ATLANTA — Braves supervisor Brian Snitker has stated the one approach Marcell Ozuna will escape of his funk is by persevering with to be an on a regular basis participant. However as Atlanta’s two catchers preserve hitting, there’s motive to query whether or not one in every of them ought to sometimes spell Ozuna within the designated hitter spot.
“Just a few years in the past, I saved enjoying [Ozuna] when he wasn’t doing nice, and rapidly it hit, and he turned himself once more,” Snitker stated. “I preserve hoping for that. It’s onerous to place it on one man. It’s not only one man right here proper now. It’s a mix of a complete offense.”
Michael Harris II, who owns the worst OPS (.564) amongst MLB’s 157 certified gamers, was omitted of the lineup for 2 video games towards the Phillies final weekend. Ozzie Albies, who has the eighth-worst OPS (.610) amongst certified gamers, has continued to play day by day, partly as a result of the next-best choice could be Eli White, who has performed simply 4 massive league video games as an infielder.
And Ozuna has continued to play, even though he ranks 181st out of 191 certified gamers with the .535 OPS he’s constructed going again to June 1. The veteran slugger has gone 12 straight video games with out an extra-base hit. In the meantime, catchers Sean Murphy and Drake Baldwin have mixed for 4 homers throughout the staff’s previous six video games, together with a two-run homer from Baldwin in Atlanta’s 3-2 loss to Baltimore at Truist Park on Friday night.
However the Braves are going to proceed to offer Ozuna an opportunity to regain the timing he misplaced when he was enjoying by way of proper hip ache throughout the season’s first couple months.
“After I had my leg wrapped day by day, I attempted to hit in several spots, in order that messed me up,” Ozuna stated. “However proper now, I really feel nicely. I don’t have a wrap and I swing with freedom. I simply obtained to get my timing.”
Baldwin’s two-run homer prevented the Braves from being shut out for the fourth time up to now eight video games. However it wasn’t sufficient to erase the injury of the 2 homers Spencer Strider surrendered to the Orioles.
The Braves have scored two runs or fewer in six of their previous eight video games. They’ve really scored one or zero runs in 5 of these eight video games. A Jurickson Profar ninth-inning homer towards the Angels on Thursday prevented what would have been a second shutout in a span of three video games.
Including salt to the wound was the very fact this newest disappointing offensive efficiency got here towards Charlie Morton, who didn’t get his want to return to Atlanta for lower than the $15 million he ended up getting from Baltimore. The 41-year-old right-hander held the Braves scoreless till Baldwin’s homer within the sixth.
Morton may definitely assist the Braves — who may have veteran reliever Aaron Bummer begin a bullpen sport on Saturday — primarily as a result of they’re out of smart choices of their farm system. Strider and Grant Holmes have been the one reliable starters at present of their rotation.
So, for sure, the Braves aren’t in place to waste an honest effort just like the one Strider supplied on Friday, when permitting three runs over six innings wasn’t adequate.
Is it onerous to pitch when there’s a sense there’s little room for error?
“It’s, as a result of it’s human nature to suppose, ‘I can’t allow them to rating,’” Snitker stated. “That’s a tough technique to reside.”
Ozuna appeared to be on the point of being launched earlier than he obtained sizzling a month into the 2023 season. He had MLB’s sixth-best OPS (.944) from Could 1, 2023 by way of the top of final season. So, there’s precedent for a turnaround. And if timing is the difficulty, the easiest way to regain it’s to proceed seeing aggressive pitches on an on a regular basis foundation.
However there’s additionally motive to suppose possibly an occasional break day may assist. Murphy has three residence runs in his previous 17 at-bats, and Baldwin has positioned himself in a great spot to win the Nationwide League Rookie of the 12 months Award with the .824 OPS he’s constructed in 187 plate appearances.
Leaving one in every of them on the bench day by day appears to erase one smart technique to attempt to halt Atlanta’s maddening offensive woes.
