Chris Sale gave the Atlanta Braves a masterclass effort in the series finale on Wednesday against the Colorado Rockies. The reigning NL Cy Young winner, even at Coors Field, diced up the home team over seven innings, giving up just two earned runs on five hits while striking out 10. That should’ve been more than enough to get the win, but Braves manager Brian Snitker didn’t do his ace any favors.
Even before first pitch, Braves fans were critical of the lineup that Snitker put forth in the matchup. The top of the order was as expected with Michael Harris II, Austin Riley, Marcell Ozuna, Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies. Then came the drop-off with Eli White, Drake Baldwin, Nick Allen and Eddie Rosario rounding things out.
While all three Braves hits actually came from the bottom of the lineup, surprisingly so, it was still top-to-bottom not a group that fans believed was ready to take advantage of the Rockies and complete a series sweep and move Atlanta one game closer to .500. They were proven right, because even with his ace on the bump, Snitker didn’t give his team the best chance to win.
Braves manager Brian Snitker hung Chris Sale out to dry
Admittedly, Sale hasn’t been in ace form this season, at least prior to the start in Denver. He had a 5.40 ERA coming into the start, which was down from 6.17 after a nice outing agains tthe Arizona Diamondbacks. Even still, Snitker and every Braves fans know what the southpaw is capable of. And when he showed it, the manager did nothing to make that effort from his lefty worth it.
Snitker’s managerial decisions this season have been widely criticized, and for good reason. Obviously, there was the Ronald Acuña Jr.-Jarred Kelenic drama that Snitker ostensibly started with his decision-making. At the same time, he’s consistently tinkered with the lineup in ways that didn’t wholly make sense and, frankly, in ways that haven’t helped the team.
In this instance, the Braves have been garnering momentum for weeks now after their abysmal start. They came into the series finale against the Rockies having won four of their last five and quickly gaining ground in the wild card race and the NL East standings. This might not kill the momentum, to be sure, but it also certainly didn’t help them build anymore — and it absolutely could have.
The Braves are currently playing the 2025 season on difficult mode. With Spencer Strider’s return getting cut short by injury, the team still waiting Acuña’s return, and the various struggles throughout the roster, they’ve not had an easy road. But it seems like Snitker is unnecessarily making that road bumpier than it needs to be, and putting his team in a position to waste a stellar start from Sale as he starts to turn things around is just the latest example of that.
