The Atlanta Braves have struggled through the 2024 season and their most recent series against the Los Angeles Dodgers highlighted them even more. Atlanta got off to a hot start during the first two games of the series.
They outscored the Dodgers 16-3 in those games with 20 hits. It looked like the dormant offense had begun to wake up. Unfortunately, those hopes were squashed during the third game. The Braves were tied with LA 2-2 in the top of the ninth and the Dodgers destroyed fans' hopes of a series win with a seven-run outburst.
Atlanta's offense only mustered two runs on four hits during that game as they dropped game three 9-2. A similar situation occurred during Monday's game as they lost 9-0. The Braves were outscored 18-2 over the final two games and could only gather eight hits. They couldn't capitalize with runners on base and that's been an issue all season.
Braves unable to take advantage of important series against the LA Dodgers
There were 15 runners left on base during the last two games of the series. Atlanta was 1-for-19 with runners in scoring position which is absolutely unacceptable. Before the series against LA began, fans would have happily taken a split series. However, after seeing how many opportunities the Braves had to win the series is infuriating.
The Mets won't stop winning games and Atlanta found themselves one game behind New York for the final Wild Card spot. That made Atlanta's final road trip of the season the most important stretch of games the team will play in 2024.
Atlanta will face off with the Reds and Marlins over a six-game stretch. The game in Cincy started off great on Tuesday night but the Braves allowed the Reds to score five unanswered runs to win 6-5. This pushed the team even farther in the playoff race. They are now two games behind the Mets who are tied with the Diamondbacks for the second Wild Card spot.
There's no more room for error as the season is now on the line. If the Braves lose any more games on the road trip, they probably won't make the postseason. The Braves have blown 32 leads this season which absolutely stinks and has made things very tough for themselves. They have a huge series against the Mets next week with three games to play but they'll need to keep the amount of games they're behind New York as low as possible. That's the only way they can guarantee they have an opportunity to earn a playoff spot.
The 2024 Braves haven't been able to win against the teams they are expected to beat. That's one of the main reasons they are in this mess.
The #Braves are 0-4 vs. Cincinnati, 1-2 vs. the White Sox, and 5-8 vs. the Nationals.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) September 18, 2024
That's 6-14 vs. the Reds, White Sox and Nats.
As Braves insider David O'Brien points out, Atlanta is 6-14 against three teams that have some of the worst records in baseball. Atlanta hasn't been able to beat the Reds this season and you cannot lose games to teams that aren't very good. After the Braves leave Cincinnati, they head to Miami and will get Ozzie Albies back. The good news is the team has performed well against Miami this season with a 7-3 record.
Atlanta's fate rests in their hands and they haven't proven they deserve a playoff spot yet. If they want to make it to the postseason, they will have to work hard for it. 2024 has been one of the hardest seasons to watch as a Braves fan but there's still a small glimmer of hope that they can get to the playoffs and make a run at another World Series title.