Braves quest to repeat as World Series champions came to a screeching halt in the NLDS, as they ended up being upset by the Philadelphia Phillies. The Braves seemed to be in a great spot entering the playoffs after they edged out the New York Mets for the division crown in the National League East, but they fell behind in their series early against the Phillies and were never really able to recover.
Now the Braves are heading into the offseason left wondering where they went wrong. They were outplayed by the Phillies throughout the series, and didn't look like the team they were throughout the previous 162 games this season. To say getting upset by the number six seed in the National League playoff bracket is a disappointment would be an understatement.
Disappointing results in the playoffs typically are the result of disappointing outings from players, and it's clear there were a lot of disappointing players on the Braves roster in this series. Let's sift through those players and pick out the three that are most responsible for this series loss, and see why their poor showings hurt their team so badly.
3. Max Fried
Max Fried unsurprisingly got the ball for the Braves in Game 1, even though he was battling a flu in the buildup to the game. Even as he dealt with that, Fried's poor outing played a big role in Atlanta falling apart in this series, and had he pitched a bit better, there's a decent chance this series would have reached Game 5 today.
Fried lasted just 3.1 innings in Game 1, giving up six runs (four earned) in his time on the hill that allowed the Phillies to build up an early lead that they would never let go of, despite a late rally from the Braves. Considering the Braves lost this game 7-6, it's easy to see why Fried's struggles hurt his team so much here.
It may be a bit harsh to put Fried here, but he's the Braves ace, and he was a top Cy Young candidate all season long. Fried was expected to give Atlanta a strong start here and hopefully allow them to take control of the series (similar to what Kyle Wright did in Game 2). Instead, he struggled, and while the offense nearly bailed him out, Fried's final start of the season will be seen as one of the reasons the Braves are heading on vacation earlier than expected.
2. Austin Riley
There were a couple of players in the Braves lineup that struggled mightily in this series, but easily the biggest disappointment was Austin Riley. Riley was Atlanta's best hitter throughout the season, and he parlayed his strong play into a ten-year, $212 million extension midway through the season, but he vanished once the playoffs rolled around.
Riley had every opportunity to succeed in this series, but he ended up going just 1/15 at the plate, good for a paltry .067 batting average. Considering he hit .273 on the season and smacked 38 home runs along the way, it's safe to say that Riley didn't exactly exceed expectations in the playoffs.
The expected impact from Riley and the impact he actually made make him a player deserving of a spot on this list. Other players struggled, yes, but they weren't expected to do what Riley was expected to do, and you can make a case he was their worst hitter throughout this series. Similar to Fried, it was a rough conclusion to a very strong campaign from Riley, and he will be hoping to bounce back next season.
1. Brian Snitker
OK, so Brian Snitker isn't a player, but he played as big a role as any of his players for the Braves quick defeat at the hands of the Phillies in this series. His questionable management of his starting rotation ended up coming back to bite him, and had he played things differently, maybe Atlanta is still playing baseball today.
Now, it's worth noting that hindsight is 20/20, because Snitker's decisions weren't exactly mind-boggling. Most people would have turned to Fried in Game 1 and Spencer Strider in Game 3, despite the concerns over them heading into the series. Fried was battling an illness, and Strider hadn't made a start in nearly a month after finishing the season on the injured list. Based on how good they both had been this season, though, it didn't feel like Snitker was making a bad decision here.
But he risked it with his rotation, and it backfired. Maybe Wright should have gotten the ball in Game 1 before turning things over to Fried or Charlie Morton. Strider was horrible in his outing as well, so maybe pushing back his start would have helped. Snitker's decisions weren't outrageous, but looking back at the series, they were costly, and as a result, the Braves are heading into the offseason much earlier than they were expecting to.
Follow Us
Subscribe