DENVER – Hey there,
Yikes.
What a week, huh?
The Braves are out of a postseason spot as they enter this weekend’s series against the Rockies at Coors Field.
According to MLB.com, the last time the Braves were completely out of a playoff spot was on June 10, 2022, when they were mere percentage points behind the Giants for the third wild card spot. (The Giants were 31-26, the Braves were 32-27.)
Some context, as the Braves head into this weekend’s series against the Rockies. They are a half-game behind the Mets for the National League’s third and final wild card spot.
It is unfathomable.
But it is true.
On Thursday, after the Brewers finished dismantling the Braves, I posted on X (formerly Twitter) asking Braves fans for thoughts on this team and where it stands. I thought it was time for a Braves Dispatch therapy session. (Not to undermine the real therapists, who are miracle-workers.)
And boy, did you all deliver. Let’s talk through this.
We’ll start with the most current topic.
Randy Calhoun (@RandyCalhoun33): Why do we skip starts for pitchers? Wouldn’t it be better for the same routine each week? Every 5th day has worked through time, why mess it up? Yes, I know pitchers throw harder now but let us try every 5th day. The muscles will get used to it.
For those unaware: The Braves are pushing back Spencer Schwellenbach a few days. They did this with Chris Sale this week.
This is the Braves’ attempt to get ahead of any potential injury or fatigue issues. They want to avoid injured-list stints for their pitchers, especially after Max Fried and Reynaldo López both landed on it.
If you’re a fan, you’re wondering why they’re doing this considering they’re out of a playoff spot at this moment. And that’s fair.
But losing another starter would be costly. It would be three to four weeks without that arm rather than a few days. The Braves have done this all season.
Specifically, Schwellenbach is at 109-2/3 innings this season – between the minors and majors – after throwing 65 frames last year. The Braves don’t want to run him into the ground.
Braves starters will start pitching every five days more often once López comes off the injured list because they’ll have one fewer roster spot with which to play.
What the Braves have done with their pitching staff has worked: Even after a brutal sweep, Atlanta’s pitchers have combined for baseball’s third-best ERA, at 3.68. I understand your frustration, but this season’s strategy – specifically, the proactiveness shown in deploying it – is a response to the team’s starters running out of gas the last couple of years.
And I will add that I think this season is more about the offense’s lack of production. The lineup hasn’t been anything like we’d imagined. And because of that, this team cannot afford poor efforts from its starters.
For the most part, though, the pitching has been great.
Brian (@BrianBrevBri): I see a lot of comments on pitching, but this season has been mostly about the failure on offense. I know recently pitching has not been good, but it has not been the problem most of the year.
Brian echoes my point.
Starting pitching woes are glaring. In the case of Thursday’s loss – in which Charlie Morton imploded – the starter is blamed.
But this offense hasn’t taken advantage of the good starts enough.
JB (@BravesJB): When we lose half of our starters, the season is over. That is the case here. 2025 will prove beneficial.
I get why some fans are in this camp. Losing Spencer Strider, then Ronald Acuña Jr.? Brutal. But there have been tons of other injuries, too.
As I’ll explain later, I don’t think the season is over. Not even close.
I guess I should’ve expected it, but so many of the replies I received had to do with 2025 and beyond. I still think it’s too early for all that.
Sam Thomas (@thereal_sthomas): If you started an expansion team with the guys on the IL, it could probably make a run at the wild card. We are in a bad spot right now, but we’re also playing with essentially two waiver pickups and a glove first SS in the lineup. Things will get better.
Sam with a measured take. I think this is where I fall when viewing this team.
How could anyone have expected 100-plus wins with the cards this group has been dealt? The Braves have endured poor luck.
No doubt, they should be playing better. They’ve performed poorly. But they aren’t close to full strength and I’m assuming most other teams losing this much talent would struggle to even stay above .500.
Patrick Martin (@tpatrickmartin): This team lacks edge. Maybe it was Wash and EY in ‘21, or maybe it was Joc and Vogt. But this team has nobody to bring the fire. Losing Strider was the straw for them.
