The Atlanta Braves were an unstoppable force during the regular season. But it's playoff baseball now and if you're not at your best, you're always in danger of going home.
Game 1 of the NLDS reminded the Braves of that as the Phillies pulled off a surprise 3-0 win over Spencer Strider and a shuffled Atlanta lineup.
Before a chance at redemption on Sunday, let's take a look at who dropped the ball for the Braves on Saturday.
3. Sean Murphy
Listen, the catcher interference call was dubious. Fair enough. But the catcher himself did nothing to make it clear he didn't interfere. He didn't argue. He just stood there looking guilty. He was one step away from being that kid in that Pass It On commercial who admits he touched the basketball going out of bounds.
But that was just one element of the catcher's performance. He gave up five stolen bases on the night. Catching JT Realmuto stealing once doesn't make up for that.
Nor was Murphy much help on the offensive end. He went 0-for-3, including striking out once after working his way to a 3-1 count in the fifth inning.
But there were worse performances at the plate...
2. Michael Harris II
The entire Braves lineup was the problem on Saturday night. From one to nine, no one delivered the offensive performance necessary for a victory. So we're working from that baseline.
In a sea of bad evenings at the plate, Michael Harris II had the worst. While Ronald Acuña Jr. and Marcel Ozuna also went hitless, they at least made it on base via one walk each. While Ozzie Albies hit into a killer double play in the eighth inning, he at least had a hit and a walk earlier in the game. Harris was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. He did nothing.
Critically, Harris struck out swinging in the fourth inning with the bases loaded. The Braves' best chance to put a run on the board was all for nothing as the Phillies got out of the inning unscathed. At that point, they led by just one.
Any one individual stepping up might have made a difference in the game. No one did. So Harris' sins here were in line with all the rest, but he still needs to do a lot more to justify his place in the lineup.
Speaking of the lineup...
1. Brian Snitker
The Braves won 104 games in the regular season. The formula worked. So Brian Snitker's decision to shuffle things up for Game 1 of the NLDS was...an issue.
There was a method to the madness. The Phillies were going with Ranger Suarez on the mound. Snitker moved Austin Riely to second and Ozzie Albies to fourth while starting Kevin Pillar in left field. The idea was to get a leg up against the lefty.
How'd that work out? Very badly.
Suarez pitched 3.2 innings and gave up just one hit while striking out four batters. From there, the Phillies bullpen took over and straight-up dominated. The Braves managed four hits on six pitchers.
Albies in the clean up spot was toothless. Riley was 1-of-4 with two strikeouts. Pillar struck out once before he was replaced by Rosario, who went 1-of-2.
In the end, Saturday night was a lesson in the dangers of tinkering. Don't fix what isn't broken. This wasn't some underdog needing a boost to upset the big bad wolf. The lineup was historically good. The smarter move would have been to just let them cook.
