Braves have one reason for optimism amid miserable run

Vibes are at an all-time low for Atlanta Braves fans right now. The Braves lost once again, getting shutout by the Baltimore Orioles 4-0. Brian Snitker hoped that a new lineup would work, but after blowing a golden opportunity in the first inning, the Braves looked hopeless for much of the night.

This Braves team entered the year with World Series expectations, but after a hot start, not much has gone right. Not only are both Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr. done for the season, Atlanta's offense has been MIA for much of the year.

The Braves are currently 18th in the majors in runs scored and tied for 17th in home runs. Sure, it could be worse, but this Braves offense was historically dominant last season and looks like a shell of itself. In fact, since May 1, it has been worse.

At 28th, 27th, 27th, 17th, 29th, 28th, there's not much to get excited about there. The Braves have been one of, if not the worst offensive team in the majors since May 1. That's over a month. It's beyond a quick slump at this point. As bad as things have been in the last month plus, there is one thing for Braves fans to look at and believe things will turn around. They have led the majors in hard-hit rate since then.

Braves should still have hope in turnaround despite horrific slump

Hard-hit rate isn't everything, but generally if you're going to hit the ball harder, there's a greater chance of that hit resulting in something positive. Even if the ball doesn't go over the fence, a ball that is hit hard is more likely to find grass somewhere, rather than a slowly-hit ground ball to the infield or a softly-hit pop-up.

That statistic seems to suggest that the Braves are hitting the ball hard, but right at people. Eventually, that's going to change, right? I mean, that's just how baseball usually works.

Outside of Marcell Ozuna, virtually every Braves position player has struggled relative to expectations. Matt Olson and Austin Riley in particular rank in the 85th percentile or harder in hard-hit rate yet they've come nowhere near their MVP expectations. Riley in particular has struggled mightily.

As hard as it is for Braves fans to hear while the team continues to lose winnable games, the fact that the team is hitting the ball harder than any other gives reason for optimism. Whether the Braves will see their luck turn around remains to be seen, but hitting the ball that hard and not scoring runs is hard to do. Something has to give.