Braves fans have spent plenty of this season arguing about the same thing: when is it smart to punt, and when is it just waving the white flag? In May, it’s annoying but understandable. Over 162 games, clubs have to protect arms and survive the grind, even if that means leaning on the back end of the bullpen more than anyone wants.
But October is different.
That’s why Walt Weiss’ handling of this NLDS game is going to land hard with Braves Country. This wasn’t the kind of night where you save everything for later. It was a postseason game, and the choices on the mound looked like choices made for a future that might not even arrive.
The frustration comes down to one simple question: why is what is objectively your 12th best pitching option taking the ball in an NLDS game? This was the moment to use Dylan Dodd for three, Brent Suter for three, and maybe AJ Smith-Shawver if you needed him for three hitters or fewer.
Then you reassess in the seventh. If you’re behind, you adjust.
If the game is still there, you lean harder.
Instead, the approach felt conservative to the point of being maddening. The only scenario that would really justify it is if Chris Sale can’t pitch Game 2.
If Sale is unavailable, then maybe you can argue the bullpen had to be preserved. If he’s able to go, then this becomes the kind of move that feels unnecessary and infuriating, because the Braves saved their premium options only to potentially let Sale work deep into the next game anyway.
There’s also no mistaking the respect for some of the arms involved. AJ Smith-Shawver is clearly a pitcher the Braves believe in.
He shouldn’t take this as a setback; he should be ready to get three outs right now and, down the road, push toward the starting rotation in 2027. Victor Mederos has also been a bright spot, and his enthusiasm has stood out.
But the larger point remains: teams spend six or seven months scraping and saving just to earn a shot in October. Once they get there, the best players are supposed to be used like it.
Weiss tried to explain the decision by saying, “today was going to be tough for us to chase from behind because of how we emptied the tank on Thursday night.”
That explanation only invites more questions. If it was that hard to come back, why was Brent Suter used for two innings in the eighth?
Weiss also said, “Look, you’ve got Sale and Mahle still. Tomorrow a much more rested bullpen.
Yeah, I don’t have any worries about … having enough pitching. We’ve got plenty of pitching.”
And he added, “We weren’t going to pitch Fuentes from behind. It would have been 4 out of 5.
Then he’s at risk tomorrow in a game that we’re up. Suarez was down because of the elbow, missing three months.
We weren’t going to use him at all.”
Taken together, that sounds an awful lot like a manager who was already planning as if Sale would not pitch, and who treated the game as if the punt was on.
In Other News...
Braves First Base Debate Just Got A Postseason Stage
Freddie Freemans return to an Atlanta postseason series adds a familiar twist to a Braves matchup that already carried plenty of weight. Freeman spent 2011 through 2021 with the franchise, then watched Matt Olson step into first base after Atlanta acquired him in 2022 and later locked him up on a long-term deal. It is the kind of transition that could have created awkward comparisons, but both players have handled it with obvious mutual respect, and the Braves have been able to move forward without spending much time looking back.
Now the Dodgers and Braves are set to meet in the National League Division Series, putting Freeman on the other side of the diamond from the team where he became a star. Olsons arrival gave Atlanta a new anchor at first, while Freemans continued excellence has only sharpened the sense of what this matchup means. Even with the business of the game settled, the emotional layer is hard to miss, and this series gives both players a chance to add another chapter to a first base story that has already spanned two eras in Atlanta. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Face A Massive Game 2 Decision After NLDS Opener
The Braves dropped the NLDS opener to the Dodgers, 5-3, and the game immediately pushed the focus from one loss to the next decision. Atlantas offense had trouble finding traction against Tarik Skubal, whose outing drew praise from Walt Weiss, while the bullpen choices late in the game became part of the larger conversation afterward.
Walt Weiss said the club is still sorting through how to manage the relief group as the series moves forward, and the bigger question is Chris Sales availability for Game 2. With Atlanta already chasing the series, the next pitching move carries real weight, and the Braves will need clarity quickly if they want to avoid falling into a deeper hole. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Already Face A Bigger NLDS Problem Than The Game 1 Loss
Tarik Skubal set the tone early in Game 1 of the NL Division Series, limiting the Braves to one run and two hits over six innings as the Dodgers pulled out a 5-3 win. Los Angeles got enough offense from Teoscar Hernndez, Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy, and Atlanta had to absorb the loss in near-record heat at Dodger Stadium while trying to reset for Sunday evenings Game 2.
The bigger issue for the Braves may be what the opener did to the margin for error in a short series. A single loss is manageable, but the way Game 1 unfolded left Atlanta looking at a tougher path than the scoreboard alone suggests, with another postseason test coming quickly and little time to regroup before the next first pitch. [Read more 🡒]