Brian Snitker and Braves come to Marcell Ozuna’s defense in Will Smith beef

The Braves person taken a patient stance successful nan Marcell Ozuna-Will Smith beef, and to nary surprise, they’re defending their own.

Bullpens cleared connected Monday nighttime erstwhile nan Atlanta Braves faced nan Los Angeles Dodgers successful nan first crippled of nan series.

In nan 4th inning, Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna’s backswing deed Dodgers catcher Will Smith successful nan broadside of nan helmet, which instigated a heated statement astir who was astatine fault.

Ozuna claimed it was an accident. Smith told him to “clean it up” since Ozuna has done it plentifulness of times before. Does Ozuna conscionable person an abnormally agelong backswing, aliases is Smith onto something?

According to nan Braves organization, Ozuna has thing to apologize for.

Braves head Brian Snitker told The Athletic’s David O’Brien:

“Sal [Braves’ catching coach] is ever moving our guys back. You spot a fewer guys who person that agelong backswing. They don’t want to deed nan catcher; they’re not trying to do that. Like I said, we move our guys backmost immoderate connected a peculiar hitter. Not galore of them, but location are guys that are for illustration that. Rather than get hit, we conscionable move them back.”

Braves broadside pinch Marcell Ozuna, constituent nan digit astatine Will Smith

Sal Fasano, nan Braves’ catching coach, apparently tells his catchers to move backmost accordingly if they cognize a definite hitter has a large backswing.

The Braves’ hitting coach, Kevin Seitzer, besides said Smith was excessively adjacent to Ozuna during that fourth-inning at-bat and needed to backmost up, which Smith did for nan remainder of nan crippled aft nan incident.

Seitzer called nan full kerfuffle “an accident” and believed Ozuna was conscionable “doing this thing… that’s conscionable nan measurement he finishes.”

It comes arsenic nary astonishment that Braves coaches are siding pinch their hitter and placing nan blasted connected nan Dodgers catcher. But it’s imaginable some parties were astatine responsibility here: Smith could have backed up moreover conscionable a fewer much inches, and Ozuna could have been much observant pinch his backswing to debar hurting nan catacher.

The Ozuna-Smith beef doesn’t consciousness wholly squashed, and immoderate residual feelings could harvest up again successful nan adjacent 2 games. Fans will beryllium watching nan bid unfold astatine an due region — nan aforesaid can’t beryllium said for Smith erstwhile Ozuna steps onto nan plate.