Atlanta Braves Drop Series to Cardinals - Top Takeaways (2024)

The Atlanta Braves depart from St. Louis dropping two out of three against the St. Louis Cardinals after splitting the double header on Wednesday. The Braves drop their first series in two weeks and drop to eight games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East.

On that note, here are some takeaways following the series loss.

Arcia Looks Replaceable

Shortstop Orlando Arcia exited Monday night’s loss in the sixth inning due to dizziness. The already struggling Arcia was ruled out for Tuesday’s game before it was rained out and was kept out of the lineup when the game was made up the following day.

During his absence, his fill-in has taken advantage of his opportunity. Zack Short went 1-for-2 with a two-run single to open scoring in the top half of the double hitter. He also reached base via a walk in two other plate appearances in the 6-2 win.

That doesn’t bode well for Arcia. Short might not be a long-term option, but it could give the Braves more comfort in giving someone else other than Arcia a shot. Their No. 6 prospect, Nacho Alvarez Jr. has been firing on all cylinders since he arrived at Triple-A Gwinnett. He’s not on the 40-man just yet, but he’s quickly giving the Braves reasons to put him there.

It’s doubtful Arcia would be DFA’d to make room for Alvarez. Odds are he’ll be back to starting again this upcoming homestand. But it’s undeniable he’s at risk of being Wally Pipped - losing his spot permanently to the next guy.

Kelenic’s Recent Tear Looks Sustainable

Moving Jarred Kelenic to the leadoff spot has paid off. At first, you could’ve argued that he just had a few good days at the plate. However, with an 11-game sample size, it starts to become a new trend.

During his tear, Kelenic has seen his batting average jump from.259 to .282. His OPS has jumped 75 points from .706 to .781, trailing only Marcell Ozuna (.956).

Kelenic’s four home runs are twice the number he hit when he was penciled into the bottom half of the lineup.

Kelenic credits his approach for the uptick in home runs.

“I’m sticking to my plan, trying to hunt pitches over the heart of the plate so I can get extended on it,” Kelenic said following the first game of the doubleheader, “stay inside - that’s the biggest thing. I think I’m getting a few more pitches over the heart of the plate, and I’m not missing them.”

Kelenic added individualizing each at-bat helps him focus at the plate.

“I think it allows you to be present in the box. It removes the emotional side of it.”

Kelenic was the Braves' entire offense in the second half of the doubleheader, going 3-for-4 with an RBI in the 3-1 loss to the Cardinals.

Offense as a Whole Isn’t Quite There Yet

The Braves offense has seen a bit of resurgence as of late. However, this series showed that they still have a ways to go. The team combined for 10 runs over three games with six of them coming in game two of the series.

The team during the series went 5-for-22 (.227) with runners in scoring position. Take away Kelenic, and the team combined to go 3-for-20 (.150). That makes the difference in a one-run loss like Monday's 4-3 defeat.

Stats like those are why the Braves have an 8-11 record in one-run games this season compared to 23-18 in 2023. They aren’t taking advantage of their opportunities.

They’ve managed to get by on pitching, but championship teams have timely hitting.

Reynaldo López Was Inevitably Going to Have a Regular Outing

It makes more sense to refer to Lopez’s outing against the Cardinals as “regular” because he didn’t even have a bad game. It just wasn’t elite like he has been the entire season.

In game one of the doubleheader, Lopez pitched five innings giving up just two earned runs despite allowing four hits and four walks. The Cardinals made him work, but he won the battle and picked up his sixth win of the season. For those who still like to track wins and losses, he’s now 6-2 on the year.

Lopez gave up two runs and his ERA went up. That doesn’t happen often. Even less often, you see a pitcher's ERA only rise to 1.70. Lopez once again qualifies as the ERA leader and is the only qualifying pitcher in all of MLB with a sub-2.00 ERA.

Individual players continue to stand out on the team, but as a group, there are still issues that need to be ironed out.

The Braves head to the southside of Chicago for a one-off game against the White Sox to make up a postponed game from April 3. They then head back home for a series against the Pittsburgh Pirates to lead off a nine-game homestand.