With each passing loss, one can’t help but wonder if this is rock bottom for a Braves club that had such high expectations coming into the season, yet somehow they find a way to outdo themselves, and Thursday night was no different.
Heading into New York on a four-game losing streak to face the red-hot Mets, the Braves desperately needed to find a way to win with their ace Chris Sale on the bump. The 35-year-old veteran was just about perfect too, going 7.1 innings and striking out nine while allowing just three baserunners to reach. However, one of the two hits he surrendered did leave the yard, a two-run shot off the bat of Francisco Lindor.
It should have been more than enough to get the win, but nothing is coming easy for the Braves offense these days. Of the bottom four bats in the starting lineup last night, the highest batting average is .184. You’re not going to score a lot of runs like that, especially when struggling so badly with runners in scoring position like the Brave have since the All-Star break
The Braves were able to tie it up in the sixth on a Travis d’Arnaud RBI single. However, the final two frames of this game perfectly encapsulated everything wrong with this team right now. In the ninth against Edwin Diaz, the Braves attempted to manufacture a run. Eddie Rosario began the inning with a leadoff walk and was replaced on the basepaths by Whit Merrifield, who immediately stole second. It was an ideal start against one of the most feared closers in all of baseball.
However, the rookie Nacho Alvarez would strike out swinging, and then Merrifield was caught being too aggressive in an attempt to steal third. Just like that, the Braves best chance at winning vanished, but the torture was only getting started.
The Braves led off the 10th with a runner on second. Orlando Arcia was able to get him to third with a sacrifice bunt, which was followed by perhaps the worst play of the season. Jarred Kelenic showed bunt, and Ramon Laureano was caught wandering too far off the third base bag for an easy pickoff play. Kelenic would then groundout to the pitcher, ending the inning, but this game still found a way to get even worse.
In the bottom half of the frame, Pierce Johnson struck out two of the first three batters he faced, with an intentional walk sandwiched in the middle. The Braves had life with Jeff McNeil coming to the plate, and Johnson was able to force a pretty routine flyball to right field toward the foul line. However, Laureano completely misplayed it and it landed out of reach of his glove, leading to a Mets walkoff-win in what might have been the worst loss of the year, given all of the circumstances.
With a little over two months left in the season, the Braves now sit 9.5 games back of the Phillies in the NL East, but the division shouldn’t even be the concern at this point. Atlanta is hanging by a thread in the National League Wild Card race. Despite owning the top spot, the Mets sit just 0.5 games behind the Braves, followed by the Padres, who are just 1.0 games back, and the Cardinals, who are only 1.5 games back.
The Braves are in a downward spiral and have a lineup better suited for AAA than the majors. If the trade deadline doesn’t change that, this is a team that is in serious danger of missing the postseason for the first time since 2017.
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Photographer: Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire
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