ATLANTA -- Braves manager Brian Snitker has said the only way Marcell Ozuna will break out of his funk is by continuing to be an everyday player. But as Atlanta’s two catchers keep hitting, there’s reason to question whether one of them should occasionally spell Ozuna in the designated hitter spot.
“A few years ago, I kept playing [Ozuna] when he wasn't doing great, and all of a sudden it hit, and he became himself again,” Snitker said. “I keep hoping for that. It’s hard to put it on one guy. It’s not just one guy here right now. It’s a combination of an entire offense.”
Michael Harris II, who owns the worst OPS (.564) among MLB’s 157 qualified players, was left out of the lineup for two games against the Phillies last weekend. Ozzie Albies, who has the eighth-worst OPS (.610) among qualified players, has continued to play every day, partly because the next-best option would be Eli White, who has played just four big league games as an infielder.
And Ozuna has continued to play, despite the fact that he ranks 181st out of 191 qualified players with the .535 OPS he’s constructed going back to June 1. The veteran slugger has gone 12 straight games without an extra-base hit. Meanwhile, catchers Sean Murphy and Drake Baldwin have combined for four homers within the team’s past six games, including a two-run homer from Baldwin in Atlanta's 3-2 loss to Baltimore at Truist Park on Friday evening.
But the Braves are going to continue to give Ozuna a chance to regain the timing he lost when he was playing through right hip pain during the season’s first couple months.
“When I had my leg wrapped every day, I tried to hit in different spots, so that messed me up,” Ozuna said. “But right now, I feel well. I don’t have a wrap and I swing with freedom. I just got to get my timing.”
Baldwin’s two-run homer prevented the Braves from being shut out for the fourth time in the past eight games. But it wasn’t enough to erase the damage of the two homers Spencer Strider surrendered to the Orioles.
The Braves have scored two runs or fewer in six of their past eight games. They’ve actually scored one or zero runs in five of those eight games. A Jurickson Profar ninth-inning homer against the Angels on Thursday prevented what would have been a second shutout in a span of three games.
Adding salt to the wound was the fact this latest disappointing offensive performance came against Charlie Morton, who didn’t get his wish to return to Atlanta for less than the $15 million he ended up getting from Baltimore. The 41-year-old right-hander held the Braves scoreless until Baldwin’s homer in the sixth.
Morton could certainly help the Braves -- who will have veteran reliever Aaron Bummer start a bullpen game on Saturday -- primarily because they’re out of sensible options in their farm system. Strider and Grant Holmes have been the only dependable starters currently in their rotation.
So, needless to say, the Braves aren’t in position to waste a decent effort like the one Strider provided on Friday, when allowing three runs over six innings wasn’t good enough.
Is it hard to pitch when there’s a feeling there’s little room for error?
“It is, because it’s human nature to think, 'I can’t let them score,'” Snitker said. “That’s a hard way to live.”
Ozuna seemed to be on the brink of being released before he got hot a month into the 2023 season. He had MLB’s sixth-best OPS (.944) from May 1, 2023 through the end of last season. So, there is precedent for a turnaround. And if timing is the issue, the best way to regain it is to continue seeing competitive pitches on an everyday basis.
But there’s also reason to think maybe an occasional day off might help. Murphy has three home runs in his past 17 at-bats, and Baldwin has positioned himself in a good spot to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award with the .824 OPS he’s constructed in 187 plate appearances.
Leaving one of them on the bench every day seems to erase one sensible way to try to halt Atlanta's maddening offensive woes.