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3 Observations From Braves First Month

By Deke Lloyd

ATLANTA, GA - JULY 29: Sean Newcomb #15 of the Atlanta Braves is congratulated by Ender Inciarte #11 as teammates line up to greet Newcomb after throwing a one-hit game through 8 2/3 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers at SunTrust Park on July 29, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - JULY 29: Sean Newcomb #15 of the Atlanta Braves is congratulated by Ender Inciarte #11 as teammates line up to greet Newcomb after throwing a one-hit game through 8 2/3 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers at SunTrust Park on July 29, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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The first month of the baseball season has now come and gone. For the Braves, April felt like the stock market, very up and down. Sometimes the Braves look like world beaters, and other times, they look like they could be out of the playoffs before the summer is over. Baseball is a long season so there may not be much for us to learn in the first season that will apply to this team in August. But for now, the Braves are done with April. This is what I’ve learned in the first month.

1. Braves Falling Behind But Not Out Of It

The Braves record, as of May 1st, is 14-15. The Braves are 5-5 in their last ten games, which is proof of the inconsistency I touched on earlier. If the Braves want to compete to win the NL East again, this team will have to figure out how to be more stable as they move throughout the season. It’s still early, and the Braves have looked better in later April than they did to start the season, but still can’t find any consistency. The Braves have won 3 games in a row and 4 games in a row, but have also been swept twice in April. It’s still early enough in the season that none of this matters, yet.

Luckily, for the Braves the NL East is still within reach. The Mets sit two games above the Braves, and the Phillies are four games up. The Braves knew the division would be a struggle all season with the improvements made by the Phillies and Mets. The Mets seem to be playing on quicksand with a run differential of -20 runs. The Phillies, the team who did the most this offseason, are the team that the Braves will have to catch if they want to repeat as NL East champions again.

2. Pitching Will Be Death of Braves

Starting pitching seemed to be the forefront of the Braves issues when the season started. That spotlight has since shifted, with good performances from Max Fried and Mike Soroka, to the bullpen. The Braves bullpen has been a revolving door with guys such as Touki Toussaint, Shane Carle, and Jacob Webb all coming from Gwinnett, then going back down to Gwinnett after a bad performance. A big blow came for the bullpen when it was announced Arodys Vizcaino was ruled out for the entire season with a shoulder issue.

The Braves and the front office neglected the bullpen this offseason, and now the Braves are suffering for it. At this point, after trying out A.J. Minter and Luke Jackson at the closer’s role, the Braves are holding open auditions for the closer’s role. Jacob Webb, a 25-year-old, 2014 draft pick, has worked his way up through the minors. Now, after the bullpen’s injury woes and poor performances, Webb has found himself with the Braves closing games. He hasn’t locked down the role, yet, but it’s possible he could. The Braves did make a move, paying Oakland 1 dollar, to bring over Jeremy Blevins. Maybe this makes a difference for the Braves, but it’s unlikely. The front office failed to address a need for this team, and now, the Braves are suffering for it. If there is one downfall for the Braves, it will be the bullpen.

3. Braves Offense Isn’t An Issue

The offense, for the Braves, has been an area that hasn’t disappointed. You could even say it’s been better than we all initially thought it would be. Historically, the Braves have been a pitching dominate team. This season, that narrative has changed. As of May 1st, the Braves have the 6th best offense in all of the NL. If you took of the Dodgers, who have been on a tear since the season started, the Braves would only be ten runs out of the second-best offense in the NL, the St. Louis Cardinals. For the Braves, who have struggled so much already with pitching, has been propped up by their strong offensive performances.

The leader of the pack is Ronald Acuna Jr. But he’s not the only one that has started out strong. Five Braves players, Acuna, Freddie Freeman, Josh Donaldson, Ozzie Albies, and Dansby Swanson, all have 5 or more home runs after the opening month. Albies, who is benefiting from a move to the leadoff spot, has been especially strong, leading the Braves in hits and tied with the leader in home runs. This offensive firepower of Albies and Acuna shouldn’t surprise many. We all saw this last season. What has been a pleasant surprise is Dansby Swanson stepping up, or Nick Markakis not slowing down, or how hard Josh Donaldson can crush the ball. The Braves have a chance to be special if this offense can click throughout the summer.

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