After one of the absolute worst losses you will see against the Diamondbacks on Thursday, the Atlanta Braves find themselves in unfamiliar territory as we get into the month of June. The Braves are usually right in the middle of the division race and fans are thinking about what pieces they could add at the trade deadline for the final playoff push. This season, the Braves are looking at a stretch of their schedule that is very likely to determine whether or not Atlanta can make the playoffs at all.
Is it possible that the Braves can continue to stink for the first half and then come roaring back in the second half? Sure, it is possible for that to happen. Hell, we saw something like that just last season when the Tigers went from a near zero percent chance of making the postseason at all to winning a playoff series. Unfortunately, that probably isn't in the cards for Atlanta unless they perform well over the next two weeks.
If the Braves don't turn things around in the next two weeks, it probably isn't happening
After receiving a beating again Arizona in the series finale, the Braves currently sit at 27-34, in fourth place in the division, and six games out of a playoff spot. Now, they have to go to the west coast where they do not play well on the road to take on a desperate Giants team for three games. After that, with no off day, Atlanta then has to go to Milwaukee to take on a pretty good Brewers team before coming home to take on the truly horrid Rockies.
See the issue? If the Braves don't finish that stretch over the next two weeks without having won a significant majority of those games, Atlanta will be significantly under .500 with just a few weeks before the trade deadline. If the Braves can't do that with three games against Colorado as freebies, going 10 games over .500 or better the entire second half just to get back in the green seems like a tough sell.
We know this team is talented and there are bright spots. Ronald Acuña Jr. has been great since coming off the IL, Drake Baldwin is probably going to win Rookie of the Year, and the starting pitching staff has been very strong. However, if the Braves can't figure out how to turn things around immediately and start trending upward, it may not matter if they start to figure things out after the All-Star break. Sometimes, you just dig too deep a hole for yourselves.