At the end of July, the Braves swung a deal for Jorge Soler and, with him, more hope for the final two months of the season. In Soler, the Braves would get a dangerous hitter. They would add power. They would lengthen their lineup. They would get that necessary offensive boost for the stretch run.
If only it had worked out perfectly.
For the most part, Soler has struggled.
“Yeah, it’s been difficult,” Soler said Tuesday at Nationals Park through interpreter Franco García. “Obviously, everyone’s here and they want to produce and they want to play well, and the results haven’t been there.”
Before the Braves went to Washington, Soler had hit .188 with a .691 OPS in 96 at-bats since the trade. Then, in two games against the Nationals, he went 3-for-7 with two RBIs, with a run-scoring double each night.
Could this mean life for Soler?
The Braves should hope so. They badly need a spark – from anywhere. If Soler can get going, the Braves might be able to ride him, Marcell Ozuna and Matt Olson over the final 16 games of the regular season.
Soler said he was loading a little bit late, and that he must be quicker with his load to get to more balls. Perhaps this will mean more power. Soler has five homers since the Braves acquired him, but four came in a three-game series at Coors Field in Colorado.
Yes, it’s been frustrating for Soler, who Monday threw down an iPad and appeared to stomp on it in the dugout.
But he’s still Jorge Soler, the man whose bat helped power the Braves to the World Series in 2021. He’s that same guy, and that gives him confidence.
“Yeah, definitely,” he said. “I feel like that’s why we’re putting in the work, just to get back to that moment and get back to the form of ourselves that we know.”
To be clear: This isn’t to put blame on Soler. The Braves’ struggles are more about injuries and the inconsistency of their core members – when those guys have been healthy.
More production from Soler would be a huge boost, though. And perhaps the Nationals Park games are an encouraging sign.
The Braves on Friday begin a four-game series versus the Dodgers at Truist Park. The Braves will enter it one game behind the surging Mets for the National League’s third and final wild-card spot. The Mets are playing three games at first-place Philadelphia.
“Right now, we want to go 1-0 on Friday,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said after Wednesday’s loss to the Nationals. “That’s what we wanna do.”
The Braves need every one of these games. If they slip up over the final two weeks, they could find themselves without any plans Oct. 1.
But they have the pitching to keep them in every game. They just need the offense to click for two weeks.
Multiple times over the past few days, Snitker has mentioned waiting for one or two guys to get hot and help spark the team.
Could that be Soler?
“I think so,” Soler said. “I’m doing everything I can. I’m putting all the work in, I’m working really hard, I’m getting all the work in the cage, so hopefully start seeing some results on the field.”
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