Braves pitchers let down as Atlanta lineup folded at worst moment

The Atlanta Braves went into this past week's series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with the expectation that it would need to be the offense to carry its pitching efforts. This is far from a wild take when you look at the level of injuries to the rotation and the fact that Chris Sale and Tyler Mahle were the only capable starters the Braves had to throw against either the Philadelphia Phillies or the Dodgers in the next round. No question, it was supposed to be the pitching of Atlanta letting down the lineup.

Instead, the Braves had a shockingly capable effort from both their starting options and a bullpen forced to cover extensive postseason innings. It was the star-studded lineup that let down the Braves, with Michael Harris being the team's only consistent source of offensive production.

Matt Olson, Drake Baldwin, and Ronald Acuna Jr. were all profound disappointments, saving their worst moments for when the season mattered most. The Braves managed to score a grand total of two runs over the final 18.0 innings against the Dodgers consistently fumbling scoring chances and failing to be capable of even moving runners over when there were clear chances to put a bit of pressure on the Dodgers.

It was a surprise twist for an Atlanta offense that had a flair for the dramatic in the regular seaosn and thrived on fidning ways to stun the opposing pitching with late scoring. No question, this wasn't the way Atlanta fans expected the franchise to go out and it left no shortage of questions.

Braves struggling lineup deserves heavy level of blame after surprisingly capable pitching effort

Atlanta let down fans offensively and there was a noted lack of energy or effort, that so often defined the offense in the regular season. With that said, it is important to note that both Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris came up clutch and were outliers when it came to the rest of the Atlanta offense. For the Braves, what is so interesting about this is the fact there really isn't an easy way to change anythhing as your core remains under contract.

It will be interesting to watch how the franchise approaches the offseason and whether any meaningful changes are made to the lineup. Looking at what the team has accomplished in recent years there is a ceiling that hasn't changed when it comes to quick playoff exits.

This time around the pitching cannot be blamed as the Braves exceeded expectations when it came to the eating innings at a high level. The frustration was a lineup that unquestionably choked when the lights were at there brightest

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