Braves Drop Series To Phillies As Offense Struggles

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves’ rollercoaster 2025 season hit another dip this weekend as they dropped two of three games to the Philadelphia Phillies at Truist Park. Despite a dominant win on Saturday behind a brilliant start from rookie Spencer Schwellenbach, the Braves were shut out on Friday and mustered just one run on Sunday.

Now sitting at 38-45, Atlanta remains in third place in the NL East, a staggering 10.5 games behind first-place Philadelphia. The Braves have lost six of their last 10 and continue to battle through an extended offensive slump.

Series Recap: One Bright Spot Between Two Duds

• June 27 (Game 1): Phillies 13, Braves 0
  The opener was a blowout. The Braves recorded just three hits and never looked competitive. Their .257 average and .630 OPS in the game mirrored the lack of offensive pressure.

• June 28 (Game 2): Braves 6, Phillies 1
  Saturday was a different story, led by the best outing of Schwellenbach’s young career. The right-hander threw seven innings, allowing just three hits and one earned run, while striking out 12, which is a career high.

• “We had the right guy going today after that game got away from us last night,” said manager Brian Snitker.
  Schwellenbach is now firmly in the All-Star conversation.
  “If I don’t tell him [next] Sunday, I’ll probably tell him during the week,” Snitker added, indicating the team believes he’s deserving of a spot in the All-Star game here in Atlanta.

  Offensively, the Braves woke up with 13 hits, including a grand slam by Sean Murphy—his 10th home run of the season and second career grand slam. The team posted a season-best 1.006 OPS in the game.

• June 29 (Game 3): Phillies 2, Braves 1
  Sunday’s rubber match was another offensive letdown. Despite a solid outing from Spencer Strider, who kept Atlanta in the game, the Braves scratched across just one run on six hits. Their .182 average and .501 OPS told the story.

June in a Funk:

The Braves’ inconsistency at the plate has become a defining storyline. As a team, Atlanta is batting just .234 in the month of June, and outside of their six-run outburst on Saturday, they’ve scored four runs total in the other five games they’ve played since June 24.

They’ve now posted three or fewer runs in six of their last 10 games, with key players like Michael Harris II experiencing cold stretches at the same time.

Michael Harris II Gets Time to Reset

Another development this weekend was Michael Harris II being held out of the starting lineup in the final two games of the series. While the move raised eyebrows, Brian Snitker clarified it was a strategic pause, not a benching.

“I think every now and then, there comes a time where you toy with the only way you’re gonna get it going is to get in there and grind through it,” Snitker said. “And at other times, I think you just let them sit back and watch and maybe see that it’s not as hard as they’re making it to be.”

Snitker emphasized that Harris is still the team’s everyday center fielder.

“He’s not being benched. That paints the wrong picture. He’s being given a game or two to breathe. Starters get a day off all the time.”

The Braves will try to regroup as they welcome the Los Angeles Angels to town for a three-game set beginning Tuesday night. With the All-Star break fast approaching and the team looking to avoid falling further in the standings, this series could prove pivotal in reigniting their offense and building momentum into July.