Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker found some positives in the team’s 7-6 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of the NLDS.
Snitker is one of the best managers in all of baseball. He’s a World Series champion for a reason. So, if he’s choosing the optimistic route, then perhaps we ought to listen to him.
Atlanta fell behind early against the Phillies in Game 1 — in part due to Max Fried’s struggles on the mound — and never really recovered. A late ninth-inning push got the Braves within a run, but the Phillies quickly shut the door thanks to Nick Castellanos sliding catch.
Snitker commented about Atlanta’a staggering 19 men left on base: “We had him (Phillies starter Ranger Suarez) on the rope…we just couldn’t get the big hit.”
That was the theme of the day for the Braves. They were always one big hit away.
Brian Snitker finds positives in Braves effort
Snitker spoke primarily of his concern for Fried, who struggled with the flu before the end of the season and dealt with a long layoff.
“We just couldn’t get a big hit. … They got big hits and we didn’t.”
Braves manager Brian Snitker evaluates his team’s performance after a Game 1 loss against the Phillies ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/WTAiuvkISF
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) October 11, 2022
Primarily, Snitker liked seeing his team fight until the very end, even if they didn’t come away with the victory.
“It was good to see us come back, kind of rally late there…at that point in the game, we’re looking for positives. To see us cut it to a run with Matt’s homer, that’s good stuff. Like they’ve done the last few years, it’s never over til it’s over. They keep fightin, and we did again today,” Snitker expressed.
The veteran manager is right about one thing — as young as some of these Atlanta players are, they do have plenty of playoff experience on the roster. Many of their key contributors have played in big games before, so facing an 0-1 deficit is unlikely to phase them.
