Brian Snitker’s Controversial Call Leaves Braves Fans Frustrated After Loss to Reds

Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker didn’t exactly earn any brownie points with fans after explaining his decision to pinch-hit Eddie Rosario in Wednesday night’s loss to the Reds.

The outcome? Unfortunately predictable. Rosario stepped in for Eli White and struck out swinging to end the game.

Afterward, Snitker defended the move, saying:

“[Emilio Pagán] has much better numbers against righties. Way better. And I thought maybe Eddie could recreate some old magic.”

That explanation raised eyebrows. As David O’Brien quickly noted, Pagán has dominated right-handed hitters this season—holding them to just 1-for-29 with 12 strikeouts. So, yes, bringing in a lefty against him makes some sense in theory.

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But Rosario hasn’t exactly been reliable against right-handed pitching. Last year, he hit just .175 with a .211 OBP and .332 slugging against righties. This season? One hit in seven plate appearances. Meanwhile, Eli White—who was pulled—has been hitting .300/.340/.580 against righties. And Snitker also had Sean Murphy available off the bench, who’s batting a solid .237/.338/.525.

So why go with Rosario? Banking on “magic” is a risky bet—especially when better options are right there. It’s like buying gas station sushi just because you like sushi. Sure, the craving makes sense, but the context is key.

As Red Beard Baseball pointed out, maybe this misfire will prevent Snitker from turning to Rosario in similar clutch moments moving forward.

Then again, that assumes Snitker will make the logical call next time. And let’s be honest—how confident can Braves fans really be in that?

The Braves will look to bounce back Thursday in the series finale against Cincinnati, with the chance to either take the series or settle for a split.