To put it simply, the Braves are down bad. Real bad. After another home loss Wednesday to the Diamondbacks, the team is six games below .500 in early June, having lost 10 of its previous 13 overall. Braves legend and Hall of Famer Chipper Jones joined The Steakhouse to break down what he sees as central to the team’s woes.
The Braves’ struggles at the plate are playing a central role in the team’s failing over the past few weeks, and no player better epitomizes those struggles than center fielder Michael Harris II. Jones noted that he’s seeing frustration in Harris – among others – and too many “uncompetitive at-bats.”
“This is a huge peaks and valley’s game,” said Jones. “[Sometimes] you feel like you’re never going to get another hit ever… That’s why it’s important to be as even-keel as possible so you don’t ride the roller coaster through all this process.”
Jones also discussed the issues that All-Star pitcher Spencer Strider has dealt with since making his big-league return from a torn UCL that kept him out for roughly a calendar year.
“He doesn’t have the feel, but it will come back,” said Jones, who added that he expects the velocity to tick up over time as well. “I heard Snit say the same thing as I’m saying in the postgame and he’s 100 percent right.”
Chipper chopped it up with Steak about a ton more, including Pete Rose’s controversial situation as it relates to the Hall of Fame of which Jones is a member, as well as his controversial tweet about the antics Jones sees on the field in college baseball.