Braves Diary (26/162, 27/162, & 28/162)

It’s almost time to start paying attention the standings.

Typically, I mark that as “around Memorial Day weekend”. I’m trying not to panic yet, but it’s getting increasingly more difficult. I thought we’d turned the corner after taking 3/4 from the Cubs, but the Blue Jays are a much better team than the Cubs, and it showed.

Yeah, I realize everyone else in the NL East is struggling, but someone’s going to pull away at some point, and a Wild Card team likely is not coming from the East. This team has it in them somewhere to 8 out of 10, and that’s what they need to start doing. The worrying thing is that’s really just all facets of the game. The offense, while it is struggling mightily, is on par with the rest of the majors. But the pitching has been a disaster, between injuries (Fried, Soroka) and underperformance (Smyly).

Fortunately(?) the next six are against our erstwhile division-mates, but just over the horizon the Blue Jays will head to Atlanta. Hopefully things are better for us by then.