“Edge” is difficult to measure. But I thought the Braves went into the season with plenty of it, especially after acquiring Sale. I thought Sale and Strider would set the tone, along with Travis d’Arnaud, Matt Olson, Austin Riley and others.
I thought Strider was a huge loss – to the rotation and the clubhouse. When talking about makeup and competitiveness, it doesn’t get much better than Strider.
I think losing Ron Washington hurt. Is it everything? No. But this is for certain: Any clubhouse will have more fire with him in it. He’s a great guy to have around.
@SchwellySZN: Do you have any optimism on making the playoffs?
I think the Braves still make it. All they must do is be the third wild card team.
Maybe this will turn out to be incorrect, but I think Atlanta can hold off the Mets, Cardinals and others.
There’s just too much upside. And maybe those will be my final words before the Braves are officially eliminated from postseason contention next month. Who knows? But I think there’s too much upside when we talk about Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies returning, and Reynaldo López coming back to supplement the rotation.
My prediction: The Braves make the postseason.
Chris Lee (@chrislee70): Is there a locker room issue?
At least publicly, the players swear the clubhouse is still strong. And this is the vibe I get.
We haven’t heard any finger-pointing. Usually, you can get a sense of issues brewing. But the Braves’ clubhouse chemistry is a strength. Losing tests that, but I get the feeling that guys are still sticking together.
Which makes this season even more confusing. Usually when a good team isn’t performing, everyone wonders if it’s a chemistry issue. I don’t get that sense here.
Fred Houston (@houston_fr76329): After today’s game, I have canceled my TV subscription on Bally. Maybe next year.
Fred from the top rope!
@jbdan18: If the Braves were planning to rest Sale, Lopez and then Schwellenbach why do you think AA didn’t pursue a competent starter at the deadline?
On social media, I’ve seen more criticism for Braves president of baseball operations and general manager Alex Anthopoulos than the previous two seasons. That’s the job when you’re the top baseball executive.
I would caution fans, though. Anthopoulos is regarded as one of the best executives in the sport. He helped accelerate Atlanta’s sprint out of the rebuild in 2018 and beyond.
About the deadline: I don’t know if I was overly surprised the Braves didn’t do more. There are a couple reasons I felt that way.
For one, the prices seemed insane – especially for pitchers. Did you see some of the prospect hauls teams like Miami and Tampa Bay received? Sheesh. And I’m not sure it would’ve been smart for Anthopoulos to mortgage part of the future – in terms of trading prospects – when this was a clear seller’s market. Plus, there weren’t many top bats moved, so I think Jorge Soler was about as good as the Braves could do without giving up anyone significant.
My second point is that I think it’s impossible to replace All-Star-caliber players. The Braves weren’t going to acquire someone comparable to Albies, Harris or Acuña. Unless those guys were free agents at season’s end, it wouldn’t have been smart to use resources on finding suitable replacements. You’re not going to acquire guys like that.
I know this reads as a defense of Anthopoulos and his deadline strategy. But I really do believe he played this correctly. Could he have gotten more? Sure. But I don’t think I want him trading significant prospect value in a year when the Braves lost Strider and Acuña for the season and have dealt with many other injuries.
Josh (@Josh10644034146): Kinda disappointed we didn’t offload Fried during the deadline. With what teams were giving up for rental pitchers, we could’ve gotten a pretty sizable prospect haul.
A lot of fans share the same opinion as Josh. Let’s break it down, though.
If the Braves trade Fried, they sell. They didn’t believe they were sellers. They were in postseason contention in a sport that features so much unpredictability in its playoff format. (See: Arizona last season, the Phillies in 2022.)
And what message does it send if they trade Fried? How is that received in the clubhouse? The front office would effectively be telling players the organization is waving the white flag on the season – when they hold a playoff spot.
And what does it signal to fans?
It would be different if the Braves were five games back of a playoff spot at the deadline and needed to shave off payroll. But that wasn’t the case.
Sam Pennington (@sam_pennington5): I personally don’t understand how a team with so much talent at DH, 1B, C, and 3B can’t at least make a formidable top 4 to score runs. Sprinkle in streaks from Arcia and the outfield and we could’ve had something.
