If you’re waiting for the Braves to either win a series or play a normal series, you might as well keep waiting because you won’t get it here!
Welp, this was yet another series where the Atlanta Braves dangled a tasty carrot over our heads with a strong performance at the plate for one game before whacking us fans over the head with a stick for daring to feel optimistic about a potential series win. The Braves are now 3-9 since the All-Star break, as this appears to be the point in the season where the wheels have completely flown off the vehicle that is this 2025 team.
In a fashion that’s typical for how this season has gon, the Braves either lose in catastrophic fashion or heartbreaking fashion. The catastrophe was Ronald Acuña Jr.’s calf injury (which could’ve been avoided if someone, anyone, would’ve just been like “Oh, calf problems? With your injury history? Take the night off!”) and the heartbreaker was of course, the 1-0 loss to drop the series. It’s getting to the point where it’s predictable in an annoying way but bless all of you fans for sticking to it. If you’re still watching this, you’re a real one (or a masochist, but I don’t judge.). Let’s get into this series.
Monday, July 28
Braves 10, Royals 7
Rich Hill started this one for the Royals and he won’t be starting any more games for the Royals after how this game went. Hill walked six Braves batters while he was out there and the Royals eventually conceded a grand total of 14 walks on the night. Not even this year’s version of the Braves could pass up a gift like that, as they reversed a 2-0 deficit and eventually raced out to a 9-3 lead.
Atlanta’s scoring got going with a mammoth two-run bomb from Ronald Acuña Jr. and then Marcell Ozuna lifted one out in the following inning to put Atlanta in front. Austin Riley had a homer and a double in this one and Matt Olson and Jurickson Profar got in on the fun as well to help push the Braves to double digits on the night.
Rafael Montero got the call for the ninth inning and proceeded to give up two hits, two walks and three runs without recording a single out because no Braves game in 2025 can be enjoyed completely from start to finish. Raisel Iglesias had to come in and record the save, which is wild but hey, maybe it boosted his trade value just that little much more?
Tuesday, July 29
Royals 9, Braves 6
Erick Fedde made his Braves debut in this one and it was immediately clear that his job was solely to eat up five innings for Atlanta. He was one out away from accomplishing that goal but only ended up going 4.2 innings in this one. While he was out there, he got tagged for a solo homer in the first inning from Vinnie Pasquantino and then a two-run double from Jonathan India and an RBI single from Bobby Witt Jr. ensured that the Royals raced out in front in this one.
The Braves didn’t roll over, though. Both Austin Riley and Marcell Ozuna homered in the sixth inning in order to chase Seth Lugo from the game but they were unable to add on at that point. That ended up being huge after Jurickson Profar left the bases loaded to end the inning. Aaron Bummer got one out in the bottom half of the sixth before Enyel De Los Santos was called upon to tget the final two outs. He eventually got those two outs but he let in the two runners responsible to Bummer and then gave up three of his own following that, as the Royals responded with a five-run inning to take firm control of the game.
Again, Atlanta didn’t just roll over and die in this one as they picked up another run in the second and then two more in the eighth to get back to within three. That’s where the scoring ended, though, as the Royals held on and evened the series.
Oh, also this happened.
Wednesday, July 30
Royals 1, Braves 0
Joey Wentz went out there and delivered in this one, as one of the many new faces in Atlanta’s rotation delivered what was very likely his best start since 2023, which was the last time that he was a regular starter. Wentz finished off this one with nearly seven scoreless innings pitched along with seven strikeouts and just one hit allowed (along with three walks). It was the type of pitching performance that (even before the injury bug ravaged this rotation) has been sorely needed for this rotation.
Sadly, a great start from a Braves pitcher once again coincided with the offense doing a disappearing act. Kansas City’s bullpen pitched a shutout, as they completely emptied the pen out in an effort to keep the Braves off of the scoreboard. It ended up working out, as Royals catcher and captain Salvador Perez took the second pitch he saw from Daysbel Hernández and looped it into right field in order to cash in the Manfred Man and hand the Braves their 8264th series loss of 2025.
Folks, if you don’t have Tankathon bookmarked or in a constantly open tab, you’re doing it wrong. That’s just about the only thing left to root for at this point. As long as the Braves finish in the bottom six of all baseball teams, they’ll have a shot at getting the No. 1 overall pick in next season’s draft. Depending on what they do in the offseason, they could potentially use that as a way to inject some real life into a farm system that needs a bit of love. But yeah, that’s all there is at this point. The season is gone and if I were y’all, I’d watch these remaining 55 games as if they were extended spring training games.
I took a look at the remaining schedule and sadly, the Braves won’t even have a huge chance to even play spoiler in the NL East race, as they only have two series left against the Mets (both in August) and one series against the Phillies left. This is really just a completely and utterly desolate moment for this ballclub but that’s what happens when you essentially give up the ghost with a big chunk of the season left to play.
At least there’s the Trade Deadline tomorrow and then the Speedway Classic this upcoming weekend but after that, it’s going to be a long two months before this season mercifully comes to a close. For now, let’s just hope that there are no more injuries or anything else that could potentially make this awful season even worse.