After coming just one run shy of making it to the World Series last year, the Braves are off to a sloth-like start, losing 10 of their first 17 games. So naturally, a substantial portion of the fan base is already panicking, as they almost always do unless the team is 25 games over .500 and on a ten-game winning streak. I could name a multitude of reasons why it’s far too early to hit the panic button — a slumping middle of the lineup that cannot possibly continue to hit this poorly, injuries, and abysmal luck — but this should be all it takes for fans to take a sigh of relief.
As Jake Gordon pointed out on Twitter after last night’s loss to the Yankees, the division leaders aren’t exactly who we expected when the season began.
Division leaders: Red Sox, Royals, Mariners, Dodgers, Mutts, & Reds.
I’m still mad at the Braves
— SportsTalkATL Jake (@cantguardjake) April 21, 2021
Outside of the Dodgers — who seemingly never slump because of how ridiculous their roster is — and the Mets (I hate even saying that), none of the other division leaders were expected to do much this season. A couple of them were even predicted to finish last.
This happens every season. The best part about baseball is that there are 162 games, which means the cream almost always rises to the top. Now, the NL East is slated to be arguably the toughest in baseball, and there’s no way the Braves want to fall too far behind a talented team like the Mets. But right now, they sit just 2.5 games behind New York… with 145 games left to play. This isn’t a 60-game season like last year; there’s plenty of time for this team to flip the switch.
You must log in to post a comment.