Only the meeting between Braves players smells of justified desperation

It seems like every night, Atlanta Braves fans are asking themselves, “Can we finally turn the tide tonight?” From underperformances to serious injuries, 2024 has not been a good year for the reigning NL East champions.

After losing Ronald Acuna Jr. and Spencer Strider earlier this season, Atlanta recently had to send starting pitcher Max Fried (forearm) and second baseman Ozzie Albies (broken wrist) to the IL. Center fielder Michael Harris II has also been out for some time with a hamstring injury. Believe it or not, it doesn’t stop there.

The Braves signed Whit Merrifield to try to fill the void left by Ozzie Albies, but Merrifield wasted no time getting injured himself and is currently day-to-day. All-Star third baseman Austin Riley left Monday’s game when his wife gave birth to their second child. He is now on the paternity list.

While the starting nine they’ll roll out on Tuesday will look very different, Atlanta still holds the top National League Wild Card position and is 8.5 games behind the division-leading Philadelphia Phillies. After a loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Monday, it appears Atlanta is realizing it’s time to call it quits.

For most teams in MLB, a 54-45 record at this point would be more than acceptable. For the Atlanta Braves, it’s quite the opposite. Since the All-Star break, the Braves are 1-3. The team called a players’ meeting prior to Tuesday night. According to David O’Brien, Braves reporter for The Athletic, manager Brian Snitker was not involved.

We don’t know what was said in this meeting and we probably never will. However, we can assume that the conversation was about finding a way to overcome all the adversity the team has recently experienced and start performing according to expectations.

If Atlanta wants to be seen as a threat in the National League East, now is the time to prove a point. While the Phillies have been more than impressive this season, they are currently in the toughest part of their schedule. There’s a good chance it will be August 13th before the Philadelphia Phillies will face a team with a losing record.

With NL Cy Young Award candidate Chris Sale taking the mound for the Braves on Tuesday, it will be interesting to see if there is any evidence that this afternoon’s players’ meeting will have an impact on Atlanta’s performance on the field.