Five things about the slumping Braves entering Wednesday’s finale of a brief two-game series with the Blue Jays:
1. Braves have lost five of their past seven home games and have lost six of their past seven games overall. They've been outscored 43-23 in their past seven games while posting a .693 team OPS and striking out at least nine times in six of seven games. Braves hit .172 (10-for-58) with runners in scoring position during that seven-game stretch, but still rank third in the majors with a .278 average with runners in scoring position, behind only the Red Sox (.290 and Astros (.281).
2. All-Star Ozzie Albies scored both Braves runs in Tuesday's 8-2 loss to the Blue Jays, making him the seventh player in franchise history to score at least 70 before the All-Star break. The Braves' record is 76 before the All-Star break by Tommy Holmes in 1945 and Dale Murphy in 1983. The last time it happened was 2003, when Gary Sheffield (73) and Rafael Furcal (72) each scored more than 70 before the break.
3. Julio Teheran pitched 6-2/3 innings and allowed only one run Tuesday, but recorded no decision. Braves starters are 5-8 with a 4.89 ERA in the past 19 games, averaging fewer than 5-2/3 innings in that stretch and working five innings or fewer in 11 of those 19 games. They've totaled 102 strikeouts with 48 walks and 16 homers allowed in 99-1/3 innings over that span. Before Tuesday, Teheran had been 1-8 with an 8.07 ERA in his career against American League East teams.
4. The Braves are 16-17 since the beginning of June, and in that span their weary relievers have a 5.40 ERA, six blown saves in 15 chances, a .754 opponents' OPS and 123 strikeouts with 55 walks and 16 homers allowed in 123-1/3 innings. Braves relievers have allowed three or more earned runs in 14 of the past 33 games and worked more than three innings in more than half (17) of the games in that stretch.
5. The Braves have have hit .251 with a .314 OBP and .718 OPS in the past 29 games (14-15), with nearly three times as many strikeouts (241) as walks (81) in that span. The Braves scored three runs or fewer in 11 of those 29 games, and 22 of their total 130 runs in that span came in two games; they averaged exactly four runs in the other 27 games over that period and struck out nine or more times in six of the past seven.
About the Author
