Bravo Blog: On the record on Tomahawk Choke 2

The slumping Uggla is the poster boy for the struggling Braves.

On Sunday, I was ranting on Twitter about how poorly the Braves have played recently. Their recent skid has brought back the nightmares of September 2011 when they gagged away a 10-game lead in just over a month. I said the Braves would go 8-22 the rest of the way this season.

Chipper Jones promptly silenced me by capping off an amazing comeback win against the Phillies with a three-run walk-off blast. A friend then called me out about my earlier rant, to which I jokingly replied "9-21."

Or was I joking? Taking the emotion out of Chipper's blast, I'm still not convinced this team has totally fixed its problems.

I hope I'm wrong, but there's still plenty of choke in this team. They can't score runs. Last year, it was a slumping offense and a tired bullpen. This year, the bullpen is fine. The starters are up and down, but overall decent. The offense is just bad. So, for the record, here is how I possibly see another nightmare September going:

They started the month with a split with the Phillies (the first game was August 31). So that's 1-1.

Four against the Rockies: I predicted a split when I was doing the math on Sunday. With Tuesday's loss, they're right on pace. 2-2 vs Colorado. 3-3 in the month.

Three in New York: Medlen is pitching one, and he's been fantastic since joining the rotation. I think that's the only one they get. 1-2 in New York. 4-5 in September.

Three in Milwaukee. The Brewers are surging. Sweep. 4-8 in September.

Three at home against the Nationals. Washington will be very close to wrapping up the division, and the Nationals have dominated Atlanta all year. Sweep again. 4-11.

Three in Miami. The Braves always play poorly there, but the Marlins aren't great. I'll say 1-2 there. 5-13.

Three in Philadelphia. The Phillies are playing much better. They'll win this series. 6-15.

Three at home with Miami. Again, a perennial thorn in Atlanta's side. Braves get one here. 7-17.

Three at home with the Mets. This is the only series win I predict. Two out of three. 9-18

Three in Pittsburgh in the regular season's final series. The Pirates may be on the cusp of their first playoff berth since 1992, when Sid Bream was safe at home. It would be poetic justice for Pirates fans for them to knock Atlanta out. That's what scares me the most: the schedule sets up so perfectly for Pittsburgh to have a great moment like that. Sweep. 9-21.

Help us, Andrelton Simmons. You're our only hope.

So, that's how I see the potential disaster. The Braves need a true, consistent spark. Dan Uggla likely isn't coming back mentally this year. Brian McCann is too hurt to play (just my gut feeling there). The only hope for this team is if Andrelton Simmons comes back and can add some pop to the lineup.

The top of the lineup (Bourn, Prado, Heyward, Chipper, Freeman) is doing alright overall. They just get left on base a lot. With three automatic outs at the bottom of the order, that happens. I hate to put it all on Simmons, but he is the spark this team needs.

If he comes back and hits, they have a chance. A guy at the bottom of the order who can pick up those remaining base runners and turn the lineup over can do a lot. If not, it's going to be another sad September in Atlanta.