3 Things We Learned From the Braves-Diamondbacks Series

The general rule in baseball is that a road team should always be happy to split a four-game series. But in a title race and against a lesser opponent, a split won’t feel like a victory, even for the road team.

That will be especially true for the Atlanta Braves after winning the first two games in Arizona. The Braves only needed to split Wednesday and Thursday to secure three wins in the series, but instead lost both games to fall back to 10 games above .500.

There’s now one series left before the MLB All-Star break. Here’s what we learned from the Braves’ split in the desert.

Most of the trade rumors surrounding the Braves in recent weeks have been about outfielders. With Chris Sale, Max Fried and Reynaldo Lopez all excelling, it makes sense that Atlanta would be more interested in filling holes in the lineup.

But the Braves shouldn’t rule out bolstering a strong point, especially with Charlie Morton currently struggling.

The Braves had the lead twice in Morton’s start Wednesday, but in both cases Morton gave up tying home runs. The veteran right-hander was not defeated, but he gave up four runs in 6.1 innings.

It was the third time in the last four outings that Morton has allowed at least four runs. The Braves have lost all four of those games. The only start in the last four weeks that Morton hasn’t allowed at least four runs came against the Pittsburgh Pirates, one of the league’s worst offenses.

Morton as the No. 4 starter is a luxury. But with Atlanta’s inconsistent offense and six-man rotation, it would be even better if Morton were the No. 5 starter. The Braves should at least consider that possibility before the trade deadline.

Atlanta’s offense has reawakened after its slump in May and early June. But it still shows signs of inconsistency.

Over the past 19 games, the Braves have scored at least five runs eight times. But they have also scored two runs or fewer six times during that span.

On Thursday, the Braves spoiled a terrific start by Fried, who allowed just one run on five hits in six innings. The team’s bullpen also shut down the Diamondbacks’ efforts, but the Braves lost 1-0.

Atlanta left six men on base and went 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position.

Before Thursday, the Braves’ offense had started to gain some consistency, scoring at least five runs in six straight games. But the 1-0 loss put a stop to that improvement.

With the two series-ending losses in Arizona, the gap between the Braves and Phillies has widened to 9.5 games. While that’s important, showing tangible signs of improvement is even more vital.

But the inconsistent attack and sometimes difficult starts from the pitchers have bogged down the Braves a bit.

After snapping an eight-of-nine winning streak on June 23, the Braves were 11 games above .500. Once again, they’re back to just 10 games above .500 after Thursday’s loss.

Over the last 17 games, they are 8-9. The Braves have won two of three games against the Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies. But during that span, they have also lost series to the St. Louis Cardinals, the San Francisco Giants and just one game to the Chicago White Sox.

The Braves had a four-game winning streak heading into Wednesday. But the last two losses in Arizona mean that unless the Braves win the series in San Diego this weekend, they will have played at .500 or below for nearly a month before the All-Star break.