The Atlanta Braves Can't Get A Break

The 2006 season was a very difficult one for the Atlanta Braves and their fans.

2006 marked the end of a dynasty in Atlanta, an era in which the Braves won 14 straight division championships.

In 2007, by contrast, the Braves just can't get a break.

Since then, reliever Mike Gonzalez has gone down with one of the flukiest injuries I've ever seen, and Chuck James has struggled to regain the form he showed a year ago.

Buddy Carlyle has been a pleasant surprise, but he can't hold down the fort alone when John Smoltz and Tim Hudson aren't pitching. Jo-Jo Reyes and Kyle Davies, for their part, have both been inconsistent.

At the trade deadline, the Braves made two big moves by picking up Mark Teixeira and Ron Mahay from the Rangers and Octavio Dotel from the Royals.

So everything is great, right?

Wrong!

The heart of the problem is Andruw Jones, who has been plagued by injuries and is having the worst year of his career. The Braves would have been better off trading him while they could still get something in return.

Also troubling is the health of Edgar Renteria, who landed on the 15-day DL with a sprained ankle. In fact, the Braves have been snakebitten of late, with Chipper Jones, Willie Harris, Brian McCann, Bob Wickman, and Dotel all battling the injury bug.

The way things have gone, the Braves are lucky to still be in the pennant race. If anyone else goes down, it could spell disaster.

That said, if the Braves actually stay healthy, the rest of the National League had better watch out come October.

Unfortunately, that's a pretty big "if."

  

As it is, I stand by my position that the Braves should have traded Jones for pitching. On a team that can't get a break, every little bit would have helped.