Braves fall to Mets 6-2 on June 23 as Max Fried struggles on the mound. Austin Riley homers, but can Atlanta's offense overcome their pitching woes? Recap.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
The familiar sting of a division loss hit the Atlanta Braves on Monday night, as they fell 6-2 to the New York Mets at Citi Field. The game served as a microcosm of the team's current struggles: a brief flash of power from the offense, overshadowed by a starting pitcher unable to escape trouble, highlighting the immense pressure on a rotation decimated by injuries.
Despite hitting his 13th homer, Austin Riley's strikeout rate sits at a lofty 28.7%, with 15 strikeouts over his last nine games.
Max Fried, tasked with being the undisputed ace of a depleted staff, had a night he'd rather forget. The lefty battled through 5.1 innings but was tagged for seven hits and five runs (four earned), struggling to keep the Mets off the basepaths. Kodai Senga, on the other hand, stifled the Braves' lineup, holding them to just two runs over seven dominant innings. The loss dropped Atlanta's record to 35-42, keeping them stuck in third place in the NL East.
The lone bright spot on offense came from Austin Riley, who launched a solo shot in the fourth inning for his 13th home run of the season. The blast snapped a nine-game extra-base hit drought for the third baseman, but it's a complicated picture. Riley's power is undeniable, but so are the strikeouts; he has fanned at least once in nine straight games. Ozzie Albies chipped in with an RBI double in the seventh, but it was too little, too late.
You can't discuss Monday's loss without acknowledging the elephant in the room: the injury list. The Braves are navigating this crucial stretch without key starters Chris Sale (ribs) and Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder), not to mention the season-ending Tommy John surgery for AJ Smith-Shawver. With relievers like Daysbel Hernandez and Royber Salinas also sidelined, every inning puts more strain on the healthy arms, turning every tough start like Fried's into a potential crisis.
For fans searching for good news, the farm system provided some. Pitching prospects JR Ritchie (1.30 ERA in High-A) and 2024 draftee Brett Sears (32.4% K-rate) both earned promotions to Double-A, showcasing the talent pipeline. It wasn't all positive, as top prospect Drue Hackenberg landed on the IL with a back injury after a rough start to his season. Still, the emergence of new arms and the continued promise of outfielders like Owen Carey and Isaiah Drake offer hope for the future.
It was another frustrating night for a Braves team fighting to stay afloat. While the farm system offers glimmers of future hope, the present reality is a team under .500, battered by injuries, and searching for consistency. Atlanta will need to quickly flush this loss and find a way to manufacture a win against a division rival on Tuesday, or this series in Queens could get out of hand quickly.
