This turbulence of this past week has epitomized the 2025 Atlanta Braves season.
The Braves began their week by taking their first two games against the first-place New York Mets, extending their winning streak against their arch-rivals this season to five. Breakout ace Spencer Schwellenbach dominated the Mets offense in the first game, and the Braves offense rallied against the Mets bullpen in the second contest to secure a 7-4 victory.
Yet just as soon as it looked like the Braves were going to make a legitimate run at the Mets, their momentum came to a screeching halt. They would drop the final two games in Queens, mustering just three combined runs in the process, and got destroyed 13-0 in the opener of a three-game set against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Though there are many players deserving of blame for the Braves 37-44 record, including an injury-riddled rotation and a spotty bullpen, two longtime lineup cornerstones have dragged the offense down with their career-worst performances. Second baseman Ozzie Albies has seen his numbers plummet for the second consecutive season, culminating in a career-low .223 batting average and .620 OPS. Center fielder Michael Harris has been even worse, batting just .212 with a .559 OPS while showing no signs of breaking out of his current 3-for-45 slump.
While Matt Olson and Austin Riley have also not been as productive as in recent years, Albies and Harris’ regression are the two main culprits for an offense that ranks just 24th in baseball in runs scored, which is why Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly ranks them seventh among baseball’s biggest fails of 2025.
You keep waiting for the Braves to get going, but it just hasn’t happened,” wrote Kelly. “Brian Snitker’s club is in a distant third place in the NL East behind the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets. And it’s not just because they were without Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider the first month of the season. While Matt Olson has had a bounce-back season, both Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies have underwhelmed.”
With the trade deadline fast approaching, the Braves are running out of time to prove that they are a team worth investing in.
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