The Atlanta Braves have been one of the most successful teams in Major League Baseball over the past two decades. However, their recent playoff struggles have been a cause for concern. The Braves have not won a playoff series since 2001, and their 2020 postseason performance was especially disappointing.
The Braves finished the regular season with the best record in the National League, but they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Los Angeles Dodgers. This marked the fourth consecutive year that the Braves have failed to make it past the first round of the playoffs.
This recent stretch of playoff struggles has been reminiscent of the Braves’ struggles in the 1990s. During that decade, the Braves made the playoffs eight times but failed to make it past the first round on seven occasions. The only time they advanced past the first round was in 1991, when they made it to the World Series before losing to the Minnesota Twins.
The Braves’ recent struggles have been attributed to a lack of pitching depth and an inability to hit in clutch situations. The team’s starting rotation has been solid, but their bullpen has been inconsistent and prone to giving up late leads. Additionally, the Braves have struggled to get timely hits in key moments, which has cost them games in the playoffs.
The Braves will need to address these issues if they want to end their playoff drought. They have a talented roster, but they need to find a way to get more consistent pitching and timely hitting if they want to make a deep postseason run. If they can do that, then maybe they can finally break their playoff drought and return to their winning ways.
