SE Atlanta News

The Atlanta Braves experienced another challenging evening as they endured a 4-0 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. This marks the team's second shutout in less than a week, testing their patience and resilience.

"We can't fix what just happened today or what happened yesterday or the day before," said starting pitcher Max Fried. "We’ve just got to make sure we take care of our business today. Now, it’s about getting ready for tomorrow."

The Braves had gone 181 games without being held scoreless before last Wednesday's game at Fenway Park. This latest streak lasted less than a week.

"We’re not scoring enough runs. We’re not bunching anything together," manager Brian Snitker stated. "I don’t know what else to say. We’ve just got to keep working and hope at some point this thing turns around."

Snitker adjusted his lineup for the series opener, but it did not yield the desired results. The team has now lost 22 of its past 38 games, including 16 of its past 25. The issues began before Ronald Acuña Jr.'s season-ending left knee injury on May 26, but his absence has exacerbated the team's struggles over the past six weeks.

"You’ve got to try to keep the spirits up," first baseman Matt Olson remarked. "Obviously, there’s frustration. We know we’re a better team than we’ve been as of late. Baseball is a crazy game. Sometimes, it can flip on a dime. All we can do is show up every day and work."

The game quickly turned unfavorable for the Braves when Orioles shortstop Jorge Mateo hit a three-run homer against Max Fried in the second inning, capitalizing on an 0-2 curveball that slipped from Fried's grip.

This was particularly frustrating given that Braves catcher Sean Murphy nearly hit a three-run homer in the top half of the same inning—a flyout that would have been a home run in most other ballparks.

"[Mateo] hit his three-pointer in the right spot, and we hit our three-pointer in the wrong spot," Snitker noted.

Marcell Ozuna has been one of the few consistent performers for Atlanta this year, ranking third in Major League Baseball with a .993 OPS. However, Snitker's decision to adjust Ozuna's position in favor of Austin Riley did not pay off during this game.

Riley has struggled since returning from an intercostal strain, hitting .170 with a .436 OPS over his last 14 games.

"This is a really funny game," Fried commented post-game. "When you are riding the highs, it will humble you. When you’re down on your luck, it picks you up. It always balances out."

For now, however, balance seems elusive for the Braves as they navigate through this difficult stretch.

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