Coming into the season, the Atlanta Braves seemingly had high hopes for the year. They have a talented roster led by the reigning National League Cy Young winner Chris Sale. They're still missing Spencer Strider from their rotation, but it seemed like they had enough talent to stay afloat in Strider's absence. But after it was announced Reynaldo Lopez would undergo arthroscopic shoulder surgery to check the severity of a shoulder injury, the Braves were left scrambling for options.
Pair this with the offensive struggles and recent PED suspension for outfielder Jurickson Profar and you have a team that seems as lost as any team in the league. The Braves rank dead last in the entire league as they're still winless on the short season. At 0-6, the Braves could be at risk of setting the record for the most consecutive losses to begin a season. But, one look at the record and it becomes clear that the Braves won't get anywhere close to the staggering feat.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.
What's the longest losing streak to start an MLB season?
The record for the most consecutive losses to begin a season is a staggering 21 games set by the 1988 Baltimore Orioles. This team, managed by the great Cal Ripken Sr. and Frank Robinson, would lose 107 games that year after finally winning the 22nd game of the season.
In order for the Braves to break this record, they would need to lose 22 straight games to begin the year. That means they'd need to lose 16 more baseball games in a row.
While they're matched up against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Blake Snell on Wednesday night, they have a three-game set with the Miami Marlins following this. The matchup of Bryce Elder versus Snell seems like a mismatch that'll fall in Los Angeles's favor, but they should be able to land their first win against the Marlins. Atlanta will have Spencer Schwellenbach, AJ Smith-Shawver, and Grant Holmes on the mound in that three-game set.
For the Braves to lose 22 games in a row, they would need to drop this game to the Dodgers to fall to 0-7. They would then need to be swept by the Marlins, Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, and Minnesota Twins in five straight three-game series. When you put it like that, it seems like there's no way the Braves will lose this many games in a row.