Gut Check Time For Those NL East Leading Atlanta Braves
By W. M. Lawson
The Atlanta Braves (20-14) are in the middle of a brief road trip. That road trip will serve as a gut check for the surprising NL East leader.
The City of Atlanta was abuzz. That kind of hum that lets you know something is popping in town. The kind where Ric Flair used to say, “Come out here and find out what’s causing all of this!”. In this case, it wasn’t the Four Horsemen, it was the Atlanta Braves. It had been a while. Then, they got swept in three games at home. Now, on the road, the Braves have an early gut check moment.
I made the comment during the SF series, or debacle, that when Freddie Freeman goes 1 for 10 at the plate, you kind of know how it is going to end. That was the case. It was also the case that the Giants did to us at our house what we had just done to the Mets at their place. Namely, hit everything in sight.
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So, after a deflating home sweep at the hands of the hated Giants, our beloved Braves hit the road for a two game stint in Tampa, and then a four game stretch in Miami. This road trip needs to go well.
And it has, thus far. Tuesday night’s (1-0) win in Tampa was significant for a couple of reasons. 1. It’s always important to avoid a 4 game losing streak. In baseball, those things can snowball and creep into the clubhouse. Ask Fredi Gonzalez. Actually, he probably would just look at you with a blank stare. 2. It was a close win. The kind of win that reminds the team that they don’t have to blast a team for 12 hits and 7 runs to be effective.
But here are the nuts and bolts of it. Both Tampa Bay and Miami currently have losing records. If Atlanta is a legit contender, they have to win a majority of those games. If Atlanta is to be taken seriously, even this early in the season, they have win those series. It would be positive to sweep some of those series. These types of series will define the month of May for Atlanta.
Some might not realize it, but the Braves’ schedule has actually been fairly tough early on. Road trips with nasty weather, and against quality teams, was the norm. Now they get to take a softer bite. That isn’t to say that it will be cake, but it shouldn’t require a bib and all of your utensils, as it were.
These next few games will be a temperature check, and a gut check, for a very young, and aggressive Atlanta Braves team. They get another chance at the table tonight around 7 PM.