Here's what Chipper sees in Braves' offense

ATLANTA -- There’s no doubt the Braves need to fix what has become a concerning bullpen. They also need to gain stability from their injury-depleted starting rotation.

But in the process of attempting to strengthen their pitching staff, the Braves could cover some of their weaknesses with more consistent production from a more-than-capable offense. This was the message manager Brian Snitker expressed after closer Will Smith allowed a ninth-inning homer in a 4-3 loss to the Mets on Tuesday night at Truist Park.

“We were an offensive team last year,” Snitker said. “That’s why we did what we did the last few years. We had a lot of come-from-behind [abilities]. The guys are still grinding to keep the line moving and bunch some hits together. We’re hitting some homers, but those are one run.”

Solo homers from Austin Riley and Freddie Freeman accounted for the only runs the Braves tallied, until Marcell Ozuna produced a broken-bat, opposite-field single to tie the game with two outs in the eighth. The resulting energy quickly dissipated when Smith allowed Tomás Nido to hit a game-winning solo homer with two outs in the ninth.

With three straight losses, and six losses in their past eight games, the Braves (19-23) are now four games behind the first-place Mets (20-16) in the National League East. Atlanta is now a MLB-worst 0-8 when tied after eight innings this year. The only other club that has gone winless in these games is the Red Sox, who are 0-3.

The Braves were a MLB-best 21-11 in these games from 2018-20.

“Eventually, we’re going to be the offensive team we’re capable of being,” Snitker said. “We’re not right now.”

Before this latest loss, Chipper Jones, who is serving as a hitting consultant for Atlanta this year, provided his always-enlightening insight on some of the team’s top offensive issues.

The good
Riley showed his opposite-field power for the second straight night, when he hit his fifth-inning solo homer off Robert Gsellman. The Braves third baseman is now hitting .291 with a .833 OPS. That’s a far cry from the .190 average and .451 OPS he displayed on April 15.

“I think he’s totally capable of a .280 average and a near-.400 on-base percentage,” Jones said. “As he gets more comfortable with his new approach, the singles and doubles he is hitting into the gap will start carrying out of the ballpark.”

Not too far removed from being highly susceptible to sliders out of the zone, Riley ranks second among all Major Leaguers with the .456 on-base percentage he’s produced going back to April 16. His improved plate discipline was highlighted when he didn’t chase a two-strike fastball an inch off the plate, before singling against Josh Hader in the ninth inning of Sunday’s loss in Milwaukee.

“That was a helluva [at-bat],” Jones said. “That’s when you know the light is starting to come on. He’s still relatively young as far as his experience here.”

The promising
With Freeman’s sixth-inning solo shot, he and Ronald Acuña Jr. now share the National League lead with 12 homers. Freeman has produced this total through 150 at-bats. He had 13 homers in 214 at-bats when he won the NL MVP Award last year.

But while the power has been there, Freeman has hit just .220 with a .830 OPS. His expected batting average is about 60 points higher and his expected slugging percentage ranked among the game’s top 5% entering Tuesday.

So, the usual elite production will likely come. But the fact is, he’s produced some uncharacteristic numbers through the season’s first quarter.

“We don’t really talk about the off-the-field stuff,” Jones said. “I don’t know what kind of toll that has taken on him. But the fact of the matter is, Freddie hasn’t been Freddie.”

Could the struggles be a product of not yet receiving a contract extension and experiencing the added stress of having two newborns in his family?

“As somebody who went through two divorces while I was playing, the distractions are real,” Jones said. “When you’ve got two new babies and the contract kind of up in the air, your mind is not always centered where we would like it to be, which is right here. It’s an adjustment for him right now off the field. He’ll make it.”

The bad
While going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in this latest loss to the Mets, Dansby Swanson created more reason to be concerned about his offensive woes. The Braves shortstop has hit .201 with a .615 OPS and a team-high 54 strikeouts. He’s on pace to end the season with 208 strikeouts and a .351 slugging percentage. That’s troubling.

“He looks great in the cage, and he’s taken some great BP the last couple days,” Jones said. “But he needs to flush all that once the game comes and just go out and hit. See the pitch, react to it and hit it where you’re supposed to. Good things will happen.”