The Atlanta Braves are enduring a season filled with struggles, capped by a crushing 19–4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday night. The defeat highlighted the team’s ongoing issues, as Atlanta squandered an early 3–0 lead before surrendering 15 unanswered runs. Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber led the charge with four home runs in the rout.
This latest setback comes after a disastrous start to the year. Following last October’s sweep at the hands of the San Diego Padres in the NL Wild Card, the Braves opened the 2025 season with back-to-back sweeps by the Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers, beginning the year 0–7. Since then, they’ve been fighting uphill to regain form.
In response to Thursday’s embarrassment, Atlanta made several roster changes. The team promoted right-handed pitcher John Brebbia to the major league roster and recalled Nathan Wiles. To make room, left-hander Austin Cox and right-hander Wander Suero were optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Brebbia, who entered the league in 2017 with the St. Louis Cardinals, has also pitched for the Giants, White Sox, Braves, and Tigers. With a career 4.00 ERA and 408 strikeouts in 373 appearances, he is expected to bolster the bullpen. Wiles, meanwhile, is seeking redemption after a rocky MLB debut in April, where he allowed three runs in a single inning against the Cardinals.
The Braves hope these adjustments will spark improvement as they continue a tough four-game series against Philadelphia. Without significant progress, however, the remainder of the season could prove even more difficult.
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