Two Braves fall down Baseball America’s list of…..

Coming into the season, the Braves had two prospects that were featured on nearly every top 100 prospect list, AJ Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep. Per Baseball America, both were ranked in the top 50 less than two months ago. Smith-Shawver clocked in at #42 and Waldrep was #49. However, after some shaky starts to begin the year, both have fallen just outside of the top 50. Smith-Shawver is now ranked 66th with Waldrep right behind him at #68.

This probably has more to do with guys behind them performing well early in the season rather than the Braves top prospects struggling, but they did produce some forgetful outings to begin the year. Smith-Shawver surrendered six earned runs on six hits and four walks over his first three innings of the season, and Waldrep gave up 10 earned runs on 15 hits and five walks in his first seven innings of work.

However, both have eased all concerns as of late. Smith-Shawver is coming off an outing in which he tossed five scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and a walk with five strikeouts. Over his last 14.2 innings, he’s allowed just four runs. Hurston Waldrep is also coming off his best outing of the season, going 5.2 innings and allowing no earned runs with five strikeouts. He’s now surrendered just two earned runs over his last 17.2 innings of work.

Smith-Shawver and Waldrep remain the two most exciting arms in the Braves system by a country mile. Both could potentially play major roles in Atlanta as early as this season, especially Smith-Shawver. However, these early season struggles serve as a reminder that expectations should be tempered. These are two extremely young pitchers with a lot of raw ability. The tools need to be sharpened before we see them take the next step. Adversity can be a good thing, especially with the way they have responded to it as of late.

LOS ANGELES — The Braves finally ended their uncharacteristic homerless drought on Friday night. It still wasn’t enough to snap their offense out of its recent funk.

Austin Riley and Ronald Acuña Jr. homered, but the Braves repeatedly came up empty in big moments and fell to the Dodgers 4-3 in 11 innings in the series opener at Dodger Stadium.

The Braves, the Majors’ highest-scoring team last season, have scored three runs or fewer in four of their last six games. Overall, they are hitting .217/.295/.340 as a team the last two weeks.

“It’s no specific thing,” Riley said. “It’s baseball. I feel like we’re putting together some good ABs. Just got to get that momentum back. I think that is the biggest thing. Everybody here is very capable of getting the job done.”

The offense’s struggles were magnified in extra innings. The Braves had automatic runner Adam Duvall on second base to start the 11th and the top of their lineup due up against Dodgers reliever Michael Grove, who entered the night with a 6.50 ERA.

With a prime opportunity to take the lead, Acuña popped out to shortstop, Ozzie Albies grounded out to second base and Riley grounded out weakly to third to strand the go-ahead run. The Dodgers made them pay in the bottom of the inning when rookie outfielder Andy Pages blooped an RBI single into center field off Jesse Chavez to give the Dodgers a walk-off victory.

Overall, the Braves went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

“It was about getting the big hit,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “And they got one more than we did.”

Things started off well enough for the Braves. Riley snapped the team’s stretch of five straight games without a home run when he launched a massive 449-foot solo shot off Dodgers right-hander Gavin Stone in the first inning. It was Riley’s first home run in 21 games and appeared to set the tone as four of the Braves’ first eight hitters reached base.

But the offense quickly stagnated. Stone retired 13 of the next 15 batters and the Braves managed just one hit against him after the third inning.

Acuña provided a brief respite in the eighth. With the Dodgers nursing a 2-1 lead, the reigning National League Most Valuable Player went up and got a 95.5 mph fastball from Daniel Hudson at the top of the zone and sent it over the out-of-town scoreboard in left field to tie the score. It was just Acuña’s second home run of the season.

“It’s always good to hit a home run and more than anything just give me the confidence to believe in [my] ability and what [I’m] capable of,” Acuña said through an interpreter. “It’s just a good way to start feeling better.”

The Braves briefly took a lead in the 10th on Orlando Arcia’s sacrifice fly, but Shohei Ohtani tied it for the Dodgers with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning. That set the stage for the top of the Braves order in the 11th, but in the biggest moment, they came up short.

“Top of the lineup, nobody out, you kind of expect to get that run in and we didn’t,” Riley said. “Got to flush it and get back after it tomorrow.”

Charlie Morton pitched six innings with two runs allowed to keep the Braves in the game while the offense scuffled. Jarred Kelenic did his part, too, throwing Pages out at the plate with a perfect throw in the air from left field in the second inning.

But in the end, the Braves’ offensive struggles overshadowed all else, and sent the team to its fourth loss in its last six games.

“You go through stages like this,” Snitker said. “You’re going to have to weather the storm. The pitching has been good. We’ve been in all the games that we played. Just keep going out there and running them out there and eventually we’re going to get the offense going again.”