I think we all knew the Braves inexperienced lineup – regarding postseason baseball – would need a few innings to get adjusted to the bright lights of October; however, I don’t believe any of us knew Atlanta would struggle this badly at the plate through two games in the NLDS. After losing 6-0 in Game 1 and 3-0 in Game 2, the Braves offense has to rise from the dead on Sunday night. If they don’t, they’ll have to watch the Dodgers celebrate a trip to the NLCS on their own turf.
As frustrating as the last two games have been, we should’ve seen this offensive slump coming from the Braves. When you take their 10-2 victory over the Phillies on September 28th out of the equation, you’ll quickly notice the Braves have scored a total of 2 runs in their last 6 games – including the two shutouts at the hands of the Dodgers in the NLDS. Not only did that offensive slump keep them from clinching the National League’s second-seed, but it just may be the final nail in the coffin for their 2018 season.
Still, as bad as the Braves have been at the plate over these last few weeks, they have one more opportunity to turn it around. Heck, if they can come alive on Sunday night, they’ll have one more opportunity, at home, to keep it going. If they can win Game 4, then they’ll force a stressful Game 5 for the Dodgers back in California.
This team may have their ugly moments, but they won’t go down without a fight. Can the Braves finally get some runs on the board in Game 3 and keep their season going? I guess we’ll find out soon enough.