Braves Facing Crucial Turning Point After Historic Loss

The Atlanta Braves chose the word, "horrible" to describe their 11-10 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday. Many other adjectives or phrases also work.

For me, season changing might be the best.

In our instant gratification, social media world of 2025, it's very easy to overreact to the moment. We live in the now.

So maybe what happened Thursday afternoon at Truist Park will just be one of 162 when we look back on the 2025 season for the Braves. For me, though, I seriously doubt it.

Losses like the ones the Braves suffered Thursday often break major league clubs. Any kind of last-inning defeat can be devastating.

One where a team leads by six in the ninth inning and loses? That's gut-wretching.

A blown loss where a team scores 10 runs after having just 11 runs in the previous five games? That's even worse.

"When you’re up six runs in the ninth, you feel like you should win the game, obviously," Snitker said after the loss. "But we didn’t. You’ve got to do your job. We’ve got to play better."

On top of that, Atlanta entered Thursday losers in 10 of its past 13 games. The loss gave the Braves a 1-5 homestand.

For all those reasons, this is where I think we will see what the 2025 Braves are really made of. If they are going to go on a run, this is the moment where things have to change.

The Braves are back to seven games below .500 as they were at 0-7 after the first week. The team battled back from that. Will it again?

They've been punched -- hard-- in the mouth. Maybe that's just what they need. Perhaps after Thursday's embarrassment, someone in that clubhouse will show a little anger and fire.

Baseball is for the relaxed athlete but that doesn't mean one should play emotionless.

Or will Thursday prove to be the day that was the beginning of the end to Atlanta's seven-year postseason streak?

"That's a tough one, no question about it. There's no other way to say it," Braves broadcaster and Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Glavine said right after Thursday's loss. "That is just not a game you expected to go that way.

"I guess for all the struggles that this team has had, if you were looking for a rock bottom, this might be it.

"Hopefully there's only up from here, but we'll see. See how they rebound."