The Braves' Offensive Skid Is Bigger Than Just Ronald Acuña Jr.

The Atlanta Braves sit at 54-40 and still hold first place in the NL East, but the cushion that once felt comfortable has almost disappeared.

A 9.5-game lead over the Phillies on June 7 is down to two, and the offense is a big reason why.

A stat from Jason Foster does not bode well heading into July 12.

Since May 11, the Braves have posted a .673 OPS, ranking 29th in Major League Baseball.

Go back to April 27 and it only bumps to .690, still 25th.

For a team that led the majors in runs scored and OPS early in the season with a .784 mark, that fall is hard to wave off as a rough patch.

June was even worse.

Atlanta posted the lowest OPS in baseball during the month, and a lineup that once looked like one of the deepest in the sport could not get anything going.

Ronald Acuña Jr. has been on the injured list since June 10 with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain, the second time this season the same hamstring has put him on the shelf.

He first missed time from May 3 through May 18, came back, then re-injured it less than a month later.

He could begin a rehab assignment during the All-Star break, but a return is not close.

Losing Acuña matters a lot, but it isn't everything.

He was hitting .251/.373/.421 with seven homers and 15 stolen bases before going down, and his presence at the top of the order changes how the entire offense operates.

But Foster's numbers make it clear that the decline started well before Acuña's second IL stint and will not be fixed simply by his return.

Drake Baldwin has been ice-cold since returning from his own oblique injury, going 1-for-31 at one stretch.

Austin Riley is hitting just .209 with a .619 OPS on the year, Matt Olson has had to carry more of the load than one hitter should, and Sean Murphy remains sidelined.

The issue is the whole group going quiet together over a long stretch.

Atlanta still has the talent to make a run.

Chris Sale has been dominant, the bullpen has been one of the best units in baseball, and 54-40 is nothing to panic over.

But the front office needs to find offensive help at the trade deadline, because waiting for the bats to come around on their own has not worked for two months.

If the offense does not pick up soon, the Braves could find themselves in a much tighter race by August and that is not where this team expected to be heading into the second half.