The Braves returned to Turner Field on Monday after a 2-7 road trip that left them four games behind Pittsburgh for the second and final NL wild-card berth.
Things bottomed out for the Braves over the weekend when the Rangers, the worst team in baseball, swept them in a three-game series. But the Braves returned to Atlanta on Monday and insisted their heads are up even as their season continues to sink.
“We still know we have a shot,” shortstop Andrelton Simmons said. “We still want to get in the playoffs. Everyone comes in wanting to win but after coming in not performing well, it hits you a little bit in the gut, it hurts a little bit. But we are still trying. We are still battling. Even though sometimes it doesn’t seem like we are, we are still grinding.”
The Braves opened a three game-series against the Nationals on Monday at Turner Field. After a day off Thursday, the Braves play host to the Mets for a weekend series and then the Pirates come to town on Monday for four games. They finish the regular season with three games at Philadelphia.
Manager Fredi Gonzalez said he doesn’t think his club has checked out. He said his players’ actions and words upon leaving Texas have him confident the attitude is still upbeat in the clubhouse.
“It’s got to be good because we’ve got (13) games left and we’ve got to be in a positive mental state to be able to pull this off,” Gonzalez said. “If we have anything less than that it’s not going to happen.”
The Braves appeared to have some momentum when they swept the Athletics while winning seven of eight games but they are just 7-13 since. They fell out of serious contention for the NL East and now are in jeopardy of missing the postseason for the first time since 2011.
The problem for the Braves during is familiar: their inability to back up good pitching with consistent offense.
“It’s been rough,” Simmons said. “We are trying to maintain a positive attitude. We are still showing up. On the field we’ve just got to execute better.
“We’ve got to catch the ball, we’ve got to run the bases well, we’ve got to pitch good. We are not putting up runs like crazy, like we are able to, so we’ve got to do the other things better.”
