ATLANTA – The Atlanta Braves' longest winless start since 2016 has left manager Brian Snitker desperate for a recovery he hopes begins with the team's home opener against Miami on Friday night.
Atlanta blew a 5-0 lead and lost 6-5 on Shohei Ohtani's ninth-inning homer on Wednesday night. The loss left the Braves 0-7 for their worst start since their 0-9 opening in 2016, when they finished last in the NL East.
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The Braves are the only team in the majors still looking for their first win, and the pain of the woeful start has been made worse by losing two players. Left fielder Jurickson Profar, the team's leadoff hitter and top offseason addition, was suspended for 80 games for performance-enhancing drug use. Right-hander Reynaldo López was placed on the 15-day injured list because of an inflamed right shoulder.
López was moved to the 60-day IL on Wednesday. The move came after the Braves acquired catcher Jason Delay from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for cash considerations. DeLay was optioned him to Double-A Columbus (Georgia).
The Braves also optioned right-hander Jesse Chavez to Triple-A Gwinnett, and Chavez opted for free agency. Chavez was designated for assignment on Tuesday.
Snitker, who has enjoyed a run of seven consecutive postseasons, including the 2021 World Series championship, and six straight NL East titles, didn't try to hide the pain of the latest loss.
“I wouldn’t wish this on anybody honestly, you know, in a competitive arena,” Snitker told reporters. “And what we’re going through is tough. Very tough.”
The Braves were swept by San Diego in four games to open the season before three straight losses in Los Angeles.
A lack of hitting was the glaring weakness for most of the devastating road trip. After scoring only nine runs in their first six games combined, the Braves appeared to break out of their funk by taking an early 5-0 lead on Wednesday night. They failed to score after loading the bases with no outs in the sixth. Closer Raisel Iglesias gave up Ohtani's tiebreaking homer in the ninth.
“There’s nothing you can do but just continue to fight your way out of it and show up,” Snitker said, adding that the performance “was more of a real game than we've played, I think, in six days.
“It’s a shame that we lost it. But you know what? That’s up to us. I mean, we had it there. We couldn’t finish the deal."
The Braves rank last in the majors with their .151 batting average and 28th with 14 runs, only two per game.
Looking for answers, Snitker shook up his lineup in Los Angeles. Shortstop Nick Allen had a combined three hits while starting the last two games. Outfielders Michael Harris II and Jarred Kelenic were rested on Wednesday night. Stuart Fairchild, who was obtained in a trade with Cincinnati on Monday for cash, was held without a hit in his first start.
“What are we going to do? Not score?” Snitker asked before the game when discussing the new lineup. It was his way of saying things couldn't get much worse.
Matt Olson, Austin Riley and Harris are hitting below .200. Olson and Riley have yet to hit a homer.
“From an offensive point of view, there’s no excuses,” Riley told reporters after the game. “It’s embarrassing.”
Pitchers are avoiding designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, who leads the majors with 13 walks.
“It’s pretty evident that they haven’t wanted to pitch to him,” Snitker said. “... Eventually some of the guys behind him are going to get it going as a whole. We will as a team.”
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AP Sports Writer Beth Harris in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB