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Atlanta Braves: 5 storylines to watch in final week of regular season

By Jake Mastroianni

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 19: Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves crosses home plate after hitting his 40th homer in the third inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at SunTrust Park on September 19, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 19: Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves crosses home plate after hitting his 40th homer in the third inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at SunTrust Park on September 19, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 14: Dansby  Swanson #7 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates scoring with Billy Hamilton #9 on a Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 (not pictured) double in the seventh inning during a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on September 14, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 14: Dansby  Swanson #7 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates scoring with Billy Hamilton #9 on a Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 (not pictured) double in the seventh inning during a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on September 14, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Dansby has to get going

There is no denying that Dansby Swanson has been struggling since coming back from his heel injury.

He’s just 10-64 (.156) since coming back on August 26, and he hasn’t hit a home run since July 4. His batting average has dropped 13 points since coming back and has turned what looked like a breakout year for Dansby into another disappointing one.

And now he is even taking heat on Twitter with a lot of people saying he needs to be replaced by Adeiny Hechavarria who is 13-48 (.271)  since joining the Atlanta Braves.

Let me stop that noise right here and tell you that Dansby Swanson is our starting shortstop this year and almost certainly next season as well.

I’ve made it known on here several times that Dansby is one of my favorite players and I’m rooting harder for him than anyone else, but even I can’t ignore his recent struggles.

Recently I wrote an article about why we shouldn’t panic about Swanson, and while I still believe what I wrote, I’m getting a little nervous.

He’s ran into a lot of bad luck all year when he does hit the ball hard, but he also just does not look very comfortable at the plate right now.

One of the biggest keys for the Atlanta Braves in the final week will be getting him going. If he can start putting together at-bats like he did earlier in the year when he was hitting second for the Braves, this lineup starts to look even more dangerous.

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