Out with a Whimper (Again): The 2018 Atlanta Braves
The big story for the 2018 Atlanta Braves was that they won the NL East and advanced to the postseason "ahead of schedule." Loaded with young unproven players, no one seriously predicted the Braves would win the division, or even contend for that matter, until 2019 or 2020. So this season has been more than satisfying from that perspective.
But it still sucks that we went out with a whimper in 2018, being eliminated by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS, just as we were back in 2013. It is an all too familiar refrain for lifelong Braves fans such as myself.
I have watched the Braves' elimination in the first-round many times in my life. It happened in 1969, 1982, 1993 (all before the present two-round play-offs), 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2012 (wild-card), and 2013. In fact, the last time the Braves won a postseason series was in 1999. So, we have yet to advance in the play-offs in this century. Frustrating.
The beginning of the end in 2018 was the final road trip of this season. Six games on the road against mediocre clubs yielded just two victories for a Braves team that played great on the road all season. When the New York Mets behind sub-par pitcher (7-9, 5.77 ERA) Matt Vargas defeated us 4-1 it was obvious that our offense, the aspect of the team that took us so far in 2018, was running out of gas.
Nick Markakis was at the beginning of a terrible end-of-season batting slump. The whole team couldn't move runners over nor drive in those who were in scoring position. Even though we had already won the division, it didn't look good and we had zero momentum going into LA for game one of the NLDS. Johan Camargo, who was so important during the regular season, went hit-less against LA.
The whole team was in a batting slump. Freddie Freeman hit just .250 for the NLDS and that was tops on the team. Markakis hit .083. All-Star Ozzie Albies batted a mere .200. Charlie Culberson (playing for the injured Dansby Swanson) hit just .167. And Ronald Acuna, Jr. only managed a .188 average.
But Acuna also was the single highlight for the Braves offensively in the series. He became the youngest player in baseball history to hit a grand-slam in the postseason. It was a critical blow in the Braves 6-5 win over LA in Game Three, otherwise the series would have been a sweep for the Dodgers. In fact, before that game, the Braves had not scored a single run against LA. There was talk of who was the last team to lose a postseason series without scoring a run. We were on the path toward making the wrong kind of history, but Game Three saved us from that ignominious distinction.
On the pitching side of equation things were even worse. Mike Foltynewicz was terrible in both his starts, finishing with a 7.50 ERA for the series. The Braves bullpen, never our strong suit during the season, was not competitive. Jonny Venters had an ERA of 9.00, Brad Brach was at 6.75 for the series, and Chad Sobotka ended up at 11.57. Horrific.
So, just as in 2013, we were eliminated 3 games to 1 by LA. The Dodgers will now advance against the Milwaukee Brewers, arguably the best team in the National League. For the Braves, it was an unexpectedly good season but still it ended with on the sour note of missed opportunities.
We can't blame manager Brian Snitker for any of this. He managed the team brilliantly in 2018 and I recall questioning his moves only on rare occasions this season. I think he should be Manager of the Year.
While there is reason to be pleased with 2018 (the Braves are young and talented) it is frustrating whenever a contending team begins to play their worst right as the season ends. That is the typical story of the Atlanta Braves in the 21st century. We have most of the key position players in place. Now, we just need to strengthen the depth of our bench and our bullpen in the off-season. With some decent acquisitions, a strong farm system, and any luck at all to go with our skill, we should remain a contender for the next few seasons.
All in all 2018 was a fun season. Go Braves!
But it still sucks that we went out with a whimper in 2018, being eliminated by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS, just as we were back in 2013. It is an all too familiar refrain for lifelong Braves fans such as myself.
I have watched the Braves' elimination in the first-round many times in my life. It happened in 1969, 1982, 1993 (all before the present two-round play-offs), 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2012 (wild-card), and 2013. In fact, the last time the Braves won a postseason series was in 1999. So, we have yet to advance in the play-offs in this century. Frustrating.
The beginning of the end in 2018 was the final road trip of this season. Six games on the road against mediocre clubs yielded just two victories for a Braves team that played great on the road all season. When the New York Mets behind sub-par pitcher (7-9, 5.77 ERA) Matt Vargas defeated us 4-1 it was obvious that our offense, the aspect of the team that took us so far in 2018, was running out of gas.
Nick Markakis was at the beginning of a terrible end-of-season batting slump. The whole team couldn't move runners over nor drive in those who were in scoring position. Even though we had already won the division, it didn't look good and we had zero momentum going into LA for game one of the NLDS. Johan Camargo, who was so important during the regular season, went hit-less against LA.
The whole team was in a batting slump. Freddie Freeman hit just .250 for the NLDS and that was tops on the team. Markakis hit .083. All-Star Ozzie Albies batted a mere .200. Charlie Culberson (playing for the injured Dansby Swanson) hit just .167. And Ronald Acuna, Jr. only managed a .188 average.
But Acuna also was the single highlight for the Braves offensively in the series. He became the youngest player in baseball history to hit a grand-slam in the postseason. It was a critical blow in the Braves 6-5 win over LA in Game Three, otherwise the series would have been a sweep for the Dodgers. In fact, before that game, the Braves had not scored a single run against LA. There was talk of who was the last team to lose a postseason series without scoring a run. We were on the path toward making the wrong kind of history, but Game Three saved us from that ignominious distinction.
On the pitching side of equation things were even worse. Mike Foltynewicz was terrible in both his starts, finishing with a 7.50 ERA for the series. The Braves bullpen, never our strong suit during the season, was not competitive. Jonny Venters had an ERA of 9.00, Brad Brach was at 6.75 for the series, and Chad Sobotka ended up at 11.57. Horrific.
So, just as in 2013, we were eliminated 3 games to 1 by LA. The Dodgers will now advance against the Milwaukee Brewers, arguably the best team in the National League. For the Braves, it was an unexpectedly good season but still it ended with on the sour note of missed opportunities.
We can't blame manager Brian Snitker for any of this. He managed the team brilliantly in 2018 and I recall questioning his moves only on rare occasions this season. I think he should be Manager of the Year.
While there is reason to be pleased with 2018 (the Braves are young and talented) it is frustrating whenever a contending team begins to play their worst right as the season ends. That is the typical story of the Atlanta Braves in the 21st century. We have most of the key position players in place. Now, we just need to strengthen the depth of our bench and our bullpen in the off-season. With some decent acquisitions, a strong farm system, and any luck at all to go with our skill, we should remain a contender for the next few seasons.
All in all 2018 was a fun season. Go Braves!
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