<img alt="Milwaukee Brewers v Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7hWUygBc7xyUrrjCZ8bqXjuBBqw=/0x0:8640x5760/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73511807/2165395014.0.jpg">
Photo by Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images
The Braves were so bad against the Brewers that position player Luke Williams pitched three innings in two appearances against Milwaukee. What a difference a week makes.
Last Thursday, when the Atlanta Braves beat the Miami Marlins, the Braves improved their record to 60-49. They had won six of their last seven games. Coming on the heels of a six-game losing streak, it looked as through the Braves were turning things around after hitting what - at the time - seemed like a nadir.
Now, after a three-game sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers extended the Braves losing streak to five-in-a-row, it is looking more-and-more like the Braves could be looking at missing the playoffs.
Trying not to overreact with less than 50 games remaining in the regular season is getting harder-and-harder. At this point it isn’t overreaction; at this point it is just stating reality.
During Thursday’s game, infielder/outfielder Luke Williams pitched two innings - allowing two runs on four hits - and was the second most effective pitcher that took the hill for Atlanta. To make maters worse, it was the second time Williams had pitched for Atlanta in three games. Remember, there are now rules in place that make it more difficult for position players to pitch than in the past.
To reiterate, Luke Williams pitched in two of the three games against Milwaukee because the Braves were losing so badly.
A person named Parker Dunshee made his major league debut for the Braves on Thursday. It was surely a thrilling moment for him and hopefully he is able to appear in more games at the major league level after a difficult first appearance, but Parker Dunshee pitched for Atlanta on Thursday. Parker Dunshee.
Earlier in the day, the Braves cut ties with outfielder Eddie Rosario after a reunion didn’t work out for either party. He’ll forever be a legend for his 2021 post-season heroics, but there wasn’t any magic left this go-round.
Despite underlying signs of hope from advance offensive metrics that have been touted for the last few weeks as people search for signs of hope and optimism that the team’s “bad luck” could be normalizing; even on a day when the Braves scored seven runs ... their pitching staff - which has, on the whole, been fantastic for most of the season - allowed more than double that amount of runs.
Is this really the Atlanta Braves, now? Is this really who they are?
It is hard not to be reactionary. There’s no discounting the injury impact of losing Spencer Strider, Ronald Acuńa, Jr., Sean Murphy and Ozzie Albies for extended periods of time. There was also coaching staff turnover. No one outside the organization can probably speak to the impact of those losses but a fair hypothesis can be made that 110 games into the season is long enough to gauge the impact of the departure of those coaches and advisors for better or worse.
How many times can articles be written about the disappointment of this season? How many podcasts can be recorded? At this point, it isn’t even new content. It’s the same.
It’s hard to decipher what we’ve seen. Could a reasonably healthy roster be challenging for the division league rather than find itself trying to hang on to a Wild Card spot? The easy answer is yes, but there might be more doubt in that answer than there should be.
The Braves have been trying different things this season with their starting pitchers - with a dedication to skipping starts or pushing their starts back a day or more. But now, every skipped turn in the rotation and pontification on whether or not Zach Logue or Allan Winans is a better option to try to absorb innings, if needed, the anxiety level of the state of Atlanta’s season increases.
If the Braves can play .500 ball the rest of the way, they would end the season with 84 wins. That might not be enough to get into the post season, but it would be close. The Braves winning as many games as they lose from now until October is no sure thing anymore. Not the way the last three months have gone, at least.
If Michael Harris II can return next week and provide a boost to the offense - and the pitching can right the course - then maybe, just maybe Atlanta can hang on. Even squinting, it is hard to see how the Braves finish out the year going 28-20 and end up with 88 wins. Would 88 wins be enough for lock-up a Wild Card spot? Maybe? Probably? Hopefully?
It is still too early to start thinking seriously about the off-season and 2025 - but another week like this last one and the Braves would in rough, rough shape.
There is still time for the Braves to right their ship. Never say never on this season.
At least not yet.
