The Atlanta Braves
are the Luckiest Team in Baseball
The Atlanta
Braves started the year on a red hot pace. Justin Upton was crushing home runs
(despite almost all of them being solo shots) and looking like one of the
better acquisitions of all time. Evan Gattis, or El Oso Blanco (The White Bear)
as he was affectionately called in Venezuela, was also crushing home runs and
filling in for Brian McCann better than anyone could have expected. Then
everything came to a screeching halt. The whole outfield along with second
baseman Dan Uggla became automatic outs. Andrelton Simmons, while wonderful
defensively, showed that he could not be an everyday leadoff hitter. Since
starting 12-1, the Braves have played just above .500 at 33-32. Yet, with all
that being said, the Braves own a 6 game lead in the NL East.
The NL East
was once always mentioned at the top of the list for most competitive divisions
in baseball. This year was supposed to be no different. The Nationals were
coming off the best record in baseball and were the World Series favorites of
almost all writers. The Braves were coming off a playoff appearance and with
the Upton brothers coming to town, were poised to follow it up with many more.
The Philadelphia Phillies had the best three headed monster in the game with
Lee, Halladay, and Hamels. The NL East was going to provide drama and suspense
for the entire season. Fate had different plans for the division though.
The
Nationals were hit with injuries and a case of the yips becoming one of the
worst defensive teams in baseball. The Phillies dealt with injuries to
Halladay, who looked like the worst pitcher in the game, as well as Utley and
Howard, derailing their season out of the gate. The Braves rode a hot start to
a huge division lead, and despite the cold bats, have held on to that lead
thanks to the problems in the rest of the division.
The Braves
have the potential to be the best team in baseball. All season their pitching
has been spectacular, but there are two disappointments that come with that.
The first disappointment being that cold bats lead to no run support, and the
second being that Fredi Gonzalez is the manager. Never one to fear running arms
into the ground, Gonzalez will put this team in more danger come playoff time
even if the bats do heat up with the summer temperatures. Already this year
Johnny Venters and Eric O’Flaherty, two major bullpen arms, have had to be shut
down and needed Tommy John Surgery. Having to rely so heavily on the pitching
staff if the bats do not come around will be the death knell for this team due
to Gonzalez.
They may
have been fortunate to skate on mediocrity thus far and possibly for the rest
of the regular season, but come playoff time they will be one and done. Odds
are they would have to face one of the three NL Central teams in the playoff
hunt, and considering those three teams have three of the best records in
baseball, they would be waiting in anticipation to face a team that can’t hit
and has tired arms. Things need to turn around quickly or it will be a long
winter in Atlanta and Gonzalez will find his head on the block ready to be
tomahawk chopped.
