What Is Wrong With The Braves?

[Birdy™]

The Braves are an extremely talented baseball team, but that talent has obviously struggled to be consistent.

The problem could very well as be a lack in a sense of urgency and a poor state of mind. We can't seem to muscle our way through harsh scheduling, and we seem to become very fatigued because of it.

So with that, you have to question the mentality and/ or management of the team. I just don't know what else is to blame for our struggles in scoring runs.

The Braves have had very solid pitching and have been hitting a lot of HRs, but outside of that, we've been well below average in most areas.

Is it a mentality issue or is it just a freaky momentum issue? Whatever it may be, when you are among the teams with the most shutout losses, there is a huge cause for concern.

Just sayin', tho.

[Born Again Georgian]

They won the April championship!

[Threepac Daddy]

But i wanna win the october championship

[Falconsfan567]

I honestly don't know at this point.

[Falconsfan567]

The Giants have now scored more runs this season than the Braves. I love the Giants offense. I love the Cardinals offense. The Braves coming into tonight have an OPS of .756 with the bases empty. That's 5th best in the majors. With RISP the Braves OPS is .660. That's 26th in the majors. The Braves choke with RISP. They are hitting .226 this season with RISP. In June the Braves are 13 for 95 with RISP. That's a .137 average.

As much as I ***** about strikeouts the real issue with the Braves comes down to walks. The Braves are 22-8 this season when they walk 4 or more times in a game. They're 17-20 when they walk 3 times or fewer and 6 of those wins came right at the start of the season when they started 12-1. Since they've gone just 11-18 in games when they get 3 walks or fewer.

[Falconsfan567]

The Rangers have lost 4 straight games for the first time since 2010. That's so impressive. Wish we could say the same of the Braves.

[Birdy™]

They won the April championship!

They didn't even win that. The Dodgers are the likely claimers of that award.

[Birdy™]

The Giants have now scored more runs this season than the Braves. I love the Giants offense. I love the Cardinals offense. The Braves coming into tonight have an OPS of .756 with the bases empty. That's 5th best in the majors. With RISP the Braves OPS is .660. That's 26th in the majors. The Braves choke with RISP. They are hitting .226 this season with RISP. In June the Braves are 13 for 95 with RISP. That's a .137 average.

As much as I ***** about strikeouts the real issue with the Braves comes down to walks. The Braves are 22-8 this season when they walk 4 or more times in a game. They're 17-20 when they walk 3 times or fewer and 6 of those wins came right at the start of the season when they started 12-1. Since they've gone just 11-18 in games when they get 3 walks or fewer.

It's amazing how the Braves have had 40+ more HRs than the Giants, yet the Giants have had more runs.

The only way this team will win the majority of their games is if they hit a lot of HRs or if the pitching is consistent the entire game, because this team struggles to get base hits.

[Falconsfan567]

They didn't even win that. The Dodgers are the likely claimers of that award.

How is that? The Braves had the best record in baseball in April.

[Birdy™]

How is that? The Braves had the best record in baseball in April.

Oh wait. I thought he meant spring training champions. As in paper champions. Like before the season started. My mistake.

[AF89]

What frustrates me most is that it's usually injuries that derail team's this talented but really outside of some arms in the rotation the team for the most part is and has been (relatively at least compared to our rivals) pretty healthy especially the lineup yet it's the pitching that's hardly missed a beat while the hitting struggles to stand on it's own two feet most nights.

[K26dp]

The Braves are an extremely talented baseball team, but that talent has obviously struggled to be consistent.

The problem could very well as be a lack in a sense of urgency and a poor state of mind. We can't seem to muscle our way through harsh scheduling, and we seem to become very fatigued because of it.

So with that, you have to question the mentality and/ or management of the team. I just don't know what else is to blame for our struggles in scoring runs.

The Braves have had very solid pitching and have been hitting a lot of HRs, but outside of that, we've been well below average in most areas.

Is it a mentality issue or is it just a freaky momentum issue? Whatever it may be, when you are among the teams with the most shutout losses, there is a huge cause for concern.

