Braves’ “Rough Start” Brushed Aside as Insider Makes Stunning Playoff Claim

To say that the Atlanta Braves are in a pickle would be an understatement. Because right now they seem to be in a puddle instead, with a 15-3 record. The frustrations are building up with every loss among the fans and even in the clubhouse. And it is understandable. The Braves have had a series of challenges, from disappointing performances to injuries from the get-go.

Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr. started the season on the injured list. The Braves also lost their starting pitchers, Max Fried and Charlie Morton, in free agency. And Reynaldo Lopez’s recent surgery is not helping. The list keeps going.

And amidst all this, it doesn’t even help when their big off-season signing, someone who was supposed to turn things around, tests positive for PEDs—Jurickson Profar. He is now serving an 80-game suspension. So of course, given this dish has been served, many feel the Braves are done for already this season. But not insider Jim Bowden; in fact, he thinks the opposite.

Jim Bowden isn’t yet there where he wants to write off the Atlanta Braves just yet. He called this notion an OVERREACTION! Bowden highlighted that, yes, while the Braves have had their string of bad luck going, they have a deep roster and a strong history of turning things around. Bowden said, “This team is too deep and strong not to get back in the race and be in wild-card contention come late September.” 

And, well, yes, there is still some hope remaining for the Atlanta Braves, given Acuna is making a return from the IL soon. Plus also the fact that it’s only just April, after all. The Braves have made it into the postseason seven years in a row. And it’s easy to understand why Jim Bowden feels that even now they will make it out of this mess.

And recently, the Braves also called up Alex Verdugo from Triple-A. He had signed a one-year deal and had been working to get back into form. Now his stats are not popping, but getting him back shows that the Braves are trying anything to get their offense back and running on point. And looking at their recent struggles against the Blue Jays, a reshuffle is exactly what the team needs.

Atlanta Braves’ offensive struggles hit an all-time low

No matter what anyone says, though, the Braves are on thin ice. They had a miserable night against the Toronto Blue Jays. And this was the game fans had had hopes in, given Spencer Strider made his long-awaited return. But alas, it felt like the same old story—a lifeless offense. It’s almost a déjà vu of their last season. The most disheartening part of their outing with Toronto was that they were struck out 19 times. And this isn’t a typo! They helped the Blue Jays set a franchise record.

The clubhouse atmosphere, too, has taken a hit. Veteran first baseman Matt Olson didn’t even hesitate to point out the condition of the team. He told Justin Toscano of the AJC, “We can’t do this [expletive] forever… We can’t play games like that. It’s terrible. Just nothing all day. What was it, 19 or 20 strikeouts? Can’t happen.” He didn’t do any better at the games, though. But yes, he voiced the mood of maybe many a player in the locker room.

The main problem right now is the strikeout one, and it’s something they struggled with last season too. Last year, they finished with the most strikeouts in the league. Now they are keeping up with that, sitting at third most strikeouts in 18 games. Now, in contrast, back in 2023, they were in the bottom half of the league when it came to the strikeout. So things have gone wrong big time here.

Right now nothing is working out; even their top hitters like Michael Harris II and Austin Riley are not performing well. The Braves need to turn the tide fast. But here is a kicker—fans are tired of hearing the same. “We are getting there” rhetoric. If you are a brave fan, are you still holding on to hope that something or someone can change this season?