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It’s Do or Die Time for the Atlanta Braves

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It’s still just May, but the Atlanta Braves season is seemingly coming to a head already. After Tuesday’s 2-0 loss to the first place Philadelphia Phillies, their deficit in the National League East has reached a season-high 9 1/2 games. A mediocre record of 25-28 has Atlanta just a game ahead of the fourth-place Washington Nationals, and five games out of a Wild Card spot.

The team has done well to overcome a nightmarish 0-7 start, reaching the .500 mark for the first time last week. However, another recent cold stretch has plummeted their win percentage to the fifth-worst in a crowded NL field. The time is now for the Braves to make a move if they are to salvage the season, but it won’t be easy.

A Brutal June Schedule Awaits as Braves Season Hangs in the Balance

Atlanta wraps up this week with two more against the Phillies, before returning home for a three-game set with the also-underwhelming Boston Red Sox. From there the rest of June is a gauntlet, and how the Braves fare will likely determine their outlook for the rest of the 2025 season.

After hosting Boston, the Braves get three straight playoff contenders in the Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants, and Milwaukee Brewers. A three-game reprieve against the dreadful Colorado Rockies is followed by four straight divisional matchups against the New York Mets, Miami Marlins, the Mets again, and the Phillies to wrap up the month. The Braves will need to discover some magic to survive this tough stretch. Fortunately, recent reinforcements provide a bit of hope that they can get things going as we approach the dog days of summer.

Will Acuña and Strider’s Return Be Enough?

There’s nothing like injecting two bonafide superstars into a struggling roster to instill optimism during a trying year. Ronald Acuña Jr. made his long-awaited return from ACL surgery on Friday, and wasted no time in announcing his presence. One pitch, to be exact. 

Another legendary moment from the face of the franchise reminded all baseball fans how important he is to the Braves’ success, even though the game resulted in a 2-1 loss. In his last full season, Acuña put up 8.4 bWAR and ran away with the NL MVP award. But looking beyond the counting stats, the dynamic outfielder’s infectious persona provides a spark that the team desperately needs right now. Another Braves legend, one Chipper Jones, made a bold prediction about the team’s offense with Acuña back in the fold: “I think they’re going to take off, I really do. I think they’re going to take off. (Acuña) has been the catalyst of that offense ever since he got here.” 

As if one momentous return wasn’t enough to boost morale, ace right-hander Spencer Strider is back and ready to stabilize a rotation still coping with the early-season injury to Reynaldo Lopez. Strider has made two starts after pulling his hamstring in April, allowing five runs with a 10/5 K/BB across nine total innings since being activated on May 19th. He missed all but two starts last year after undergoing elbow surgery, and his command and velocity are taking some time to rebound to pre-injury levels. However, “The Quadfather” still figures to be a major contributor as he shakes off the rust. 

The Last Word

The Braves can only hope that adding their best hitter and pitcher has the opposite effect as last year when their injuries sunk the ship and led to a lost season. With a (mostly) complete lineup and starting rotation, the time is now to go on a hot streak and stamp their name as a playoff contender. Unfortunately, the NL is as treacherous as was expected before the season; 10 out of 15 teams hold a .500 record or better entering Wednesday’s action. With half of these clubs awaiting Atlanta in the coming weeks, we are sure to learn plenty about what this version of the team has in them.

 

Photo Credit: © Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

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