Atlanta Braves Morning Chop: the issues are adding up

After this weekend, it’s getting harder to put a finger onto a single problem that the Braves have now.

So what should be our takeaways from a homestand in which our Atlanta Braves lost five out of six games to a pair of teams that should have been more beatable – especially the Mets, who seem to be imploding from within?

Heck, the Mets were shut out on a one-hitter by the Marlins on Sunday… this the same New York club that came into Atlanta and scored 30 runs in three games in winning only two of three contests.

Granted, the Cardinals threw their best pitching, but the Braves were simply unable to get anything going against them offensively until those starters tired or left the game.  The result?  Atlanta was outscored 21-7 in the three game series.

The bullpen has suddenly been a bit better – especially on Sunday – but the starters (notably Julio Teheran and Bartolo Colon) are giving up too much and the hitters don’t seem to be able to put it all together in any single inning.

Over the past week:

• Brandon Phillips is still playing hurt… and hitting .167 in limited action.
• Jace Peterson has been bouncing around to try and spell… most of the infielders.  But he’s been at .143.
• Dansby Swanson might consider changing his uniform number back to “2”… the 7 still isn’t working for him (.125)
• Even dependable Nick Markakis and Freddie Freeman have cooled in recent days:  .200 and .227 respectively.

So now Atlanta heads to Houston for what could be a rude awakening against a high-flying Astros team that is threatening to run away with their division.

So it’s 2 games in Houston starting Tuesday night, then a day game on Wednesday before flying to Miami for 3, and a home-and-home series of 4 with the Blue Jays.  Lots of travel over the next 8 days.  Let’s hope they’re ready for it.

Here’s your disappointing box score from Sunday afternoon:

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table