Braves Offensive Woes Coming at Worst Possible Time

The Atlanta Braves finish the Milwaukee stage of their three-game series with the Brewers with a 4-1 loss on Saturday. They head to Williamsport, Pa., staring another sweep on this road trip in the face.

Once again, they were held to a single run. It's the sixth time going back to last Friday that they have been help to two runs or fewer. They tallied eight hits, but six of them came from three bats in the middle of the order: Michael Harris II, Ozzie Albies and Mauricio Dubón.

Credit to Albies specifically where it's due. He's been in a slump like much of this team, but he had a game that could signal getting back on track. Apart from him, most can't say the same.

Of the 10 batters that stepped into the batters box for the Braves on Saturday, six were hitless. Drake Baldwin and Austin Riley found their way onto the basepaths with a combined three wals.

Ronald Acuña Jr. has been a major reflection of the slump. He's batting .103 with a .269 OPS over the last week.

Free passes have been hard to come by lately, and that's likely been one of the stats that can be pointed to for why this offense has been struggling. Over the last seven days, their 19 walks are middle of the pack in baseball.

To reflect where these woes are at, walks have still been on of their better stats. In that same span, this team is batting .221 and slugging .294. They have two home runs over the last week. They're tied with the Phillies for the fewest in that time.

However, there is a key difference between these rivals struggling to put baseballs in the bleachers: One is finding a way, the other is not.

Timing is everything, and this offensive slump couldn't have come at a worse time. The Phillies have won seven in a row. Since Aug. 14, that 8.5-game lead has shrunk back down to 3.5 games. Here we go again just two months after the last time it got close.

Last time, they were able to get their act together and pull back ahead. It's hard to do that twice.

Sure, the timing could be worse. It could be happening in October. No, there are no worries about playing October baseball, but these slumps could impact their path. Instead of cruising to a division title and getting the bye to the National League Division Series, they could get stuck in the Wild Card series.

That's one extra team you have to go through. One extra team is able to knock you out.

Should we be worried that the offense can't get back on track? No. They will in time. How quickly they can iron things out to do so is where we have to wait and see.

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