NEW YORK – Over the last couple weeks, the Phillies have struggled. The only problem: The Braves have not taken advantage because they, too, have scuffled.
Do they lament the fact that they haven’t been able to gain games on Philadelphia because of their own issues?
As he always does, A.J. Minter provided a candid view of what he thinks.
“Honestly, we don’t play this game to win a division and win a flag,” Minter said before Saturday’s game at Citi Field. “We play this game to win the hardware and win a trophy. So we’re not worried about who’s at the top of our division. Congrats if you win a flag. We’re not in this to win a flag.”
No doubt, the Braves would love to win the division. But Minter – who in February reported to spring training and said it was “World Series or bust” for these Braves – saw what happened in 2021. The Braves know they simply must get into the dance. From there, anything can happen.
Of course, they would choose winning a World Series over capturing the division crown.
“Yes, you want to put yourself in the best situation as possible, and that’s obviously winning the division. That’s gonna put you in a great position in the postseason,” Minter said. “But I can tell you one thing: If we do get in the postseason, no one’s gonna wanna face us, and you gotta remember that.”
First, the Braves need to make the postseason. The fact we’re even talking about this is unfathomable. But this is where they are, and where this disastrous combination of injuries and underperformance has put them.
Atlanta entered Saturday in third place – unbelievable, huh? – in the National League East. They were half a game behind the Mets and 9 1/2 games behind the Phillies. This marked the Braves’ first day in third place since after play on May 23, 2022 – 769 days before. The Braves had played 382 straight games while in either first or second place prior to Saturday.
The Braves on Saturday defeated the Mets to jump back above of them in the standings. They’re half a game ahead of New York in the division and for the top wild card spot. But the Braves haven’t played well recently.
Still, they believe.
“I think it all goes back to: What’s the standard? And we know we’re not playing up to our standard, even though if you look at another team, we could be playing above their standard,” Minter said. “But as an Atlanta Brave, in this organization, we hold ourselves to the highest standard, and we know we’re not getting the job done.
“But with that being said, we have a winning record, we’re playing the worst baseball we possibly could, and you have to sit back and realize, ‘Yes, we’re not playing good. But at the same time, we’re still in it.’ We just need to hit the reset button and, today, the record starts 0-0 and it’s a race to the finish line. Now it’s time to really turn it on and see what we’re made of, because we saw it in ‘21: You just gotta get in the thing and anything can happen.”
Entering Saturday, the Phillies had lost 21 times since the start of June. The Braves also lost on nine of those days, if you count a day when they lost one of two games in a doubleheader. And keep in mind that Atlanta took two of three from the Phillies at home this month. If you take that out, then the Braves have dropped a game on the same day as the Phillies nine times since June.
It could be a close division race.
Instead, the Braves have given the Phillies the opportunity to run away with it if they get going again.
But it might be meaningless to discuss the NL East race at this moment. The Braves could eventually win it, but right now they must focus on themselves. There’s no use worrying about another team.
They haven’t quite clicked yet.
Why is that? What’s missing?
“I mean, honestly, I think the clubhouse is still one of the best I’ve been a part of in the past seven years I’ve been with this team,” said Minter, who debuted in 2017. “I think that’s what’s gonna get us through this, is the camaraderie. It’s the clubhouse, the leadership. It starts with Snit at the top. There is no magic equation. I know that we are gonna do everything we possibly can. Everyone’s working as hard as they can and everyone’s putting in the work, and the routine is just staying consistent. And we just have to trust the process that we are gonna come out of this. We’re never gonna give up in this organization.”
No one will feel sorry for the Braves. And they won’t get down on themselves.
But this really has been a disastrous recipe: Injuries and underperforming stars.
It makes you shake your head. The Braves aren’t playing good baseball, but they’ve also been hit hard with terrible circumstances.
They need to overcome them.
Minter thinks they can.
“Every year, we’re faced with adversity,” Minter said. “You look back the past seven years, and someone always steps up. I’m fully capable of believing that we are gonna turn this thing around. Not a lot of things could do that, can do that. I know we’re gonna be professionals moving. Look, this is the Atlanta Braves and we need to remember who we are and the people that played before us, and make them proud. You gotta with high intensity, attitude, confidence and just play the game the right way. That’s what we hold ourselves to, and it’s time to start doing that.”
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