Braves Report: Exciting ways to lose

Man, oh, man.

What a weekend — and not in a good way.

Somehow things just keep getting worse.

THE SERIES AHEAD

Baxter? Is that you? Baxter. Bark twice if you’re in Milwaukee.

📺 How to watch: Tonight’s game kicks off a road series with the Brewers. It starts at 7:40 p.m., as does Tuesday’s game. Wednesday is a 2:10 p.m. affair.

All on FanDuel Sports.

⚾ The pitching matchups: In chronological order …

📝 The scouting report: The Brewers sit at 35-31 after dropping a weekend series against the Padres. Statistically, they’re pretty middle-of-the-road in everything.

First baseman Rhys Hoskins and designated hitter Christian Yelich (who, somehow, is only 33 years old) lead the way offensively.

COOKED, NOT COOKING

Credit: Jeff Chiu/AP

Credit: Jeff Chiu/AP

The Braves found fun and exciting ways to lose over the weekend: a walk-off wild pitch. A walk-off homer. Fumbling away an early lead.

The sweep in San Francisco brought Atlanta’s losing streak to seven. They’ve lost 14 out of their last 17. They’re 27-37, 10 games under .500 and in fourth place in the National League East.

The bottom-dwelling Marlins are in striking distance, too.

“This is just kind of beyond belief,” manager Brian Snitker said after Saturday’s loss, which wasted a spectacular outing from starter Bryce Elder.

It really is.

But whether you believe it or not, this season is over.

I’ve hesitated to make that statement before, because baseball is weird. The season is long. I try to stay optimistic.

The Bay Area apocalypse changed my mind. The raw numbers are just too much to overcome.

📉 The Braves have 98 games left to play.

📉 Let’s assume they need 90 wins to make the playoffs.

📉 That means going 63-35 the rest of the way.

It ain’t gonna happen.

Even if the offense really gets swinging, the relief arms just aren’t there. It’s a constant shuffle of bad options.

As columnist Michael Cunningham writes, the one-inning Craig Kimbrel experiment was “another indication the Braves don’t really have a plan for their pen.”

That’s hard to argue.

And I’m done trying to do so.

ALL THAT SAID …

I’m just a guy. What do you think?

Here’s the question I asked Sports Daily readers earlier today:

Are the Braves officially cooked?

A. They’re certainly seared — but don’t turn off the grill just yet.

B. Call it medium rare.

C. Well done. And just … done.

D. Cooked? They’ve already been eaten and digested, man.

Shoot me an email with your answer and, if you’re up for it, an explanation.

BALLOT BREAKDOWN

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Fan voting is open for next month’s All-Star game at Truist Park. I promised I’d share my initial ballot — and here it is!

National League only, for now.

⭐ First base: Don’t want to ignite another Braves-related debate … but we’re going Freddie Freeman. The Dodgers star is hitting .345 with 1.000 OPS.

⭐ Second base: Sorry Ozzie. I’m taking Ketel Marte of the Diamondbacks.

⭐ Third base: While Austin Riley’s numbers stack up better than expected here, the correct choice is San Diego’s Manny Machado and his .318 batting average.

⭐ Shortstop: Nick Allen! Just kidding. I’m extremely loathe to pick a Met, but Francisco Lindor gets the nod. Broken toe and all.

⭐ Catcher: He’s not an “official” option on the ballot, so you’ll have to write him in — but why not Drake Baldwin? He’s hitting .303 with an above-average OPS of .859.

His seven home runs are third among NL catchers, even with limited playing time. Sign me up.

⭐ Outfield: Give me Arizona’s Corbin Carroll (18 home runs) and Cubs phenom Pete Crow-Armstrong (17 bombs, 54 RBIs and outstanding defense).

Then one more homer(ish) pick: Ronald Acuña Jr.

Sure, he’s only been back about two weeks. But he’s been fantastic, there’s plenty of time to stack more stats and this is fan voting for a game being played in Atlanta — he’s probably getting in regardless.

Give the people what they want to see.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Credit: Jose Carlos Fajardo/AP

Credit: Jose Carlos Fajardo/AP

My daughter saw this and said I had to use it. Figured we might as well end on a happy note!

Thanks for reading Braves Report. Tell a friend — and maybe give the AJC’s Sports Daily newsletter a shot, too.

Until next time.