David Price is not walking through that clubhouse door, fans.
Jon Lester is not walking through that door.
For that matter, neither is Greg Maddux nor Tom Glavine, not in playing shape anyway. They could maybe give you an inning or two, tops.
While the thermometer has been uncommonly kind this July, it has been a most uncomfortable month for the Braves and their following. Stuck as they are between the reminders of bright, beautiful days — see last week’s Hall of Fame induction — and the reality that the present is so many more shades of beige.
The team that fell from first place on July 21 was offered no hand up by the end of the non-waiver trade deadline here 10 days later. There is a horribly overused phrase that seems to fit the post-trading-deadline Braves, one that does not suggest a great August-September surge:
They are what they are. With the addition of a utility infielder and some lefthanded relief rescued from the island of misfit toys known as the Chicago Cubs. Welcome Emilio and James. Here’s you spackle, now start filling some of the smaller holes.
And no big fixes are coming. Billy Beane used them all up.
The Braves, of course, are trapped in a cell padded by those fat Uggla-Upton contracts. So no big trade seemed really feasible. This is the aftermath when one business unveils the equivalent of the Edsel and New Coke simultaneously.
To be a bit more specific, these Braves are:
A team whose patchwork starting rotation is overreaching to still be among the top five in ERA in the National League. How much longer can it maintain the mirage?
A team whose bench is practically vacant (.160 pinch hitting batting average). Here’s where every bit of Emilio Bonifacio is required.
A team whose opening statement is a prayer that the leadoff guy will make contact. And the offense grows inconsistent from there. No amount of Fredi Gonzalez reshuffling has been able to establish a reliable batting order.
A team that should finish double digits behind Washington by the end of this marathon, if the Nationals ever started taking this seriously. The Braves hold some sort of inexplicable hex over the Nats (7-3 against them so far). And, with six of their remaining nine games with Washington at Turner Field, the Braves best hope lies in such voodoo.
So, to recap, they have been unable to generate any heat since May — 41-41 the last three months. The Braves generated no heat in the trade market. And what does August hold? How about a looming 10-game homestand against three division leaders — Nationals, Dodgers, A’s — with a combined record of 185-135?
To date, this team has revealed nothing special about itself. That would be a good time to start.
But, then, they are what they are. And probably, unfortunately, will continue to be what they will be.
About the Author
