Posts Tagged ‘mediocrity’

In Order to Save Season Drenched in Mediocrity, Time is Now or Never for the Braves Posted by JStiltner in Atlanta Braves July 23rd, 2008

If the Braves have any realistic desire to make the post season – as do all the fans in Braves Nation – they better start playing a few levels above .500 baseball. They better start winning series.  They better start sweeping series, at home and on the road.  The time has come for these Braves to make a stand.

The All-Star Break ended last week.  The second half of the season has officially begun.  The Braves are still 6 ½ games out of first-place in the National League East.  The problem is that they now have three teams to jump to get there.  The New York Mets caught fire before the break and put together a ten-game winning streak, which put them in a first-place tie with the Philadelphia Phillies.  The Florida Marlins are only a ½ game behind the two division leaders.  None of these teams have shown signs of sliding to the bottom of the division.  The Braves have some serious work ahead of them.

After a humiliating series loss at home to the last-place Washington Nationals over the weekend, the Braves have a below .500 record of 46-52.  That’s obviously not going to get it done.  The Nationals stomped them 15-6 on Sunday and first baseman Mark Teixeira was very outspoken after the game.  “Pretty embarrassing,” Teixeria told the Atlanta Journal and Constitution.  “In all aspects of the game, we just got our butts kicked.  It’s tough to swallow when you’re in a must-win situation and come out completely flat.  Offensively, defensively, pitching – we didn’t do anything right.  As bad as you can play a game, that was it.”

The Braves hit the unfriendly road today for a critically important six-game stretch against the Marlins and Phillies.  It’s absolutely imperative that they take 5 out of 6 games or win all six on this road trip.  They cannot afford to take it easy and expect to win.  That part of the season has passed.  If they don’t slam down on the gas pedal now, the drive and motivation to overtake the division will dwindle just like the fading light of a warm summer night.  Falling 10 games out of first-place is not an option.  Clinching the wild card is not an option.  There are too many good teams in the hunt.  The only way to get to the post season this year is to get it together and find someway to win the division.

That feat will require every player on the Braves’ roster to step up their game and develop some sense of urgency.  The offense has to come alive.  The pitching has to resemble dominance.  The Braves can help themselves by playing small ball.  They don’t have to sit back and wait for the late inning homerun.  Steal bases, bunt runners over, sacrifice runners in scoring position with less than two outs and come through in the clutch with some situational hitting.  Eliminate errors and play solid defense.  Getting back to the fundamental aspects of the game is the key to climbing back in the division race.  With the trade deadline looming on July 31st, the Braves will know after this road trip whether they’re contenders – looking to buy, or pretenders – looking to sell.