Technically, the Braves made it to May without dropping back-to-back games this season, but it didn’t last long. Soon after midnight Eastern time last night, Atlanta’s comeback fell short against the Mariners, giving them an 0-2 start to their first trip out west, which also includes a three-game set with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
That’s not an easy task for any team, and Seattle seems to have the perfect formula to give the Braves fits right now. While their offense is finding their footing, the Mariners very well may have the best pitching staff in the entire league, especially when it comes to their rotation.
On Monday night, it was Bryce Miller taking a no-hitter into the seventh against a Braves offense that has gone completely dormant over the last week or so. Somehow, Atlanta was still able to take a lead into the ninth inning, but a walk-off two-run homer began the road trip on a sour note.
On Tuesday, Luis Castillo might not have flirted with a no-hitter, but I think he’ll take seven scoreless innings every day of the week. The Braves finally broke through with a couple of runs in the eighth, thanks to some shoddy defense from Seattle, but their rally halted with the bases loaded, leading to their first two-game losing streak of the season.
This is one of those offensive funks that every team across the league experiences over 162 games. However, it hasn’t happened to the Braves very often in recent seasons. The top of their lineup, featuring several pre-season NL MVP candidates, is playing themselves out of the race before we even get to the summer months. As good as the rest of the order has been, they can’t continue to keep picking up the slack every night. Eventually, Riley, Olson, and Acuña will have to start performing, or the Braves will not be in first place in the NL East for much longer.
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Photographer: Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire
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