The Braves losing streak continued in disastrous fashion last night, blowing a five run lead in a game most never gave them a chance to compete in.
Bryce Elder was on the mound, who was probably seventh in line when Spring Training began. But the struggles of Ian Anderson and the injury to Reynaldo Lopez have him back in the rotation, at the very least, until Spencer Strider returns. It wasn’t exactly a pitching matchup in the Braves favor, especially against a loaded Dodgers lineup with Blake Snell toeing the rubber on the other side.
Beyond that, this is the lineup Brian Snitker wrote down in the series finale with a travel day tomorrow across the country.
Tonight’s lineup ⤵️#BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/Ff4284ZAQ0
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 2, 2025
That’s more like something you’d see from the Braves in a split squad game in the middle of March. Drake Baldwin, Michael Harris II, and Orlando Arcia all got an extra day of rest, but perhaps this is more than just a day off for the latter.
In seven games this season, Arcia has only started four of them, in which he’s been dreadful, hitting just .154 with an OPS of .308. This comes after a Spring Training in which he hit .135 with a .368 OPS. Going even further back, Orlando Arcia has been essentially an automatic out since the second half of the 2023 campaign. The Braves put up with it because of his above average defense at shortstop and lack of better options, but Nick Allen might finally be the guy to dethrone him at the position.
Allen is a significantly better defensive shortstop than Arcia, but the offensive resumé over his career is tough to look at. He owns just a .537 OPS over 767 plate appearances. Not exactly a large sample size, but those are putrid numbers. With that being said, Nick Allen was scorching hot this spring, recording nearly a .900 OPS, and he’s shown a solid approach at the plate through three starts this season, which is far better than anything that can be said about Arcia’s recent offensive performance.
Considering everything that’s going on right now with the Braves, they should be looking for a spark from anywhere. The little things across the board are lacking, and that’s exactly what Nick Allen brings to the table. It might not be a season long switch, but don’t be surprised to see the Braves play the hot hand moving forward.
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Photo: Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire
