USA TODAY Major League Baseball columnist Bob Nightengale detailed how poor the Braves’ season has been, especially considering this franchise’s success this decade.

“Atlanta, 27-36, is nine games below .500 for the 1st time since 2017.”

Article Continues BelowThe Braves are on a seven-year playoff streak, which includes a World Series championship in 2021 and six straight divisional titles. And while heading into this season, this team would have to deal with the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, two legit contenders, in the NL East, there was still a belief that this team would be able to return to October baseball. That has not been the case. While there are plenty of culprits for this group’s struggles, the offense ranking 21st in runs per game is the headliner.

The lackluster production at the plate continued on Saturday, but the Braves were still up 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs. Unfortunately, Giants’ third baseman Matt Chapman had other ideas with a walk-off home run. One player that Atlanta needs to have a major bounce-back season is Ronald Acuna Jr. It’s not the 2023 NL MVP’s fault that 2024 was an injury-riddled season, but the 27-year-old still has the talent to carry this roster back into relevance.

Overall, not all is lost for the Braves. The season is still very young. But it goes without saying, Atlanta needs to start showing progress if it wants to be buyers and not sellers at the trade deadline. This roster should be a lot better than its 27-36 record, but that’s the reality for one of the most consistent franchises this decade.