We’ve got to talk about the Atlanta Braves and the absolute trainwreck that has been the start of their 2025 season. Sitting at 0-7, this isn’t just a bad stretch—it’s a historic stumble for a team that, not so long ago, was being whispered about as a World Series contender.
And while fingers could be pointed in a dozen directions, Austin Riley went ahead and pointed his squarely in the mirror. And that? That’s something worth paying attention to.
Riley Takes the Heat—And Then Some
Let’s set the scene. The Braves just got swept by the Dodgers, finishing off a 7-game road trip with nothing but empty box scores. Their final game was the real gut punch: they blew a 5-0 lead, all five of their runs unearned, and watched Raisel Iglesias cough up the win in the ninth.
If you think Riley was reaching for excuses, think again. The guy torched his performance in the postgame interview, calling it embarrassing and owning up to a rough start at the plate—3-for-27 with 11 strikeouts.
He didn’t blame the bullpen, and he didn’t point fingers at coaching. He owned it, flat out. While brutal honesty might not score runs, it at least sets the tone for a clubhouse that needs to get real.
A Team-Wide Offensive Collapse
The kicker is Riley isn’t alone. Practically, the entire Braves offense has vanished. We’re talking last in the league in terms of batting average and OPS.
They’re hovering near rock bottom in on-base percentage and slugging. And this is with names like Riley, Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson, Marcell Ozuna, and Michael Harris II all in the lineup. This group isn’t short on talent. They’re just not producing at all.
Yes, there are injuries. Yes, it’s early. But this isn’t just a rough patch. It’s a collective failure to get anything going offensively—and when you’re getting shut down night after night despite that kind of firepower, alarm bells are going to start ringing. Loudly.
Braves Hope Hinges on Leadership
The good news is that baseball is a long season. Seven games, ugly as they may be, don’t define a year. But here’s where things could start to shift. Leadership, especially from a guy like Riley, matters.
His willingness to speak up, to take responsibility when it would’ve been easy to deflect—it’s the kind of thing that can spark something in the dugout.
This early spiral doesn’t have to be permanent. The Braves have been here before—Snitker himself took over during a dismal 2016 campaign. Many of these players know the grind. They’ve come up through the system. They’ve faced adversity. But now, they need to respond to it.
