It's not as though this is the first year that the Braves haven't made the postseason, but it is the first time recently that they have been out of it so early.
The trade of first baseman Mark Teixeira at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline slapped the team hard. Everyone who had been clinging to the mathematical possibilities was sobered by that move, even if they understood the business behind it. So for the first time, manager Bobby Cox is having to stress in meetings the importance of playing hard regardless of the outlook.
"Right now it'd take a miracle to get back in it," Cox acknowledged. "But you play for the fans. You play for the pride. You've still got to be a professional. People pay money -- I bring that up all the time -- they pay to watch us play. Let's give them a show.
"And we have a responsibility to the teams that are still in it. We got to beat the Mets, then we play the Marlins, we've got to beat the Marlins for the Mets' sake. (Brewers manager) Ned Yost, the (rival) Cubs come in here, we tried as hard as we could to beat them. They swept us."
GIANTS 5, BRAVES 0: RHP Jorge Campillo had a rough first inning for the second consecutive start, and although he kept the damage to three runs, that was too much for the Braves' offense to overcome.
