Instead, Snitker stuck with the status quo, for whatever reason, expecting something to change. The Braves were unable to scratch a single run across against Carmen Mlodzinski, a pitcher who entered the day with a 6.16 ERA in seven starts and wasn’t even supposed to be in the team’s Opening Day rotation to begin with.
They did rally against the Pittsburgh Pirates’ bullpen, coming back from three runs down to tie the game up, but a walk-off fielder’s choice solidified a win for Pittsburgh.
Despite allowing a total of nine runs in three games, the Braves lost two of three against a Pirates team that is now 14-27 overall. Braves fans know Snitker isn’t the one playing the games and that he probably isn’t on the hot seat, but again, they continue to ask themselves, why can’t Snitker change anything up?
Brian Snitker deserves some of the blame for the Braves’ lackluster offense
This Braves team is now 21st in the majors in runs scored. They’re simply too talented to be anywhere near the bottom of the league in that category. Snitker’s refusal to try new things can conceivably be pointed to as a reason why…
Ozzie Albies might’ve been an All-Star a couple of years ago, but he had a lackluster showing in the 2024 campaign and has gotten off to a dreadful start to this season. He entered the day slashing .218/.276/.340 with five home runs and 15 RBI, and has somehow been worse in May. Albies entered the day going 5-for-34 this month, and three of those hits came in one game. He had gone hitless in his last 17 at-bats.
Despite his struggles, Snitker has consistently hit him fifth or sixth in the order, and even had him lead off in Friday’s series opener in Pittsburgh.
Unsurprisingly, Albies went 0-for-4 on Sunday and stranded two runners in scoring position. Benching him probably isn’t an option, but why can’t Albies hit lower in the order until he starts hitting better? Only Snitker can answer that.
Alex Verdugo was one of the few Braves players producing after his mid-April call-up, but he entered Sunday’s game hitting .143 with a .411 OPS in May, and in a 1-for-20 skid. Despite that, he has led off every game he has started this month. He, unsurprisingly, also went 0-for-4 on Sunday.
Eli White might’ve gone 0-for-4 on Sunday, but he entered the game hitting .299 with a .882 OPS. Why was he hitting seventh with Verdugo and Albies hitting higher?
At some point, Snitker has to get with the times. Albies was an All-Star, but that was years ago. Verdugo was a potent hitter in the past and got off to a good start for a couple of weeks, but now, he’s reverted to being the lackluster hitter he was last season with the New York Yankees.
Again, Snitker is not playing the games. The Braves have several hitters, including Albies in particular, who have struggled to come close to meeting expectations. With that being said, though, this team hasn’t hit all year. It’s beyond time for Snitker to try something new with the order.
The worst thing that can possibly happen is they match what they’re doing now. Hopefully, a series loss to a team as bad as the Pirates is the wake-up call Snitker needed to make a change.
