The Braves haven’t just been bad offensively. They have been the worst offense in baseball for quite some time now.
Following an off-day, the Braves had the opportunity to flush the last few series out of their system and start over. That’s the great part about the 162-game season. Max Fried was set to toe the rubber on Tuesday night, and there were vibes of excitement to play the team with the third-best record in Major League Baseball.
Unfortunately, from the very first four at-bats, the Braves showed exactly why they have been the worst team at producing runs for going on seven weeks. Michael Harris II led off the game with a triple that just missed leaving the yard. It set up the perfect opportunity for a fresh start, or a reminder of the nightmare this season has quickly become offensively.
Ozzie Albies followed Harris with a groundout to shortstop. The infield was playing in, so there was no opportunity for Harris to advance. Austin Riley then struck out, which was followed by a weak pop-out to first base off the bat of Matt Olson. Just like that, the inning was over, with the Braves wasting a golden opportunity to take an early lead.
That set the tone for the entire night. The Braves finished the evening 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position on their way to being shutout for the second time this season. Atlanta is now 10 games back of the first-place Philadelphia Phillies, but winning the division doesn’t even feel like it should be at the forefront of anyone’s mind. As of right now, the Braves don’t even look like a playoff team.
