The Atlanta Braves dropped the series to the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1, and it wasn't the pitching that was front and center when it came to the losing effort. Finding the common thread in the loss is easy when you look at situational hitting and how often the Braves failed simply due to an inability to put the ball in play or advance runners.
While those defending the unwritten rules and baseball's old ways are clearly content to let the sport die, there are a handful of exceptions to this. One of these is the importance of being able to shorten your swing and put the ball in play move runners up and generate runs when the pitching matchup isn't going to allow you to simply rely on your power, as the Braves often did in the 2026 season.
It is a lineup wide failure, with seemingly every hitter attempting to come up with the big hit rather than being able to take a breath and advance the runner. This haunted the Braves when it came to opportunities that were consistently fumbled due to this lack of skill. Whether it is the coaching approach, inability, or a combination of both is up for debate.
What cannot be argued is that this was shortsighted and the biggest reason the Braves were unable to put up a better fight. Ozzie Albies was the last example, doubling with no one out, and would stand at second as Atlanta was unable to put up any level of a fight.
Braves Situational Hitting Must Improve for Current Core to Have Legitimate World Series Hopes
Atlanta needs to add to the current roster while installing a new approach capable of creating runs in the postseason. We've seen this from the Milwaukee Brewers in recent weeks as a team that reworked its offense and is able to adjust in the postseason to create runs and lean on its core. No question, the Braves have to evolve, and that means finding a way to generate runs when the ball is staying in the park.
The Dodgers gave Atlanta a handful of opportunities to potentially tilt the series and change the entire feel of who had control. Instead, the Braves saw a familiar theme emerge and derail an October run.
Watching how the front office chooses to respond and whether or not there are any meaningful changes will be interesting. Atlanta did at least manage to end the dominance of Philadelphia by winning the NL East and eliminating the hated rival in the first round. Still, this doesn't erase a familiar failure against the Dodgers that ultimately ended Atlanta's season.
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