Atlanta Braves’ general manager, Alex Anthopoulos, addressed the media before a game, implying the team’s performance spoke for itself. He mentioned, “I typically avoid media sessions during the season when we’re performing strongly. Engaging in them now indicates our current struggles.”
Naturally, all of this is relative. In the National League, the Braves hold the fourth-best record. However, they suffered their fifth consecutive defeat on Wednesday night, falling to Baltimore 4-2, and now trail NL East leaders Philadelphia by a significant margin. Anthopoulos was therefore available to talk about the depressing truth.
He admitted that the Braves don’t appear good by their standards, but there is still a significant amount of the season left. Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are the three National League teams currently leading their respective divisions by a sizable margin. The best among the rest is Atlanta (35–30). Actually, the league has just five clubs that are above.500.
The Braves finished 88-73 three seasons ago, but that was enough to win the division. They eventually won the World Cup.
Even still, Atlanta hadn’t lost five in a row since 2017, the previous season the Braves failed to win the NL East. The New York Mets had a sizable lead, but the Braves rallied from behind to win the division two years ago.
This year’s equivalent comeback will be difficult because of the knee injury that has sidelined reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. for the entire season. Although nothing is imminent, Anthopoulos said he has been more aggressive than normal in chasing trades.
“It appears that the offensive problems are dispersed throughout the league,” stated Anthopoulos. “This is what many general managers are saying. Individuals believe they aren’t hitting as hard as they could.___
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