The Pittsburgh Pirates are one of the three worst teams in baseball. On Monday, the Braves were savagely beaten by those Pirates, who symbolically slammed the door on any momentum Atlanta took from a dramatic win on Sunday. This has been a season-long trend for the Braves: approach or even reach .500, then collapse.
Recently the Atlanta offense has been an abject disaster. Finding a scapegoat in the midst of these offensive struggles has been difficult, as nearly the entire offense has been inconsistent. Losing two key contributors in Marcell Ozuna and Travis d’Arnaud set the offense back considerably, but getting essentially nothing from Dansby Swanson and Cristian Pache has been just as costly. Swanson has been especially disappointing, posting an 86 OPS+ to this point.
Can the Braves afford to continue utilizing four replacement-level players in their daily lineup? With the Trade Deadline just three weeks away, Alex Anthopoulos has to determine whether this roster is worth augmenting. Performances like the one Atlanta had on Monday inspire little confidence, despite all the runners left on base. Adding just one more impact bat to this lineup could push them much closer with the hope that d’Arnaud can rejoin the lineup later this summer. Having watched three months of wildly inconsistent play, should Anthopoulos be a buyer in late-July?
Braves News
Ben Gamel homers twice as Braves get blasted by Pirates, 11-1
Getting boat-raced in Pittsburgh is awful for anyone, but especially for a team looking to capture some semblance of momentum.
Braves plan to see more of Orlando Arcia in left field
Orlando Arcia has started the past three games in left field and according to Gabriel Burns, the Braves intend to utilize the 26-year-old longtime shortstop on a regular basis.
2021 MLB Draft Preview Position Rankings: Outfield
Matt Powers takes a look at the upcoming outfield draft class.
MLB News
Ohtani to pull double duty in All-Star Game
Ohtani should be the lead story on SportsCenter every single day. He is literally doing things that baseball has not seen since Babe Ruth.
Here are 6 starting pitcher trade candidates
Pros and cons for the hottest names on the starting pitcher trade market.
GM Scott on Deadline: ‘We have to be smart’
The Mets are really giving away all their deepest secrets here.