3 flaws separating Braves from the NL East crown
By John Buhler
2. Day Braves must stop fighting Night Braves to be champions of the sun
This coincides with the Braves occasionally brain-farting at the plate. It may have more to do with the hot summer sun commonplace in the Southeastern United States, but the Braves have to find a way to play better baseball during the day. While the Night Braves are an absolute wagon, the Day Braves tend to leave a lot to be desired. Here is to the discrepancy no longer being as obvious.
Besides beating the Mets head-to-head, the quickest way to pick up games on them in division is to not drop stupid games in the sun. While this has historically been a big reason why the Chicago Cubs became the lovable losers, Atlanta has to find enough grit within itself to just win, baby. I am not saying you have to go sweep everybody but don’t lose a dumb one on getaway day anymore.
Ultimately, the Braves may get better at this once September arrives because it won’t be so damn hawt in The ATL. In reality, the worst part about losing a day game is it usually is followed up by a night game more than 24 hours later. That loss stings a tad more in the back of the players’ minds, knowing their next chance at racking up another W is a bit further away than they wanted it to be.
It is all about having a positive mindset when battling not only the sun, but the other team as well.