It seems like ages ago that the Atlanta Braves dominated the National League East and even though they won only one championship, they were the team to beat every single season for 15 years from 1991-2005.
Even most recently from 2006-2013, they finished no lower than fourth place and played above .500 ball.
Well times have changed and it is even worse when you have veteran infielder Nick Swisher say that he is happier where he is now, then on the Braves major league roster. Swisher signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees and is currently with the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
Swisher in a recent game with the Scranton/WB RailRiders. (Photo by Gabe Rodriguez/LOD)
“Being released by the Braves in the long run is gonna be the best thing that ever happened to me, man. I’m actually happy that it did happen because after seeing what’s going on over there, I don’t know if that’s where I would want to be right now,” Swisher recently told the media.
After winning the division in 2013, the Braves took a step in the wrong direction in 2014, finishing 79-83, and 17 games out of first. Which is ironic that they ended the season in second place because the rest of the division was just as bad or worse.
In 2015, Atlanta kept digging their grave as they fell to fourth place, 23 games back while finishing 67-95. The most losses in franchise history since 1990 when they lost 97 games. The next season they would go on to start their 15 year reign.
But times are not the same and in 2016, the Braves are on pace to possibly smash their franchise loss record of 115 games that was set back in 1935. Could that even be possible? Well as of Friday, they are 8-25 and if the losing continues they are being predicted to lose 135 games which would surpass the 134 losses by the 1899 Cleveland Spiders. That is just plain awful for an organization that prided themselves on winning.
When looking at stats, they are last with 101 runs, second to last with 251 hits, have not recorded a triple yet this season, last with nine home runs and 97 RBI’s, and second to last with a .226 batting average. If wondering, the only team to finish worse in hits and batting average, is the Tampa Bay Rays. But at least the Rays have a respectable 15-17 record.
The Braves opened the season 0-9, and didn’t win their first game until Jackie Robinson Day on April 15th, when they defeated the Miami Marlins 6-3. They would go on to complete a three-game sweep and take the first game of their next series against the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-1.
But the winning was short lived as they lost the next nine out of ten games to finish the month of April at 5-18.
(Photo: Gabe Rodriguez)
May has not been any better as they are 3-7 in their first 10 games of the month.
Starting Friday, Atlanta will be on a 10-game road trip, with stops in Kansas City, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. All three teams are playing winning baseball, so it may not be a very promising trip for this underachieving Braves squad. They do have a better record on the road (6-8), then at home (2-17), but as their current trend dictates, having a winning trip, may not be in the cards.
There is still a whole lot of baseball to be played, so maybe they won’t make the history books, just maybe they can turn this losing season around and not be the door mats for opposing teams.
Still have 129 games to be played, and in baseball, anything is possible.
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