Key to Braves evening their record lies with their offense

PITTSBURGH -- Every time the Braves have moved within one win of a .500 record, they have been reminded that their offense has been their greatest liability.

Yeah, Sean Murphy came off the bench to deliver a game-tying three-run double in the eighth inning of a 4-3 loss to the Pirates on Sunday afternoon at PNC Park. But one pinch-hit contribution didn’t take the heat off of an underperforming Atlanta offense that went scoreless in 24 of 29 innings played during this series loss to a Pittsburgh club that entered the weekend having dropped seven straight games.

“I wouldn’t hit the panic button quite yet,” Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale said. “But we’ve got to win series, especially a game like today that would have pushed us to .500. Consistency is something we need to lock in on and get to.”

During the Pirates’ three-run fifth inning, Sale surrendered three hits and was the victim of rookie catcher Drake Baldwin’s costly passed ball. Two of those three hits had an exit velocity of 75.1 mph or lower. But the 2024 National League Cy Young Award winner wasn’t necessarily the author of the day’s worst-luck inning.

Closer Raisel Iglesias allowed the Pirates to put four balls in play during the ninth inning. Adam Frazier’s leadoff single came off the bat at 90.6 mph. The other three balls, including Joey Bart’s game-ending fielder’s choice, had an exit velocity of 74 mph or lower.

“We’ve just got to start scoring more runs,” manager Brian Snitker said. “We can’t wait until the eighth inning and blow up our bullpen again.”

The Braves rank 21st in the Majors in total runs scored (157), but they rank fifth in runs scored in the eighth inning or later (51).

While Pittsburgh won a series for the first time since April 24, Atlanta (19-21) blew its latest chance to become just the fifth club to reach the .500 mark at some point during a season that began with seven straight losses.

Per the Elias Sports Bureau, the 1945 Red Sox needed just 38 games to do this. No other team has done it in fewer than 62 games. But really all the Braves care about is becoming the first team to reach the postseason after starting 0-7.

Sunday marked the fourth time since the seven-game losing streak that Atlanta has lost after moving one victory away from evening its record. A lack of offensive support has highlighted each of these four losses.

April 30: The Braves tallied three hits and squandered Sale’s 10-strikeout performance in a 2-1 loss. This matched the club’s lowest hit total in its 113 games played at Coors Field.

May 7: The Braves were seemingly given a gift when a groin injury forced Reds ace Hunter Greene to exit after three innings. But they weren’t able to take advantage in a 4-3 loss.

May 9: Pirates starter Bailey Falter entered with a 5.06 ERA and exited with a 4.36 ERA after allowing just two hits over six scoreless innings of Pittsburgh’s 3-2 win. Atlanta tallied both of its runs during the ninth inning.

Sunday: Pirates starter Carmen Mlodzinski entered with a 6.16 ERA through seven starts. He had completed five innings (which was his previous career high) in just two of those outings. But he had little trouble limiting the Braves to just four hits through 5 2/3 scoreless innings. This outing might silence talk about him being removed from Pittsburgh’s rotation.

“At some point, we’ve got to open this thing up offensively,” Braves third baseman Austin Riley said. “It’s frustrating. Guys are working hard. We’re just not getting the results. It’s frustrating for sure.”

With Ronald Acuña Jr. (torn left ACL) not expected to be activated before the end of May, Atlanta will need to survive a few more weeks without a true leadoff hitter. There was hope Alex Verdugo could handle the role. But he has hit .170 with a .250 on-base percentage over his past 52 plate appearances.

Marcell Ozuna’s MLB-high 34 walks have helped him maintain decent offensive numbers. But he has hit .170 with a .511 OPS over his past 13 games. As for Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris II, they both have a .601 OPS.

When Eli White has a team-best .799 OPS over the past 13 games, you have problems. Fortunately for the Braves, their pitching has been so good that they have still managed to go 7-6 during this stretch.

“There’s definitely a sense of urgency to get things going and string some hits together,” Riley said. “We need to score more runs. We can’t keep asking our pitchers to pitch in one-run games every night.”