Braves down Marlins, show 2025 season is not total wash

The club downed its division rival 7-1 on Sunday afternoon at Truist Park to win four of the five games in the series.

“No matter what the record says, the sense that I’ve gotten is no matter who we play, you still expect to win the game every night,” starting pitcher Joey Wentz said.

The Braves are not mathematically eliminated from the playoff hunt, but any hopes of playing in October faded with an 0-7 start to the season. And then vanished with their 51-67 record since.

But there is still value in playing out the lost season. Designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, who hit another home run in the series finale for a total of four through four games, will be a free agent at the end of the year. Any contributions he makes will only increase his monetary value.

Wentz, who allowed one run through 5 ⅓ innings of Sunday’s victory, is fighting to show he deserves a spot on a team with World Series aspirations in 2026. (And with a 2.83 ERA in six games for the Braves, he’s making a good case for himself).

There’s also catcher Drake Baldwin, who is battling a pair of rookies in Milwaukee for the National League Rookie of the Year award.

So, suffice to say, the Braves’ 2025 season is not a total wash, yet.

And with 42 games left to play, the club is showing signs of life. The offense put together four consistent games, averaging over six runs per outing — the lone exception came in a one-run dud on Friday night, which if removed increases the average to 7.5 runs per game — and finished the series 14-for-38 (.368) with runners in scoring position.

The Braves also earned three come-from-behind victories, facing deficits as large as four runs. For context, the Braves are 26-302 (.079) when trailing by at least four runs since the 2017 season.

“Big hits,” manager Brian Snitker said. “Just to see the add-on runs late, which we hadn’t been seeing, and just some big innings, which we had a hard time with for a long time. That’s really good to see because we’ve still got a bunch of baseball to play where hopefully, we can get on our run.”

This is not the 2021 season, where a magical run will be enough to extend the Braves’ streak of eight consecutive playoff appearances. That ship sailed a few months ago.

But there is value in displaying a strong finish. Momentum is a real aspect of baseball, and entering the offseason with a little bit of confidence would never hurt.

Just ask 15-year veteran Chris Sale, who is intent on pitching again after suffering two fractured ribs on June 21. Sale could have opted to shut down for the year due to the Braves’ dormant season but instead is working tirelessly to return to the mound.

“I don’t care what the record says, I like to compete, and I want to go out there and do my job,” Sale said before the series. “It’s important to finish a year not on the (injured list) and be able to at least hang my hat on the fact that I was able to finish the year pitching and upright — going into the offseason, knowing that there’s no real questions or concerns or anything that I’m going to have to take care of.”

And the Braves find themselves in a similar situation. Every victory from here on out builds momentum for their 2026 campaign.

And taking four-out-of-five games against the Wild Card hopeful Marlins is a good place to start.

Ronald Acuña Jr. nearing return

A comforting sight for the Braves occurred on Sunday afternoon at Truist Park when Ronald Acuña Jr. took the field for pregame warm-ups. He participated in light exercises and agility work before sprinting from first base to third base outside the edge of the infield along the grass. The workouts took place about two hours before first pitch.

Snitker did not share a timeline for Acuña’s return — or if he would make any rehabilitation assignments before coming off the injured list — but the outfielder’s pregame work indicated his return is near. Acuña is currently eligible to return, as the club placed him on the 10-day injured list on July 30.