Just sayin', tho.

There is nothing wrong with the "mentality" of a team. I question if a team can have a "mentality", and no one has ever supplied me with a reason definition of a "team mentality". From what I can tell, it's a bunch of hogwash dreamed up by talk show hosts to allow for lazy analysis.

What's wrong with the Braves? Not much if hitters are patient, looking for their pitches, and taking walks if opposing pitchers don't throw strikes. When hitters get away from that, they struggle. I'd also suggest moving Simmons to #8 in the order and moving everyone else up one. That's pretty much it.

[Dharma Initiative]

We originally were carried by J-Upton's hot bat. It went pretty cold after April and the rest of the team hasn't made up for all of it. I agree that Simmons needs to move back in the order, and Freeman needs to be the #3 hitter. He's the best all-around hitter on the team at this moment.

[Falconsfan567]

We originally were carried by J-Upton's hot bat. It went pretty cold after April and the rest of the team hasn't made up for all of it. I agree that Simmons needs to move back in the order, and Freeman needs to be the #3 hitter. He's the best all-around hitter on the team at this moment.

Which is why Freddie is in the perfect spot in the lineup. The 4th spot in the lineup comes up with the most RBI chances so you put your best hitter there.

[K26dp]

What frustrates me most is that it's usually injuries that derail team's this talented but really outside of some arms in the rotation the team for the most part is and has been (relatively at least compared to our rivals) pretty healthy especially the lineup yet it's the pitching that's hardly missed a beat while the hitting struggles to stand on it's own two feet most nights.

In 38 of 68 games to date, the offense has scored 4 or more runs. The Braves has won all but 5 of those games. So "most nights", they're standing just fine.

The problem has been the number of shut-outs, 9 times this season. It happens to every team, but that's a high number for a team this talented. The pitching has generally been good enough to win with a little bit of offense, but there's nothing to be done with zeroes. Or ones for that matter, since the Braves are 0-5 when only scoring one run.

I think a lot of this can be put on the slow starts of Heyward, Upton, Uggla, and Simmons, but since they are mostly getting better the number of low-scoring games should reverse. As painful as the Padres series was, the Braves only lost by a total of 4 runs.

[Falconsfan567]

The Braves had 4 walks yesterday so they're now 23-8 when they walk 4 or more times.

[Birdy™]

There is nothing wrong with the "mentality" of a team. I question if a team can have a "mentality", and no one has ever supplied me with a reason definition of a "team mentality". From what I can tell, it's a bunch of hogwash dreamed up by talk show hosts to allow for lazy analysis.

What's wrong with the Braves? Not much if hitters are patient, looking for their pitches, and taking walks if opposing pitchers don't throw strikes. When hitters get away from that, they struggle. I'd also suggest moving Simmons to #8 in the order and moving everyone else up one. That's pretty much it.

I feel like you're attacking me... Yes a team can have a mentality.

Maybe there's a lack of leadership from Fredi Gonzalez or maybe there's a struggle with the urge to play well due to a tiresome schedule or maybe the team lacked confidence after losing close games and can't seem to dig out much motivation to get back on track, hence physically, mentally and/or emotionally draining them of their capable success.

[AF89]

Which is why Freddie is in the perfect spot in the lineup. The 4th spot in the lineup comes up with the most RBI chances so you put your best hitter there.

I agree Freddie's best spot is 4th but it sucks having him lead often in the second so often though. I like Freddie but you can't argue he's a much different animal when he's got those guys in front of him.

[Falconsfan567]

I agree Freddie's best spot is 4th but it sucks having him lead often in the second so often though. I like Freddie but you can't argue he's a much different animal when he's got those guys in front of him.

Actually that hasn't been much of an issue this season. Of Freddie's 235 plate appearances this season only 56 of them have come leading off an inning. He's only had 18 plate appearances in the 2nd inning compared to 38 in the 1st inning.

