3 things Braves need to fix after disastrous road trip against Mariners, Dodgers

These things happen, but it doesn’t change the fact that it is hard to swallow. The Atlanta Braves played some pretty terrible baseball vs. the Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Dodgers over the course of last week. Atlanta was lucky to win on getaway day in Seattle, but were unfortunately swept by their NL rivals at their place. The Braves find themselves at 20-12 on the season in a rough spot.

Fortunately for them, they don’t face a team I would deem a serious World Series contender for a little over a month. A lot can change between now and then, but they won’t be facing teams like Seattle, Los Angeles or Cleveland over the next little stretch. By the time they go to Baltimore in mid-June, maybe this team will have found its footing? Otherwise, is the come to Jesus moment imminent?

With Atlanta having a much-needed day off on Monday, here are three things I think the team needs to do ahead of their two-game home stand vs. the AL rival Boston Red Sox before they go to Queens to face the New York Mets over the weekend. Pretty much all of it is about fixing whatever is wrong with this club from the shoulders up. The talent is too good for the team to be playing this terribly.

These three potential solutions are not panacea, but I think they would do the Braves some good.

3. Don’t let the quicksand snowball into something you cannot overcome

This is a bit hard to explain, but here me out. One of the biggest things that I think has hurt the Braves since at least the Guardians series is Atlanta will let one bad event happen to them, and then allow that to effect another. We call this quicksand in the sports world, or the snowball effect in everything else, if. you will. I think the Braves will need to do a better job of compartmentalizing going forward.

Where I have noticed it occur is to let a bad at-bat carry over to the field, as well as one bad pitch ruin the opposing team’s next three plate appearances. I understand that the Braves are sort of going through it right now, but mental toughness will serve them in the end. Eventually, the headwinds will become tailwinds and Atlanta will be cruising to more victories than you can count later this summer.

If Atlanta can find a way to stop the bleeding, they won’t be hemorrhaging by the end of the game.

2. Don’t try to force things, just let the game come to you instead

This goes hand in hand with not stepping into quicksand and letting things snowball. Atlanta needs to play looser to break out of this bad, teamwide slump. I have seen instances where the offense is trying desperately to make things happen. Whether it is over-swinging when only a single is necessary, chasing bad pitches or trying to run when the does not require it, just slow down a bit, y’all.

When a talented team like the Braves is pressing, it is bad news for eveyone invovled. Baseball is a skill game, one of great strategy. You cannot go to the plate or the rubber and expect for good things to happen by trying to blow things up. Baseball does not reward you for trying to make something happen when it isn’t there. Let the game come to you, and you’ll be fine. Just have a little patience.

The way the Braves are going to get out of this is one game at a time, one pitch at a time, etc.

1. Relax, and take advantage of the softer schedule y’all have coming up

The best thing the Braves have going for them now is the schedule lightens up a bit. Cleveland, Seattle and Los Angeles are all playoff-caliber teams. The Dodgers are a lock, while the Guardians and Mariners certainly look like top-six teams in the American League. Atlanta will have to face teams like Boston, San Diego, Washington and the much-hated Mets soon, but these are winnable series.

Right now, Atlanta needs to relax and play with confidence, knowing that the Braves are probably better than the next several teams they will face over the next five weeks or so. Once the road series at Baltimore arrives, then you’ll be ready. In the meantime, the Braves need to take advantage of this soft patch in their schedule and go from there. Many of these series will be played at Truist Park, too.

Expect for the Braves to burn the tape from the last few series and start anew vs. Boston on Tuesday.

This article was originally published on fansided.com as 3 things Braves need to fix after disastrous road trip against Mariners, Dodgers.