LOS ANGELES - It probably wasn’t a joyful flight back, but the Braves are surely thrilled to return to Georgia.
Last summer, they came to Dodger Stadium and took three of four games. That was an outlier: Since 2013, that was the only series the Braves have won at Chavez Ravine. Their latest bout of misery in Southern California came this weekend, when their recent issues were exacerbated over a three-game sweep.
In the past decade, the Braves are 9-28 in Los Angeles, including the postseason. Much is made of the Braves’ typical struggles out West, but that isn’t really the case anymore. They’ve won four of the last five series in Arizona. They’ve won three of five series in San Francisco. They’re 10-3 in San Diego since 2019.
Yes, they lost a series in Oakland last year. They lost a series in Seattle last week. But what happened this past weekend wasn’t about cross-country travel. This team averaged 6.44 runs over the first 18 games of the season; it scored six total during the sweep, a perfect example of the team’s recent frustrations.
The Braves haven’t played to their lofty standard, scraping by with an underperforming offense because their pitching had excelled. The Dodgers’ lineup, though, was a different animal compared to what Cleveland and Miami had during the Braves’ past homestand.
“It’s a really good, complete lineup,” starter Max Fried said of the Dodgers. “One through nine, they have people who can beat you. It’s a really good one. You know you have to be on top of your game. I learned real quick that a couple pitches can hurt you.”
Dodgers newcomer Shohei Ohtani, the biggest free-agent signing in baseball history (at least by financial and interest standards), tormented the Braves. He had the game-tying hit late in Friday’s game. He homered Saturday. He homered twice in Sunday.
Ohtani went 8-for-12 with three homers, six RBIs and five runs scored in the series. The Braves will see the Dodgers again in September. They’ll see the Dodgers again in some October, be it this one or sometime in the future. Ohtani is perhaps the world’s best player, but they’ll need to do something differently moving forward.
The Dodgers’ other MVPs were mostly contained. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman combined to go 5-for-25 with three RBIs and three runs scored. Ohtani might not go Superman every series, but the other two, especially Betts given he produced only one hit, could be more impactful.
“That top three is as good as it gets in baseball, three MVP candidates every year that you have to face 12 times over the course of a game,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “That’s rough. It’s a good club. It’s deep, it’s strong. It’s a typical Dodger club.”
On paper, the Braves have a lengthier lineup than the Dodgers. The team just isn’t performing to its expectations. That starts with first baseman Matt Olson, who’s hitting .197 with three homers.
Snitker noted that Olson didn’t start the 2023 season on fire, either, before hitting a franchise record 54 homers. But Olson was still hitting .244 with an .884 OPS at this point a year ago (he has a .676 OPS now). He reached three homers on April 5 last season, while he has that total on May 5 this year.
But Olson has one of the best hard-hit rates in MLB. He slammed a couple balls that just drifted foul or fell shy of the wall in Los Angeles. There are 130 games remaining, and the underlying numbers suggest Olson will be fine.
“He’s just a click away,” Snitker said.
Maybe Olson and the offense find their form this week. Context: The Braves are still 20-12. The Phillies have been phenomenal – they lead the National League East by 2-1/2 games – but there’s a lot of season remaining and the Braves are still arguably the most talented team in MLB.
This two-week stretch is agitating because expectations are so high. Everyone knows the team is capable of record-setting offense. But last year spoiled fans, in a way. The team never had an extended run of offensive woes.
“If you’re lucky, it’ll only happen once,” Snitker said. “But most of the time it’ll happen more than that. That’s why we play for six months.”
The Braves host the Red Sox for two games this week before traveling to New York to face the Mets. The team will return home again May 13 for a six-game homestand against the Cubs and Padres.
Boston and Chicago have winning records while the Mets and Padres are talented middling teams. These won’t be easy opponents, but especially with eight of the next 11 at Truist Park, the Braves will have the chance to get back on track.
“I trust and have a lot of faith in this group that we’ll right the ship,” Fried said.
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