Brian Snitker’s Excuses Are the Last Thing the Braves Need Right Now
Excuses won’t help the Braves in their playoff push.
As the Atlanta Braves faced a crucial moment in their season, they were given a weekend series against the struggling Washington Nationals, offering a prime chance to make progress in the National League wild card race. They seized the opportunity on Friday night but didn’t make it easy.
Unfortunately, this has been a recurring theme for the Braves this season, as they’ve grappled with both a relentless wave of injuries and their own mistakes. On Friday, this pattern continued when Jorge Soler, who was brought back to Atlanta at the trade deadline, returned from a hamstring injury to play right field despite mostly serving as a designated hitter this season.
In the fourth inning, with Chris Sale on the mound, a fly ball was hit to right field, drifting toward the foul line. Soler moved towards it but seemed to stop short. This turned out to be a costly mistake as the ball landed fair and bounced into the stands for a ground-rule double, leaving Sale with runners on second and third with two outs, and the Braves clinging to a 1-0 lead. The Nationals then took the lead with a two-RBI double in the next at-bat.
Soler was clearly frustrated with himself and even apologized to Sale after the play, which is understandable. However, what is more concerning is Snitker’s response when asked about the play on Saturday before the second game of the series.
Brian Snitker Continues to Make Excuses for the Braves When It’s the Last Thing They Need
When questioned about Soler’s shortfall on the play, Snitker didn’t highlight the veteran’s accountability (which Soler had already shown) but instead made excuses, saying Soler wasn’t injured but thought the ball would go foul.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but catching a ball in foul territory would still have ended the inning, right? Even if Soler thought it was going foul, he should’ve gone all out to make the catch.
While this didn’t ultimately cost the Braves the game— they tied it in the seventh inning and won in extras on a walk-off error—one could argue they shouldn’t have been in that position if Soler had hustled. Yet, Snitker is making excuses for a play that simply shouldn’t be excused. It’s not about harshly criticizing Soler or his players, but about taking accountability, especially in public. Snitker’s response missed that mark.
The Braves certainly have legitimate challenges right now—they’re missing key players like Spencer Strider, Ronald Acuña Jr., Austin Riley, and AJ Minter. Everyone understands the uphill battle this creates. What they don’t need, on top of these challenges, are excuses for avoidable mistakes and poor decisions like Soler’s.
Soler was rested on Saturday following his return from injury, and the Braves secured another win. That’s great, but if this team wants to secure their playoff spot, Snitker and the rest of the squad need to focus on accountability rather than making excuses.
