GM Alex Anthopoulos blasts Atlanta Braves style of play

The Atlanta Braves, who lost their season-high fifth straight game 4-2 on the road against the Baltimore Orioles in Major League Baseball (MLB) on Wednesday, have been struggling, according to general manager Alex Anthopoulos.

“I don’t normally do scrums during the season, because we’ve done well,” Anthopoulos told reporters before the game. “If I’m doing them, that means we’re not playing well.”

The Braves won more than 100 games in each of the previous two seasons, but they are now 35-30 and second in the National League (NL) East Division, 10.5 games behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies.

“The Phillies are obviously playing exceptionally well – best team arguably in the game right now – but it’s about making sure you get to the playoffs one way or the other,” Anthopoulos stated. “Right now, the NL, I bet if you asked a lot of these teams and front offices, they’d all say the same thing. With the exception of the Brewers, Dodgers, and Phillies, no one is performing as expected.

The Braves entered the season hoping to extend their string of six consecutive NL East titles, which includes a World Series championship in 2021.

The 2024 regular season has yet to reach its halfway point, thus there is still time for the club to reverse its trajectory. Nonetheless, it will be difficult for them to come back, especially after losing top pitcher Spencer Strider to elbow surgery and ruling out reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. for the rest of the season due to a knee injury.

“The offensive issues appear to be spread throughout the league,” Anthopoulos added. “Many general managers are saying the same thing. People feel like they’re not hitting as hard as they could.”