In a series the Atlanta Braves badly needed to make a statement in, the team managed only one lone win. The Philadelphia Phillies widened the division gap to 9.5 games as we near the first week of June. It isn't just the Phillies ahead of the Braves in the division, with the team trailing the New York Mets by 7.5 games as well. It isn't surprising that Atlanta finds itself closer to the division basement with the Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins both closer to Atlanta than the postseason contenders.
The Braves' positioning in the wildcard race paints a similarly bleak picture, with the team 5.5 games out of the final postseason slot. Four teams currently out of the playoff race sit ahead of the Braves in the wildcard standings. With all of this in mind, Atlanta's current postseason positioning this early in the year is typical of a team getting ready to sell at the trade deadline. Things are bleak for a group that did have World Series aspirations.
The Atlanta Braves Continue to Fall Completely out of the Postseason Picture
Atlanta's 0-7 start meant the team was required to change history to make the playoffs. No team in the history of the league has had this awful of a start and made the postseason. For now, history is winning with the Braves mired in mediocrity. Even the returns of Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr. haven't inspired the expected turnaround.
The Braves are at a loss as to what must be done to turn the season around. It is fair to wonder if the organization has simply let far too many tone setters walk away. Freddie Freeman is consistently pointed to as the missing aura that started Atlanta's step back in relevance.
Considering the veteran is coming off helping the Los Angeles Dodgers go on a dominating World Series run, this is perhaps a fair take. It doesn't help matters either that Max Fried is off to the best start of his career after leaving the Braves.
No matter what the true reason is for Atlanta's failures, there is no defending the level of play in the first months of the season. Climbing back into the playoff race is going to require a long, hot streak and a bit of poor luck from the teams the Braves are attempting to hunt down. If the team continues down the current path, difficult decisions will have to be made.