Why I'm Not Giving Up On These Braves (Yet)

It's been pretty difficult to find something to like about the Braves lately. In their 13 June games, the good guys have mustered a record of 5-8 versus such powerhouses as Baltimore (27-37) and Pittsburgh (30-34). They have averaged only 3.5 runs scored per game and hit a paltry .238 in that span. The Cuban Missile was benched for his boneheaded play. Even Chipper endured a nearly career worst slump. It seems that only Mac has been playing well, and the averages bear that out:

McLouth: .239 (since joining the Braves)

The Cuban Missile: .250

Chipper: .286

Mac: .364

The Player Formerly Known as Garret Anderson: .243

Minor Leaguer 1 (Francoeur): .250

Minor Leaguer 2 (KJ): .160

So what is there to like about this team? Well, they do rank 6th in the NL in ERA and the starters have, for the most part, held up their end of the bargain. Vazquez has continued to dominate and Derek Lowe is pitching well, apart from getting shelled in his last outing, with 10 quality starts in only 14 appearances. Jurrjens has been proving that his early season success was no fluke. At the backend, Gonzalez has looked shaky at times and Soriano was roughed up in his last outing, but I still feel pretty good about them both.

I know this team is flawed. I know we haven't scored runs all year. I know we don't run well. Or field well. Or do the little things. BUT, we aren't the only team with issues, even in our own division. Philadelphia is second to last in the NL in ERA, ahead of only Washington. With the injuries of Brett Myers and Brad Lidge, their pitching looks even more questionable. However, you can give up plenty or runs when you score nearly 5.5 per game. I don't know if they can keep up that pace, but I can't see the pitching getting much better unless they make a move.

The Mets also aren't perfect, either. They rank just behind the Braves in team ERA, but there are rumors that Johan Santana's knee isn't right. After him, their starters are nothing to marvel at, what with them sending Livan Hernandez to the mound every five days. Like us, they have problems in the outfield, though not on the same order. They continue to trot out the ageless Gary Sheffield to pretty decent success (.270/.387/.475), and Carlos Beltran has played out of his mind, but they have a pretty gaping hole in left field, where Daniel Murphy (.234/.318/.347) has been doing his best Jeff Francoeur impression since his torrid start.

While the Braves probably don't have what it takes to win the division, they may be able to overtake one of those teams and get into wild card contention, a race in which they're 3.5 GB. To win it today, they'd have to pass St. Louis, Chicago, Colorado, and San Francisco, in addition to the Marlins and Mets. On that list, only St. Louis and Chicago have much business being there: Colorado is bound to run out of 11 game winning streaks and the Giants's offense is bad, even compared to ours.

So, I'm not giving up on this team. I swear.