Let’s look on the bright side. The Braves are still above .500, if only just. They’re still within sight of first place, though it wasn’t so long ago that they held first place. They haven’t lost every series since Memorial Day. (They’ve won one of eight, halving another.) And that’s enough for the Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm act.
At this moment, the Braves stink. That could change – baseball seasons allow ample room for recovery – but nothing suggests a revival is imminent or even likely. They were just swept by a team that arrived here in last place. They were outscored 21-8 in the series. They took one lead in the three games and held it for two-thirds of an inning.
Since April 27, they’re 19-28. The improbable rotation has begun to fray. The bullpen is in disarray. The hitting remains wretched. To see these Braves isn’t to wonder how they might fare in the playoffs; it’s to ask, “Why did we think they were any good in the first place?”
Again the disclaimer: At some point in every season, the best team in baseball will have a stretch where it looks awful. The Braves have enough time to right themselves. But we’ve been saying that since April 27, and we’re within sight of the Fourth of July.
If you’re one of those who hates Happy Talk, you should stop reading. After losing 10-5 to Philadelphia on Wednesday, the Braves somehow accentuated the positive. Manager Fredi Gonzalez lauded starter Aaron Harang for “giving us everything he had,” when clearly he’d had nothing. (Sixteen Phillies reached base in five innings against Harang; nine of them scored.) Gonzalez also said that he “thought we swung the bats well,” which wasn’t anywhere near accurate.
The Braves were facing the journeyman Roberto Hernandez, who entered with a record of 61-87 and a career ERA of 4.65. On cue, they scored four runs in the first to take a 4-2 lead. They managed one more run against Hernandez, who made it through six innings without working a clean one.
The second and third ended with double plays. The fourth ended with Tommy La Stella, who was 0-for-4 with a walk in his first game as leadoff man, and Ramiro Pena striking out with a man at third. The fifth ended when Chris Johnson, who’d hit into one of the double plays, grounded out with a man at second. The sixth was the worst of all.
Ryan Doumit opened with a single off Hernandez, who began the inning having thrown 89 pitches on a 90-degree day. Schafer then sought to bunt. Not to sacrifice – with the Braves four runs in arrears, that would have made no sense – but for a hit. (“That’s his game,” Gonzalez said.) Schafer popped out to catcher Wil Nieves, who doubled Doumit off first. The Braves would generate two more runners in the sixth but score nary a run. A bad bunt and bad baserunning cost them their last good chance.
Ecstatic to have gotten Hernandez through six, the Phillies turned to their relievers. That’s when we saw how hittable Hernandez had been: The Braves struck out only twice in six innings against him; against the bullpen they became the Braves again, whiffing five times.
The Braves finished with five runs on a day when they had four in the first. If this was swinging the bats well, heaven help us when they swing poorly. As for the Phillies, who had 18 hits to the Braves’ nine, Harang said: “I didn’t think they hit the ball really hard.”
The Braves need to face reality. They’re in trouble. They haven’t played well in so long it’s hard to remember them playing well. Their only saving grace could be their next destination: They’re headed to Washington, and they’re 22-7 against the Nationals since Aug. 21, 2012. If anything can turn a season going wrong, it might just be a trip to D.C.
Beyond that, what else is there? Dan Uggla no longer matters, except in terms of a roster spot, and the La Stella Experiment entered Stage 2 – batting him No. 1 – Wednesday. But a team that has spent 2 ½ months not hitting isn’t apt to morph into the Bronx Bombers, and the pitching has slipped from having the lowest ERA in the majors to the third-lowest in the National League. (Still good, but not so good as to prop up these hitless wonders.)
Asked what could be done, Gonzalez smiled and said: “We’ll think of something. That’s why they pay me the big bucks.”
If he can fix what ails this flawed team, Fredi G. will merit B.J. Upton-type money.