Chapman’s ninth-inning blast hands Atlanta its sixth straight defeat as team’s spiral intensifies
SAN FRANCISCO — Bryce Elder gave the Braves everything he had and more. The 25-year-old was electric on the mound, shutting down the Giants through eight innings with a career-high 12 strikeouts, no walks, and just three hits.
It should have been the kind of night where his teammates mobbed him in the dugout, where a postgame interview would begin with “how did it feel?” Instead, it ended with stunned silence and dropped heads as Matt Chapman’s two-run, two-out walk-off homer off reliever Pierce Johnson sank Atlanta 3–2.
And just like that, another gem was wasted. Another game ended in gut-punch fashion.
A Run of Losses That Defy Belief
The Braves aren’t just losing. They’re unraveling in the cruelest ways imaginable.
Saturday’s defeat marked their sixth in a row and 13th in their last 16 games. That’s not a typo. This isn’t a mid-season slump—it’s the team’s worst stretch since before 2018, when their postseason streak began.
They now sit fourth in the NL East. After the loss, they were 12.5 games behind the Mets, their largest division deficit in eight years.
It’s not about poor hitting or bad luck anymore. It’s becoming systemic.
They’ve lost nine straight one-run games, and they’re 9–18 in those contests overall. Three of those heartbreaking defeats came in the past three days. Each one hurt worse than the last.
Elder Shines — But It’s Still Not Enough
Bryce Elder deserved better. That’s the bottom line.
The right-hander was clinical, sharp, and nearly untouchable. He threw 101 pitches, punched out 12, and kept the Giants off balance from start to finish. It was easily the best outing of his young career.
“I really don’t know what to say,” Elder told reporters postgame. “You feel like you did your job, but here we are again.”
Manager Brian Snitker echoed the same exhausted sentiment. “You hate it for Bryce. He gave us a masterpiece,” he said. “That’s a game we have to win.”
Pierce Johnson’s Ninth Inning Collapse
The Braves entered the bottom of the ninth with a 2–1 lead. Johnson, a trusted arm, had the task of closing it out.
He retired the first two batters.
Then everything unraveled.
A single. Then a grooved pitch that Chapman sent screaming into the San Francisco night, over the left-field wall. Just like that — game over.
• Johnson’s ERA ballooned to 4.81
• Braves’ bullpen has blown 11 saves this year
• Atlanta is now 0–6 in their last six games decided in the ninth inning
That last one stings. It’s not just bad luck. It’s late-game collapse becoming a pattern.
Ronald Acuña Jr.: “It’s Incredible… But We Have to Turn It Around”
Ronald Acuña Jr., who’s been one of the few steady presences in Atlanta’s lineup, didn’t hide his frustration.
“It’s incredible, honestly,” he said, shaking his head. “No one wants to lose games like this. No pitcher wants that. But we have to turn it around.”
He’s right. But how?
Snitker has shuffled lineups. The bullpen has been reworked. They’ve tried fire. They’ve tried calm. The result? The same.
One-run losses. Missed chances. Walk-offs that send them to the clubhouse in silence.
Braves By the Numbers: Slump Snapshot
Here’s how brutal the past few weeks have been for Atlanta:
| Stat Category | Last 16 Games |
|---|---|
| Wins | 3 |
| One-run losses | 9 |
| Walk-off losses | 4 |
| Team batting average | .214 |
| Bullpen ERA | 5.63 |
| Runners left on base | 125 |
That’s not a playoff team. That’s a team stuck in neutral—or maybe even reverse.
Where Do They Go From Here?
Atlanta wraps up their series with the Giants on Sunday, and the schedule doesn’t get any easier. They head straight to face the Dodgers next, then it’s back home to play the Phillies.
It’s not hard to imagine this tailspin deepening if something doesn’t change fast.
The talent is still there — that’s the most maddening part. But the spark? The swagger? The killer instinct that got them to the postseason every year since 2018?
Maybe Chapman’s homer will be the low point they needed to snap out of it. Or maybe this is who they are now.
All we know is this: they’re running out of time to figure it out.
