PHILADELPHIA -- Jake Odorizzi was never projected to be a part of the Braves’ postseason rotation. But there was hope the veteran hurler might at least help the defending champions improve their bid for a second straight World Series title.

Odorizzi was far from the only person who created concern as the Braves suffered a 9-1 loss to the Phillies on Friday night at Citizens Bank Park. But he certainly set the tone as he constructed another ugly start for Atlanta, which has seen its bid for a fifth consecutive National League East title weakened during its three-game losing streak.

“You’re going to go through ups and downs as a player and as a team,” Odorizzi said. “Right now, it seems like we’re all going through it at the same time.”

That’s a bit of an understatement, especially from an offensive perspective. The Braves (93-58) are 2 1/2 games behind the first-place Mets (96-56) in the NL East with 11 games to play. The two teams will play a three-game series next weekend in Atlanta.

So while there is time, Atlanta’s margin for error is fading.

If the Braves and Mets were to have identical records at the end of the 162-game regular season, the tiebreaker would be the head-to-head record in the season series. With New York having won nine of the first 16 games played between these two teams, Atlanta would need to sweep next weekend’s three-game series to earn the tiebreaker.

Making the current deficit seem more daunting is the fact the Mets are in the midst of playing a three-game series against the last-place A’s, while the Braves are battling a Phillies team that has looked like a playoff team in the first two games of this series.

“I think the biggest thing is just continuing to focus on the now,” Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson said. “It's so easy to get caught up looking ahead.”

Atlanta's two biggest offensive concerns are the physical health of Ronald Acuña Jr., who missed his second straight game with back tightness, and the confidence of Matt Olson, who has hit .096 (8-for-83) with a .338 OPS over his past 23 games. Olson struck out in three of his four plate plate appearances on Friday.

Odorizzi seemed like less of a concern before manager Brian Snitker said there aren’t really any other options if the Braves would want to take the veteran right-hander out of the rotation. Spencer Strider could start Monday if his sore left oblique cooperates. But if the Braves want to give the rookie a little extra rest, that start could go to Bryce Elder, who is already on Atlanta’s roster.

Kyle Muller has struggled in his past two starts for Triple-A Gwinnett, but he could be used take Odorizzi’s turn on Wednesday at Nationals Park. Given Snitker’s response, though, the Braves may plan for Muller to fill another role next week.

So the Braves might have to roll the dice again with Odorizzi, who allowed eight runs in just four innings against the Phillies. The 32-year-old was acquired to eat innings, but he has lasted fewer than five innings in five of the eight starts he has made for Atlanta, including each of his past three.

“It's a long season, and at some points, there's crappiness and you just have to put your head down and get through it,” Odorizzi said. “Today, it’s me putting my head down and getting through it. Yeah, it sucks. I take accountability for it. It’s time to make an adjustment within the next five days and be better.”

As for the Braves' offense, it’s also time to turn things around. Atlanta was limited to two runs or fewer in a third straight game. Before Eddie Rosario doubled and scored on Robbie Grossman's sacrifice fly in the seventh, a potentially potent offense had gone scoreless for 22 consecutive innings, dating to the third inning of Wednesday’s loss to the Nationals.

Given how the Braves came to life at the right time last year, they may do so again this season. But they will need help from an offense that has produced a .669 OPS while averaging 3.3 runs per game over the past 13 contests. Atlanta has also gone homerless in three straight games for the first time since Sept. 25-28, 2019.

“We’ve went through these [skids] before,” Snitker said. “I’ve always said if you handle adversity, there’s good things on the back end of it.”