In 1864, Union General William Sherman launched a “total war” campaign, destroying much of Atlanta. If Sherman could look ahead 159 years and saw what a whining bunch of losers the city’s baseball club, as well as their fans and pretty much everyone associated with them, had become, he’d probably burn the city down a second time just to be safe.
I’m not surprised by the Braves fans’ complaints. After six seasons of producing series previews about the squad, they continue to be the most unhappy fan base. Older users of the blog may recall the absolute fuss they threw in 2019 when I declared their success unsustainable.
Talking about series previews, I’d want toTheir triumph is unsustainable.
I’m not always correct, but I was right this time. (I’m disappointed that no one commented on the Ozymandias reference.) The Braves’ hitters almost unanimously outperformed throughout the regular season, so some playoff regression was probably to be expected. And just because you have a terrific offensive squad doesn’t mean you can’t be shut down over the span of a five-game series by a team with a pitching staff built to do just that.I was also correct in stating that the Braves’ pitching staff is uninspiring as it is. Perhaps things would have been different if Max Fried had been at full vigor and Charlie Morton was in good health. But injuries happen, and there was a reason why the Phillies took it easy on their starters in Spring Training and April.
Before we move on to the Arizona Diamondbacks, I’d want to take one final look at the Braves, their supporters, and some of their highlights from the previous week:
