The Atlanta Braves struck first with a productive 1-0 first inning in Game 3 of the NLDS. From there, it was all Philadelphia Phillies, with Nick Castellanos and Bryce Harper blasting moonshots en route to a six-run third inning for the home team. Philly never looked back.
In the end, the Phillies hit six home runs — two for Harper, two for Castellanos, one for Trea Turner, and one for Brandon Marsh. The final score was 10-2, with the Phillies taking a commanding 2-1 series lead ahead of Game 4 right back in Citizens Bank Park.
The crowd was raucous and the Phils' hitters were on a heater all night. There is plenty of blame to go around for Braves, but here's who will face the brunt of the vitriol as fans react to this undesirable outcome.
Braves' Orlando Arcia deserves blame for free bulletin board material
On the surface, Orlando Arcia was one of the few bright spots for the Braves. He went 1-for-4 with an RBI and made a couple nifty plays in the field at shortstop. It's what Arcia did off the field, in the aftermath of Game 2, that lands him on this list.
Arcia was widely quoted as yelling "ha ha, atta-boy Harper" in the Braves locker room following the team's Game 2 victory. There's nothing wrong with celebrating a win, and a little smack talk is only natural in the MLB playoffs. What you can't do is parade your smack talk around the locker room with the prying ears of reporters there to document it.
Harper hit two home runs on Wednesday night, and he appeared to stare down Arcia while rounding second base in the third inning.
Harper refused to acknowledge the Arcia comments in his postgame interview, but it's not difficult to read between the lines of Harper's actions and demeanor. If there's one MLB player you can't hand bulletin board material to, it's Harper. Especially not with the Philadelphia home crowd at his back.
Arcia didn't lose the game on the field, but half the battle is mental. He may have handed the mental edge to Philly.
Bryce Elder and A.J. Smith-Shawver deserve blame for struggles on mound
Atlanta fans were (rightfully) dreading the Braves' pitching situation entering this game. With Charlie Morton and Kyle Wright out of commission, the decision for Brian Snitker came down to Bryce Elder, 20-year-old A.J. Smith-Shawver, or a bullpen game. He landed on Elder and it went predictably poorly.
Elder made his first All-Star appearance after a dominant first half of the season, with his precise location control and gnarly pitch movement confounding batters. After the All-Star break, however, his ERA plummeted as teams began to figure the 24-year-old out. He wouldn't have been in the mix for postseason starts if not for the aforementioned injuries to Morton and Wright.
The game started strong for Elder, who pitched two scoreless innings with four strikeouts before things quickly fell apart in the third inning. He was yanked after conceding five hits, one walk, and six earned runs in 2.2 innings. All the damage was done in that fateful third.
Snitker bounced around the bullpen briefly before going to Smith-Shawver in the fifth inning. The young gunslinger only lasted 2.2 innings of his own, giving up three hits (all home runs) and a walk for three earned runs.
Atlanta's two most reliable arms were completely shellshocked. In a more fortunate timeline, the Braves wouldn't have been in this situation to begin with, but Elder is an All-Star. He deserves to be held to a higher standard than this. This was a disappointment for the Braves' pitching group.
Brian Snitker deserves blame for Braves' bullpen snafu
Look, Brian Snitker is the manager. At the end of the day, coaches get blamed for every result — especially on the postseason stage. He faced an impossible decision between Elder and Smith-Shawver, two flawed options. He made what is ostensibly the wrong choice. How else can you describe it after Elder's disastrous third inning?
Of course, Smith-Shawver went 2.2 innings in the middle of the game and was similarly ineffective. Snitker's bullpen management on the whole was rather poor. Michael Tonkin quickly gave up two hits in less than an inning after replacing Elder. Brad Hand went one inning and gave up a run. Daysbel Hernandez finished the night by plunking Kyle Schwarber with a slider. It was ugly all around.
The options were limited. There's no way around it. Morton has a metric ton of postseason experience. Wright is a former Cy Young candidate. A healthy Braves rotation doesn't run into this problem at such a critical juncture in the season. But, you play the hand you're dealt, and Snitker misplayed his hand.
Atlanta will face a steep road to recovering their season. With Strider on the mound in Game 4, pitching is less of a concern. But, the Phillies still have all the offensive momentum and a fiery crowd at their back. It will take true resilience from this Braves squad to get this series back to Atlanta.
Game 4 is when Philadelphia closed out the series last year. If Snitker doesn't get his team in the right headspace for Friday night, his team will suffer the same fate in 2023.