Braves Suffer Worst Loss Yet in 2025 Season

It's hard to top starting a season 0-7. Seven consecutive losses in which the offense averaged two runs per game is bad.

But what the Atlanta Braves offense did this weekend against the Pittsburgh Pirates was arguably worse.

The Pirates came into the series reeling, having fired manager Derek Shelton in yet another PR stint from arguably the worst ownership group in sports, let alone baseball. The Braves needed to win the series to head back home Sunday evening with a .500 record.

They failed. Again. The Braves are now 0-5 in games where they have the opportunity to move to the .500-mark this season.

If not for Eli White being able to move his head away from a very wild pitch in the 11th inning on Saturday, the Braves could have suffered a sweep.

Even if they had won and moved to an even 20-20 record, there was little offensively for the Braves to feel good about on Sunday. Against Pittsburgh Pirates starters Bailey Falter, Andrew Heaney and Carmon Mlodzinski this weekend, the Braves mustered only two runs in 17.2 innings.

Heaney is a proven veteran that the Braves might be interested in acquiring at the MLB trade deadline. Losing to him isn't a huge embarassment.

But the Braves actually won the game Heaney started. Atlanta's offense didn't score at all until the Pirates bullpen entered the game when Falter and Mlodzinski started.

After those performances, the good feelings the Braves offense gave with improvements in April are gone. Although, it's important to note, they've been fading for a while.

Since Atlanta's first opportunity to move to the .500 mark on April 30, the Braves have averaged 2.8 runs per game. They haven't scored more than five runs in any of their past 11 games, and the Braves offense has reached five runs during that stretch once -- an extra-inning affair versus the Cincinnati Reds.

During those 11 games, the Braves faced the Los Angeles Dodgers. But four of those contests also game against the Pirates and Colorado Rockies -- the National League's two worst teams.

After Sunday, Atlanta's 2025 season is officially at the quarter mark. At best, the Braves have an inconsistent offense. During the 20-25 games in between the terrible first week and below average last 11 contests, the Braves lineup performed quite well. It appeared the team was turning things around for good.

But at worst, the Braves offense just isn't very good at all, and the better April will prove to be a aberration.

In 2025, the Atlanta lineup hasn't showcased a lot of power or come up big in clutch situations. The Braves also don't walk very much or steal many bases.

Entering Sunday, the Braves were below average in on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The Braves are also in the bottom third of the league with runners in scoring position.

They are worse in other splits such as RISP with two outs.