Just a Little Inconsistent

I know we haven’t even made it out of April yet, but I’m trying to figure out what kind of team this is and I’m having difficulty. The Braves will have a good series and I’ll have a lot of confidence in the team, and they’ll play bad for a series and I become not-so-optimistic because of some obvious flaws. But all in all, they sit at an 11-10 record on the young season, and despite some flaws that need to be addressed, there’s a LOT to feel good about. And they’re only a half game out of the division lead from New York and Philadelphia, who it feels have played better than the Braves so far this season.

The series that was beyond frustrating was the home series against the Diamondbacks. In my opinion, the Braves are clearly the better team, but got swept. The bullpen struggles continued, and this is the number one concern for me heading into May. This HAS to be addressed or other I just don’t think the Braves will win the division. I’m still holding out hope for a Kimbrel reunion, even if it’s just on a one-year deal. With Vizcaino out for the rest of the year, the closer position is even more of a glaring need.

What looked like it was going to be a terrible series in Cleveland this past weekend really turned a 180 and has me feeling pretty good again. Giving up eight in the first game of the Saturday doubleheader and losing, combined with the second game of the doubleheader being almost locked up by the Indians had me thinking it might be a long season for the Braves, especially coming off the sweep. But the Braves rallied in the 9th to score five in a wild comeback victory. That momentum clearly led to their Sunday Night Baseball tilt the next game, where the bats were going to work. Everyone was hitting and the Braves got on the plane from Cleveland with an 11-5 victory.

Is it Josh Donaldson’s Time?

The Braves’ biggest acquisition over the offseason, Josh Donaldson, got off to a slow start this season. He wasn’t hitting for much average and also had no home runs for a while. But he’s had four home runs in the last seven games and is getting his average up as well. He’s making hard contact a lot more consistently and from watching the last game in Cleveland, I can tell he’s in the zone. His facial expressions and body reactions told me he’s locked in, and that would be huge for the Braves going forward. What a dangerous 2-3-4 that is with him, Freeman, and Acuna. So here’s to hoping he really takes a step forward at the plate (even though I’m playing against him in fantasy this week) and I have a good feeling he will do just that.

What’s Ahead

After a day off yesterday, the Braves will spend the next three days in the opposite corner of Ohio, in Cincinnati. The Reds have gotten off to a below-average start at 8-13 on the year, so this is a great time for the Braves to pick up a few victories. Ideally I’d like a sweep, but I’m perfectly fine with just winning the series, as I am for pretty much all matchups (except the Marlins). The Reds are a capable team however, and have more talent than their early struggles indicate. The Braves will be back in Sun Trust Park on Friday to begin their second series with the Colorado Rockies. We will also keep an eye on Mike Foltynewicz as he tries to get back into the rotation after injury. He has been struggling in several rehab starts in the minors and the Braves want to see better results. But for now, the young guys in the rotation are really looking good. Touki didn’t have his best outing last time, but it was in 40 degree weather also. He will be just fine. Soroka looked very promising last week and Fried continues to deal. So there’s really no huge rush for Folty if he’s not quite where he needs to be.

Awards

Offensive Award

This award goes to Nick Markakis. He’s just a professional hitter at one of the highest levels. Year in and year out all he does is hit. After some fans weren’t too happy when the Braves brought him back this year (I wrote about how dumb those “fans” were in an offseason blog), Markakis has simply hit .338 with 16 RBIs this year. When there’s someone in scoring position, Nick is probably my first choice of who I want hitting, even above Freeman.

Pitching Award

Kevin Gausman. The first two pitching awards this season went to Max Fried and while he continues to be terrific, this one goes to Gausman for his performance against Arizona last week. He threw 7 innings of 3-hit ball, racking up 10 K’s and just 1 walk. Excellent performance.

Mr. Big Stuff

Yes, the song from Jean Knight called “Mr. Big Stuff.” This award goes to the whole Braves team because for two weekends in a row they’ve been ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball Game. Who do you think you are, Mr. Big Stuff? But I like it!

Garett

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