Offense Stalls Again, Braves Fall 5-1 in Series Finale with Nationals

The Atlanta Braves went back to their old ways, struggling to get the bats moving as they fall once again out of the NL Playoff picture

The Atlanta Braves couldn’t keep up the momentum from Tuesday night’s blowout victory as they fell 5-1 to the Washington Nationals in the final game in D.C. for 2024.

Here’s what you need to know about the contest.

Fried Keeps the Bases Busy

It wasn’t the best night for Max Fried for the final game in the nation’s capital on Wednesday night. The left-hander struggled to settle in against the Nationals as he allowed 11 hits across six innings of work.

According to Baseball Savant, he did NOT throw his slider once in the outing, something he normally utilizes 7.5% of the time. Instead, he threw 30 sweepers on the night, a pitch he only used 67 times (2.8%) all season long before tonight’s start.

With the four earned runs allowed by Max Fried, it is the first time a Braves starter has allowed four earned runs since Aug. 10 - the team’s starters went 29 straight games with three or fewer earned runs prior to tonight.

Fried finished the night with 6IP, 11H, 4ER, 0BB, and 6K’s. He threw 94 pitches (63 strikes) and produced nine whiffs for a 30% CSW.

One Peak, and Another Valley

After putting up 12 runs on 15 hits in Tuesday’s series opener, the Braves went right back to their slumpish ways tonight. Nationals pitcher Jake Irvin retired the first ten batters to begin the game before Jorge Soler found himself on base with a walk.

It took until the sixth inning and the third time through the order for the Braves to record its first hit as Michael Harris II hit a two-out double. The very next at-bat, Jorge Soler switched places with him as he put the team on the board with an RBI double.

The Braves showed somewhat of a pulse in the eighth inning as both Michael Harris II and Jorge Soler made it into scoring position, but were stranded as both Marcell Ozuna and Sean Murphy flew out.

The team was 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position (RISP) and left six men on base. With the exception of Tuesday’s 12-0 victory, the Braves are only averaging 2.6 runs per game in the month of September. The offense production is nowhere near it needs to be if they are looking to play October baseball.

Daysbel Hernández Made an Immediate Impact

The Braves made a few roster moves before the game that could be a huge impact for the team moving forward. Reynaldo López was placed on the 15-day injured list with shoulder inflammation after being pulled from his start after one inning on Tuesday. Atlanta recalled reliever Daysbel Hernández from Triple-A Gwinett and he made his presence known quickly on Wednesday night.

Hernández went 1.2 innings in his first appearance with the ball club since July 26th and overall continued the trend of some recent solid bullpen performances. The team yet again was able to save the ‘high leverage’ guys mainly due to the score, but also because of the performance of Hernández. He struck out three Nationals batters and only allowed two hits in his outing. He did allow a run, on a bloop single to shallow right-center field with two outs and the runner in motion.

Many wanted him up at the beginning of September when the rosters expanded to 28. He will now have a prime opportunity to get himself a spot on the Braves playoff roster (assuming they find a way to get there) for the second straight season.

What’s Next?

The Braves will have an off day on Thursday as they prepare for arguably one of the toughest series they have remaining on their schedule. They will begin a four-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers beginning on Friday. The first game will be on Apple TV and will feature Spencer Schwellenbach against Landon Knack.