Brian Snitker has taken his fair share of criticism over his tenure as the Atlanta Braves manager. However, Braves fan animosity feels to be at an all-time high at the moment as the they continue to lose close games. It doesn't help that Atlanta continuously find themselves in closely contested ballgames and falling short. In that context, of course in these games Snitker's management decisions are under a much larger microscope.
The series opening game against the Red Sox highlighted Snitker's lack of trust with the bullpen. Once again Snit left starter Grant Holmes in a bit longer than he probably should have. Meanwhile, in the opposing dugout Alex Cora went and got starter Lucas Giolito before he could face Matt Olson for a third time despite one out remaining in the fifth inning.
Cora spoke on the Red Sox struggles as the motivation to be aggressive with the use of his bullpen. It was a key moment in the game, and the move paid off big time. That type of bold move is the very thing Snitker has failed to do this season.
Cora said they pulled Giolito for Justin Wilson because they really really liked matchup against Olson.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) May 31, 2025
"The way we’ve been playing, every matchup matters, especially around that time, because we knew we had Whit for two. Getting Olson out there, it was huge."
Snitker needs to treat more Braves games as must win
Brian Snitker famously manages games in which the Braves are trailing as a lost cause. In past years bringing in the 5th or 6th best reliever wasn't a death sentence for the outcome of the game. However, given the state of the Braves bullpen in 2025 bringing in fringe Major League relievers makes it feel like Snitker is punting games earlier than he should be.
On top of that he's trying to squeeze too many outs from his starting pitchers. The third time through the order is usually when starters tend to fade, but Snitker is frequently ignoring these trends because he doesn't trust any of his relievers. To be fair, not many pitchers in the Braves bullpen have given him much reason to be confident in them.
While many around the team are rightfully talking about the struggling offense, important management decisions are slipping through the cracks. If the Braves keep playing in these low-scoring close ballgames then Snitker needs to be on top of his game. It starts with making the bold move to a reliever like Dylan Lee or Pierce Johnson earlier than Snitker may want to.