Braves News: Sunday struggles continue, Ian Anderson optioned to Gwinnett, more

This weekend was a perfect storm of struggles for the Braves.

After a 5-2 loss to the Mets on Sunday, the Braves are now 6 ¹⁄₂ games behind the Mets in the NL East race with 52 games left in the 2022 season. Sure, the Braves pursuit of the NL East crown is not over. But this past weekend proves it is going to be a very tough hill to climb for Atlanta to win the NL East for a fifth straight season.

The Mets benefitted from some luck this weekend, especially offensively. However, the Mets were clearly the better team this weekend in all three facets of the game: at the plate, on the mound, and in the field. Once the Mets got a sizeable lead in the last three games of the series, the Braves did not have an answer.

The big key for the Braves now is to make sure their remaining games with the Mets are meaningful for the division crown. Fortunately, before their next series against the Mets, the Braves have a pretty manageable schedule to earn some wins. However, the only way they can accomplish that goal is to once again play like a team that was easily among the top 5 teams in baseball over the past two months. With two off-days this week to refocus, the hope is that Atlanta will find a groove in August of 2022 similar to the one they found in August of 2021.

Braves News

• Sunday also brought some major off the field news as Ian Anderson and Guillermo Heredia were optioned to Triple A. Huascar Ynoa and Chadwick Tromp, as a response to Travis d’Arnaud’s injury, were called up to Atlanta. Despite the roster movement, Anderson is already slated as one of the starters in the Braves double header against the Marlins next weekend.
• Justin Toscano breaks down the major points of emphasis from the Mets-Braves series over at the AJC.
• Brad Rowland and Scott Coleman break down all the significance from the Braves weekend struggles in the latest edition of the Battery Power Podcast.

MLB News

• A few National League teams experienced major success over the weekend. The Dodgers swept the new and improved Padres, making their mark once again as the best team in the National League.
• Meanwhile, the Cardinals swept the Yankees to take over the division lead in the NL Central.
• Speaking of teams on a roll, the Phillies completed a four game sweep of the Nationals.