As fun as it was to pretty much never lose a series, the Atlanta Braves were probably due to have a bit of a letdown. There is no shame in losing to another team that is playing well, like the White Sox currently are, but the fact that the Braves squandered so many chances to win the tight game on Wednesday is deeply frustrating. Unfortunately, it was also entirely predictable.
Since Drake Baldwin went down with an oblique injury, Braves catchers have been one of the absolute worst units in all of baseball at the plate. The bar offensively for catchers is impossibly low across the league, but the Braves' fill-ins with Baldwin and Sean Murphy out have still failed to come even remotely close to clearing it.
Games like the one on Wednesday are great examples of this. While there were a number of Braves players responsible for not capitalizing on scoring opportunities, new Braves catcher Austin Wynns may be the most guilty party.
Games like the Braves' vs. Chicago show that Drake Baldwin can't come back fast enough
Again, there were a number of guilty parties against the White Sox. On the whole, the Braves went 1-10 with runners in scoring position, with Dominic Smith and Mauricio Dubon both having notable plate appearances where they couldn't deliver in a tight spot. However, every run matters in a 2-1 loss, and Wynns' shortcomings were on full display.
Based on how he has looked at the plate with Atlanta, it is not surprising whatsoever that Wynns only has four hits (all singles) this season across 53 plate appearances with the A's and Braves. Atlanta loaded the bases with one out in the second inning, but Wynns got retired to end the inning after Jorge Mateo struck out. In the fourth inning, Mateo hit a two-out double to give the Braves yet another golden opportunity. Unfortunately, it was Wynns yet again coming up short.
Now, no hitter will ALWAYS come up big in these situations. However, Atlanta's catchers are worse than that. That spot in the lineup is currently a black hole, and it is starting to cost the Braves dearly in close games. Thankfully, it sounds like Baldwin could be returning very soon, and, in theory, that will solve this problem on the spot. Now, if the position is actually just cursed and even Baldwin can't reverse it, that is going to be a big problem.
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