[AF89]

Actually that hasn't been much of an issue this season. Of Freddie's 235 plate appearances this season only 56 of them have come leading off an inning. He's only had 18 plate appearances in the 2nd inning compared to 38 in the 1st inning.

Huh it felt like more.

Especially with the lack of success we've had trying to nail down the first three spots. But then again between JHey, Simba and JUp they've each had a stretch this season where their bat was pretty hot it's just unfortunate that they never seem to come at the same time.

[Falconsfan567]

Huh it felt like more.

Especially with the lack of success we've had trying to nail down the first three spots. But then again between JHey, Simba and JUp they've each had a stretch this season where their bat was pretty hot it's just unfortunate that they never seem to come at the same time.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.cgi?id=freemfr01&year=2013&t=b

[AF89]

http://www.baseball-...1&year=2013&t=b

Oh I believe you I'm just surprised....

[K26dp]

I feel like you're attacking me... Yes a team can have a mentality.

Maybe there's a lack of leadership from Fredi Gonzalez or maybe there's a struggle with the urge to play well due to a tiresome schedule or maybe the team lacked confidence after losing close games and can't seem to dig out much motivation to get back on track, hence physically, mentally and/or emotionally draining them of their capable success.

Not attacking you specifically, but the idea of "team mentality". Teams don't have a hivemind. It's one of those things that come up when a team goes on a bad stretch. It can never just be bad luck or poor execution, suddenly it's some shared team psychosis that's the cause. Could some of the team be tired due to this idiotic schedule? Absolutely, but that's not "mentality", that's fatigue.

[Ransack]

Not attacking you specifically, but the idea of "team mentality". Teams don't have a hivemind. It's one of those things that come up when a team goes on a bad stretch. It can never just be bad luck or poor execution, suddenly it's some shared team psychosis that's the cause. Could some of the team be tired due to this idiotic schedule? Absolutely, but that's not "mentality", that's fatigue.

Yes there is such a thing as "team mentality". I've been a some good ones and all the successful ones share a team wide concept of hard work and discipline. You're expected to act and function a certain way and if you don't it gets corrected very quickly. Some teams play loose and fast others play rigid and slow some teams are full of jokesters and others are really buttoned down it just depends on the ideology that's set forth. At the pro level it's probably a bit more convoluted but you can see teams that try and build a certain way that fits their "mentality" and how they want to play. A team's "mentality" dictates everything. Yes teams have individuals and no they don't all act alike nor are they expected to but they are expected take on the ideas and methodology. If they don't they aren't seen as a team player and they are usually show the door.

[K26dp]

Yes there is such a thing as "team mentality". I've been a some good ones and all the successful ones share a team wide concept of hard work and discipline. You're expected to act and function a certain way and if you don't it gets corrected very quickly. Some teams play loose and fast others play rigid and slow some teams are full of jokesters and others are really buttoned down it just depends on the ideology that's set forth. At the pro level it's probably a bit more convoluted but you can see teams that try and build a certain way that fits their "mentality" and how they want to play. A team's "mentality" dictates everything. Yes teams have individuals and no they don't all act alike nor are they expected to but they are expected take on the ideas and methodology. If they don't they aren't seen as a team player and they are usually show the door.

OK, so does a four-game losing streak mean that the "team mentality" is bad? Do all bad teams suffer from "bad mentality"? Do all good teams have "good mentality"?

Sorry, not buying it. What you are describing to me sounds a lot like a combination of organizational philosophy ("The Braves Way". "The Oriole Way", etc.) and keeping clubhouse order. Neither of those are going to be the specific reason why a team wins or loses a given game, or explain why any particular team goes on a particular four-game losing streak, or winning streak for that matter.

Pulling "team mentality" out of a hat to explain why a team lost a game, or is on a losing streak, or even why a particular player made or didn't make a play is the sports equivalent of telling a teacher "my dog ate my homework". It's quack psychology and lazy analysis. I don't blame fans for getting sucked into it, I blame sports pundits who trot it out all the freakin' time when they don't know what they're talking about.