The Atlanta Braves four-game series against the Phillies did not get off to a great start. Things looked promising in the top of the first, but Cal Quantrill's horrific outing kickstarted a blowout. Philly walked away with a 19-4 victory, driven by Kyle Schwarber's four-homer night.
It was ugly all the way around. No matter which pitcher was sent to the mound, the Phillies made them pay. It doesn't help when you make non-competitive pitches through most of the game. Any momentum the offense built was destroyed in the blink of an eye.
The Braves will try and get back into the win column on Friday night. Unfortunately for fans, it is being broadcast on Apple TV+. You will need a subscription to their streaming service to access the game.
The Braves playing the division rival Phillies on Apple TV+ on the Friday night before Labor truly sucks
If you've never signed up for Apple TV+, they do offer a seven-day free trial for new members. However, if you don't fall into that category, you will be forced to pay $12.99 for the month. This just reminds fans of the lack of a great TV deal for MLB and Braves games.
This alienates fans more than they realize and as of right now, Apple has a deal in place to stream games on their platform through 2028. There were rumors circulating that they may exit the contract early, but reports haven't confirmed Apple's intention to do so.
The broadcasts are bearable for the most part and being able to stream the Braves Radio Network over the video is a neat feature. However, the inaccessibility of the app for fans who don't want to pay is a massive downside.
ESPN is ending their baseball coverage at the end of this season. That has felt inevitable, but now MLB is working on deals with NBC and Netflix to take over games being given up by ESPN. Moving games to Netflix would further alienate fans by forcing them to pay for yet another streaming service to see their team play.
While Braves games on FanDuel Sports Network have been great thanks to an incredible broadcast crew, the constant need to pay for streaming or the right TV package has become exhausting. Hopefully, the Braves can find a way to craft their own deal so that fans have a bit more accessibility to the team.
Not only that, but it would also provide the team with another stream of income to help fund the organization. We will see what the future holds for future MLB games, but the current model isn't cutting it for a majority of fans.