You and everyone else, Sam. This has been a puzzling season.
The frustrating part about baseball: Sometimes, there’s no easy answers for why something is happening and how it can be fixed.
Christopher (@Christo13033763): Is the window closing. Feels like they should get a chance at another ring.
I don’t think the window is closing. The guys signed to long-term deals are good players. And I think the Braves’ farm system is stronger than some outsiders believe.
It was Schwellenbach this year.
In the future, it could be Hurston Waldrep, JR Ritchie or Owen Murphy. In terms of position players, Drake Baldwin and Nacho Alvarez Jr. have been exciting. Then you have top international signing Jose Perdomo. And on and on.
I don’t think the Braves’ farm system is drying up. It should be able to supplement the big-league team’s needs. Part of the reason why is because Anthopoulos hasn’t heavily dealt from the impact guys in his system.
Cathy Gold (@GoldStandardF): I have a different take. The offense battled the last two games, and I think that’s a positive sign. Didn’t roll over and die. Laureano & Eli looked good. Easy to judge emotional control as “no heart” but I don’t see that. I’m not giving up on em.
I love Cathy’s positivity here.
In baseball, being even-keeled is a positive trait. I get fans want to see frustration, but there’s a difference between that and passion. Everyone with the Braves cares.
It just feels like the Braves have some kind of run in them. We’ll see.
Robert Baker (@baseballfan30): If they miss the playoff, will they fire Snitker?
I just don’t see this.
Brian Snitker has, for the most part, gotten the most out of his teams. He led the Braves out of the rebuild and to six straight NL East crowns. He guided them to a World Series in a tumultuous year. His boss, Anthopoulos, has publicly praised him this season, and his players always speak highly of him.
Oh, and he’s spent his entire adult life with the Braves and is beloved.
This season, there have been injuries and fluky underperformance. I just can’t see the Braves moving on from Snitker if they miss the postseason.
Joe (@BravesUgaFan): For some lighter fare. Preferred stadium snack? Nachos or chili cheese fries?
Nachos. One-thousand percent. Love chili cheese fries, but nachos are the best.
I’m pretty sure that I’ve had nachos – the basic chips and cheese – at almost every Grapefruit League stadium, and some major-league parks.
I could eat nachos every day.
Johnathan Boutwell (@JohnathanBoutw2): I’ve been a Braves fan since the early 90′s, we have good seasons and bad. It’s part of it. I hate seeing them struggle all the same and it’s not over yet.
A great perspective here.
Brett Struck (@struck_brett): Will the signings of Olson and Murphy handcuff the Braves for many years to come?
I got a lot of questions like this. Brett speaks for a lot of you. I understand why you guys are worried about this.
But an objective perspective: Olson led MLB with 54 homers last season. He’s good defensively. He’s one of the best first basemen in baseball.
Murphy is one of the sport’s best defensive catchers. He’s having a rough offensive season in a year when he suffered an oblique strain in the season opener. But he was an All-Star a year ago.
I think Olson and Murphy are great players, even if they’re struggling right now.
Extra Innings
*Jarred Kelenic has been your typical young player this season.
He was 12-for-26 in his first 10 games.
He hit .171 over his next 25 games.
He batted .316 with a .937 OPS in his next 33 games after that.
And in July, he hit .137.
Up and down, up and down, up and down.
He’s shown flashes of brilliance this season. And he plays hard. There are things to like with Kelenic.
Baseball isn’t easy. He’s young. Let’s see if it all evens out a bit.
*A season ago, the Braves hosted 43,216 at Truist Park for OutKast Night. At the time, this was the third-largest crowd in the ballpark’s history – including postseason games. The bobblehead was wildly popular.
On Tuesday, the Braves didn’t sell out OutKast Night. They announced an attendance of 38,701.
Maybe it’s the team’s performance? Perhaps it was just because it was a Tuesday? Maybe the Brewers don’t draw well?
It could be a combination of factors.
*Are you ready for some crazy games?
Coors Field might have something wild in store this weekend. It always seems to amaze.
Then again, Braves fans are hoping for smooth, simple wins.
