Braves Next Redemption Arc Ahead as They Go West for Road Trip

Here it comes. The Atlanta Braves head west for a seven-game road trip. The opponents are different. It’s not to lead off the season, but there’s that thought in everyone’s mind: 0-7.

The last west coast road trip to start a season had the team behind the eight ball, and they never quite managed to overcome it. They were ultimately above .500 for a short time in late May despite that losing streak to open the season, but in the end, it was a reflection of the type of season they would have.

This time around, they have the wind in their sails. They’re coming off a winning homestand, in which they took both series, two out of three.

There are some things they have to iron out. Baserunning needs some work, and the offense could be better at stringing hits together as opposed to relying on big games from one play or the longball. But this is a team that’s already in a better spot compared to where they were heading into the start of last season.

“I talked all spring about the vibe and the energy,” manager Walt Weiss said after the 5-1 win. “The attention to detail every day. I know it’s spring training, it’s, you got to be careful putting a lot of stock into spring training , but it was more than just the way we were playing. It was about the way we were operating. There was a sense of urgency. I still see it.”

Weiss is confident that the offense can iron out what still needs to be addressed. He felt he saw positive signs from key stars who haven’t been consistent out of the gate: Ronald Acuña Jr., Austin Riley and Matt Olson. When they get going, that naturally will help.

The Braves come in with extra depth on the bench than they had a year ago. Mike Yastrzemski and Dominic Smith have been clutch early in the year. That’s helped the team navigate their way to wins when the core isn’t getting it done just yet.

Both bats, with an emphasis on Smith, who hit a walk-off grand slam, contributed to a comeback win on Saturday.

Drake Baldwin has carried that success from the Rookie of the Year award-winning campaign into 2026. His four RBIs were a difference-maker in the win on Tuesday. Mauricio Dubón has provided production at shortstop that the team was hard-pressed for for most of last year.

All of that helps. We could look at the opponents and say they have it easier, but that can’t be the mindset.

“We don't want to get too lackadaisical,” Chris Sale said. “I think that's just how it's going to be, because this is baseball, you know how it can go.”

Schedule Ahead

The Braves will start with a four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Three of the starters are set with Reynaldo López, Grant Holmes and Bryce Elder penciled in. Sunday’s starter is yet to be determined. For now, it’s expected to be Jose Suarez or Martín Pérez.

After that, they’ll head to Anaheim to face the Los Angeles Angels for three games. It’s the first time they’ll play at Angels Stadium since the 2024 season. No starters have been announced. That’s a little too far out, but it can be expected that we’ll see Chris Sale during that series.