SAN FRANCISCO — Sunday officially marked the halfway point of the 2026 MLB season. But what started off as a hot year for the Atlanta Braves has turned sour this month.
The Braves were the first team to 20 wins, 30 wins and 40 wins. They were ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies by 9.5 games on May 31.
Atlanta started off June with back-to-back series against the Blue Jays and Pirates. But since then, the season has taken an ugly turn.
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The Braves have dropped the other series against the White Sox, Giants, Padres and the Mets. Their only series win since their slump began was over the Brewers. And Atlanta’s once dominant lead is now down to three games.
After Sunday’s loss in San Francisco, reporters asked Braves manager Walt Weiss about the Phillies cutting into the Braves lead. He gave a frank response.
“I don’t care what the lead is. I could care less. It’s early. We knew we had a big lead early, there were several months to go. I’m not worried about anybody else but ourselves right now,” Weiss said.
Weiss admitted it’s been a tough month and noted the team’s offensive struggles.
“The other teams, their stuff falls. Yours doesn’t. That’s just the way it is right now. But we don’t have a lot of margin for error, not scoring runs. Every run we give up is a big one because we’re having a hard time scoring,” he said.
Atlanta looks to get back on track with home series against the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets. The team is offering $17.76 special tickets in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary and the 4th of July holiday.
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