<img alt="Milwaukee Brewers v Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7hWUygBc7xyUrrjCZ8bqXjuBBqw=/0x0:8640x5760/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73511807/2165395014.0.jpg">
Photo by Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images
The Braves were so bad against the Brewers that position player Luke Williams pitched three innings in two appearances against Milwaukee. What a difference a week makes.
Last Thursday, when the Atlanta Braves beat the Miami Marlins, the Braves improved their record to 60-49. They had won six of their last seven games. Coming on the heels of a six-game losing streak, it looked as through the Braves were turning things around after hitting what - at the time - seemed like a nadir.
Now, after a three-game sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers extended the Braves losing streak to five-in-a-row, it is looking more-and-more like the Braves could be looking at missing the playoffs.
Trying not to overreact with less than 50 games remaining in the regular season is getting harder-and-harder. At this point it isn’t overreaction; at this point it is just stating reality.
During Thursday’s game, infielder/outfielder Luke Williams pitched two innings - allowing two runs on four hits - and was the second most effective pitcher that took the hill for Atlanta. To make maters worse, it was the second time Williams had pitched for Atlanta in three games. Remember, there are now rules in place that make it more difficult for position players to pitch than in the past.
To reiterate, Luke Williams pitched in two of the three games against Milwaukee because the Braves were losing so badly.
A person named Parker Dunshee made his major league debut for the Braves on Thursday. It was surely a thrilling moment for him and hopefully he is able to appear in more games at the major league level after a difficult first appearance, but Parker Dunshee pitched for Atlanta on Thursday. Parker Dunshee.
Earlier in the day, the Braves cut ties with outfielder Eddie Rosario after a reunion didn’t work out for either party. He’ll forever be a legend for his 2021 post-season heroics, but there wasn’t any magic left this go-round.
Despite underlying signs of hope from advance offensive metrics that have been touted for the last few weeks as people search for signs of hope and optimism that the team’s “bad luck” could be normalizing; even on a day when the Braves scored seven runs ... their pitching staff - which has, on the whole, been fantastic for most of the season - allowed more than double that amount of runs.
Is this really the Atlanta Braves, now? Is this really who they are?
It is hard not to be reactionary. There’s no discounting the injury impact of losing Spencer Strider, Ronald Acuńa, Jr., Sean Murphy and Ozzie Albies for extended periods of time. There was also coaching staff turnover. No one outside the organization can probably speak to the impact of those losses but a fair hypothesis can be made that 110 games into the season is long enough to gauge the impact of the departure of those coaches and advisors for better or worse.
How many times can articles be written about the disappointment of this season? How many podcasts can be recorded? At this point, it isn’t even new content. It’s the same.
It’s hard to decipher what we’ve seen. Could a reasonably healthy roster be challenging for the division league rather than find itself trying to hang on to a Wild Card spot? The easy answer is yes, but there might be more doubt in that answer than there should be.
The Braves have been trying different things this season with their starting pitchers - with a dedication to skipping starts or pushing their starts back a day or more. But now, every skipped turn in the rotation and pontification on whether or not Zach Logue or Allan Winans is a better option to try to absorb innings, if needed, the anxiety level of the state of Atlanta’s season increases.
If the Braves can play .500 ball the rest of the way, they would end the season with 84 wins. That might not be enough to get into the post season, but it would be close. The Braves winning as many games as they lose from now until October is no sure thing anymore. Not the way the last three months have gone, at least.
If Michael Harris II can return next week and provide a boost to the offense - and the pitching can right the course - then maybe, just maybe Atlanta can hang on. Even squinting, it is hard to see how the Braves finish out the year going 28-20 and end up with 88 wins. Would 88 wins be enough for lock-up a Wild Card spot? Maybe? Probably? Hopefully?
It is still too early to start thinking seriously about the off-season and 2025 - but another week like this last one and the Braves would in rough, rough shape.
There is still time for the Braves to right their ship. Never say never on this season.
At least not yet.
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