Austin Riley Falls to .190 After 0-for-4, Three-Strikeout Night

austin riley left Thursday with his average down to.190 after going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in the Braves’ 5-2 loss to the Tigers. He called the stretch “frustrating as hell right now” and said he just has to keep grinding through it.

Riley’s Struggles Deepen

Riley’s night matched the broader dip that has followed him through the first month. He was 2-for-37 entering the weekend series against the Rockies, with 14 strikeouts, two RBIs and only three home runs in that span.

His OPS sat at.588, a far cry from the production Atlanta needs from a regular who signed a 10-year, $212 million contract in 2022 that runs through the 2032 season. Riley also said, “Nobody wants it more than me. Just got to keep grinding on it.”

Walt Weiss Stays Patient

Walt Weiss backed him after the loss, saying, “Austin’s fighting through it, man. He’s going through it right now, everybody does in this league.” Weiss added, “But he’s doing all the right things. We know what a pro he is, and he’s going to figure it out.”

The manager pointed back to April 15 and April 17 in Philadelphia, when Riley hit three home runs in two days. That burst sits in sharp contrast to the 0-for-4 line and the foul line drive in the eighth inning that Riley said would have been a double when he was hot.

Braves Head to Coors Field

Riley’s early-season numbers are still tracking below his usual standards. He hit.226 to start 2024 and.253 at the outset of 2023, while his career line in the first month is.252 and he has hit.278 in May.

The Braves now take that slump into Denver for a weekend series against the Rockies at hitter-friendly Coors Field. For Atlanta, the concern is not one bad night but how long one of its few regulars in an offensive rut can keep working before the season’s first month is gone.