Braves drop game with historic ninth-inning meltdown; Diamondbacks secure series sweep
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Most 2025 preseason MLB rankings had the Atlanta Braves slotted somewhere in the top 5.
Many baseball analysts cited the talent the Braves had on their roster entering the season.
So far, though, the team’s 2025 campaign has been a disappointment. Atlanta entered Thursday’s matinée affair against the Arizona Diamondbacks on a three-game losing streak.
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The Braves built a 6-0 lead in the early innings, but the D-Backs plated seven runs in the ninth to complete the comeback. The 11-10 victory also secured a series sweep for Arizona and pushed Atlanta’s losing streak to four games.
Atlanta has now dropped 11 of 14 games.
Relief pitcher Scott Blewett gave up five runs, four of which he surrendered in the final inning. Braves closer Raisel Iglesias entered in the ninth with one out and gave up three earned runs. Iglesias was the losing pitcher, while Kendall Graveman earned the win for the D-Backs.
Baseball Hall of Famer and Braves analyst Tom Glavine weighed in on the team’s collapse.
“If you were looking for a rock bottom, this might be it,” the former Braves pitcher said Thursday.
While some key players such as pitcher Max Fried and others departed after last season, the Braves’ core group remained largely intact.
Stellar defensive outfielder Michael Harris, the 2022 MLB rookie of the year; three-time All-Star Ozzie Albies; power-hitting third baseman Austin Riley; slugging first baseman Matt Olson; Gold Glove catcher Sean Murphy; and Cy Young winner Chris Sale all returned to the Braves and were expected to continue to produce.
All of those players, except for Sale, have had a disappointing season so far.
Ronald Acuna Jr., the 2023 MLB MVP, recently returned to the lineup after he missed the start of the season while recovering from a 2024 knee injury.
Acuna seems to have quickly returned to his MVP form, hitting four home runs and batting .333 through 12 games. In late May, he crushed a home run to deep left field off the first pitch he saw in his first game back with the Braves.
Brian Snitker has worked in the Braves organization in some capacity for nearly half a century.
He is credited with helping the Braves win the World Series in 2021. But the Braves manager’s decision-making has been scrutinized this season. Snitker’s contract with the Braves expires at the end of the 2025 season. He has not publicly revealed whether he wants to retire after this year.
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The Braves travel cross country to open a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants Friday.
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