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Mets hit 4 HRs, rally from 5 runs down to beat Braves 10-8
Atlanta’s 30-33 record suggests no great reason for Braves Nation to feel anything beyond disappointment and disillusionment toward its baseball team.
Especially after Sunday’s 8-3 lead against the New York Mets became a 10-8 road loss, which is also the third straight time the Braves have fallen short when scoring eight or more runs. For comparison’s sake, according to MLB.com, Atlanta went 135-2 from 2009 through 2014 when scoring that many runs.
In fact, the only reason not to completely write off this season may be the fact that the Braves reside in the National League Least, where they still stand but 3.5 games out of first. And that sliver of hope is only because the Mets are but 10-19 on the road.
In fact, the whole NL East seems suspect – entering Sunday, it was the only division in the majors with just two teams above .500 – though the Washington Nationals shouldn’t be by September.
But that also undersells the Braves’ effort to date. After all, this was a team tabbed by Sports Illustrated in the preseason to possibly lose 100 games. For that to happen now, Atlanta would have to go 29-70 the rest of the way.
Certainly that could still prove true. The Braves have orchestrated wretched collapses twice in recent Septembers. This team seems made of tougher stuff, however. It may lack the pitching, especially in the bullpen, to seriously contend for a playoff spot. Losses such as Sunday could begin to take their toll on the team’s heart and hustle.
But until that happens, these Battlin’ Braves remain worth watching, worth cheering, worth supporting.
“I love this team,” leadoff hitter Jace Peterson – who hit his second homer of the season on Sunday and scored three times – said recently. “Nobody ever gives an inch on this team.”
Observed manager Fredi Gonzalez a few days ago, “We don’t give up. We fight. We battle.”
Just look at the past week alone. After another heartbreaking extra-innings loss to the Padres – made more painful by the fact that former Brave Craig Kimbrel got the save – Atlanta won the next two against San Diego before another 11-inning loss to the Friars on Thursday. Then came Friday’s loss at New York, followed by Saturday’s 11-inning win, followed by Sunday’s meltdown.
But the bigger point is that however much disappointment and disillusionment has come the Braves’ way, they’ve continued to battle, determined not to let this season get away, despite all the talent the front office let get away after last year’s September swoon.
In an attempt last week to explain that fire sale, general manager John Hart told MLB.com, “The landscape is littered with train wrecks of clubs that tried to take one more run at the roses before they tried to take one step back to take two steps forward.”
Apparently convinced this small step backward would not lead to an even worse season down the road, Hart sent Jason Heyward, the Uptons and Kimbrel all packing, confident that by 2017 – when the Braves’ new stadium is set to open in Cobb County – the team will again be a serious contender.
That doesn’t mean it will. It doesn’t mean this team will stay within striking distance of the Mets and the Nationals. For all the toughness these Braves have often shown, the bullpen remains a disaster, with the worst ERA in the majors (4.74). The relievers have already blown eight leads after the sixth inning this season, which is one more than they gave up all of last year.
Former Braves pitching greats such as Tom Glavine may honestly believe pitching coach Roger McDowell will straighten the bullpen out, but since Glavine made that remark last week, three more games have been lost because of the relievers.
Yet being within 3.5 games of the division lead with 99 games to go is also cause for encouragement, or at least grudging admiration for what’s been accomplished despite so much going wrong.
“This division’s up for grabs right now,” Gonzalez said last week. “Everybody’s really bunched up, at least three teams; us, the Nats and the Mets. It’s fun, it really is. You’ve got to like that attitude. It’s all good right now.”
Or at least good enough for Braves Nation to keep supporting their Battlin’ Braves until they’re no longer fighting for a division crown.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com