After the Atlanta Braves fell behind 4-0, it seemed the team's chance to pull back to .500 had slipped through their fingers. However, Holmes was able to settle in, and Atlanta battled back to make it 4-3 in the game's final two frames. After finding themselves down to the final out, the Braves did have a runner reach with a Michael Harris single, putting the tying run on base. This is where Brian Snitker made one of the biggest blunders of a frustrating season.
With Eli White due up, the manager pulled the right-fielder in favor of Eddie Rosario. Perhaps if this were 2021, it would be an understandable decision. Rosario is yet to have double-digit at-bats this season and has shown awful plate discipline in his lone Atlanta start. Why you would pull Eli White for this lack of experience and production in the 2025 season is completely baffling.
Brian Snitker Cost the Braves With an Awful Pinch-Hitting Decision
Taking this a step further, even if you're going to pull Eli White in that situation, you have a far better option. Sean Murphy had taken the night off, with Drake Baldwin earning a rare start. With this in mind, you have the team's best power option representing the potential winning run in the game's final frame. Under no circumstances should Rosario be an option before White or Sean Murphy.
Snitker deserves credit for being thrown into a rough situation with an unproven bullpen and searching for outfield production. The job the manager has done navigating these hurdles and helping turn the season after an 0-7 start deserves credit. With that said, there is no excuse for this level of blunder when each game is incredibly important.
This was a chance for the Braves to climb to .500 for the first time this season. A situation that demanded your best approach, and Atlanta's answer was Eddie Rosario. It is hard to stress how incredibly difficult it is to make a worse decision. Perhaps if Murphy wasn't sitting on the bench and it was Nick Allen at the plate, there is a valid argument to be made for the move. This is the only circumstance this decision could have been viewed as acceptable.
Bypassing Sean Murphy and taking a superior bat in White out of the lineup for a player that is years removed from consistently producing is an incredibly flawed decision. One that cost the Braves a chance at a valuable win and ending the team's hopes of what would have been a pivotal series sweep.