MLB Rumors: Braves red flag, Brewers manager buzz, Red Sox breakout prospect

MLB Rumors: What happened to the Atlanta Braves offense?

It should be noted that the Braves lineup as a whole it playing relatively well. However, one key position has stopped contributing at the plate, and that would be the catching spot. On most teams, the job of the catcher is to manage the pitching staff. Any contribution they can make at the plate is seen as a bonus as long as the pitching staff is playing well.

For Atlanta, they have one of the highest team ERA's in baseball this September. Sean Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud are also known as two of the better-hitting backstops in the sport, but they have failed in that department of late as well. Sports Illustrated Fan Nation's Lindsay Crosby summed it up relatively well:

"All-Star starter Sean Murphy finished the first half of the season with a .306 batting average and 17 homers. He's hit only three homers in the second half with a .181 batting average. Travis d'Arnaud hasn't been any better: He's batting only .175 with 3 homers himself, despite playing in almost as many games (31) as Sean Murphy (34)."

Crosby considers d'Arnaud's regression to the mean as relatively normal, as he's in line with his career numbers and was performing far better than expected for most the season. As for Murphy, it's a bit more complex. Murphy's BABIP has regressed far more than most expected. Sometimes that can be attributed to luck, but not across this sample size.

Both Murphy and d'Arnaud should play a major role in the Braves postseason run. They'll have to improve over the next few weeks.