When everyone evaluated the National League East as some sort of behemoth in the offseason filled with five teams that had playoff aspirations, they seemed to discount one important factor. All five of those teams had remarkable flaws – all of which have appeared to pop up early in the season.
Take a look around and wallow in the mediocrity.
• The Braves starting rotation is a mess with Mike Fried and Drew Smyly on the injured list and Mike Soroka’s situation not looking promising. Atlanta entered play on Friday with a 4.93 ERA among its starting pitchers – 24th in the Majors. The lineup also suffered a blow this week with Ronald Acuna Jr. going down with an abdominal strain. Acuna wasn’t put on the IL, but those things can linger with a player all season. Acuna was so blistering when he was sidelined on Sunday night that any amount of inaction hurts Atlanta.