The Braves Have Set an MLB Record for the Most Impressive Stretch of Mediocrity in Baseball History

Even in what could easily be described as a season from Hell, the Atlanta Braves have found a way to hang around .500 — despite having yet to eclipse that mark — for the first four months and find themselves still in the thick of the NL East race thanks to a Mets team that refuses to pull away with the division.

But even by 2021 Braves standards, the consistent mediocrity this team has been able to achieve since the All-Star break has been remarkable. In fact, it's unequaled in the history of baseball.

The Braves are the first team to ever have a streak of 17 games without consecutive wins or losses. I've never seen anything like it. For more than two weeks now, it has been loss, win, loss, win, loss, win and so the pattern continues forever.

And while the results have been as predictable as possible, the team has looked radically different every night. In the nine losses, the Braves have scored 2.5 runs per game compared to 7.6 in the wins. You have no idea what team you're going to get on a nightly basis, and yet you know exactly what you're going to get based on the previous night's results. It's a weird paradigm.

And I have no reason to believe this streak can't continue for the rest of the season. Sure, the law of averages says you'll luck into a second straight win or drop one in extras for a second straight night at some point, but if there's ever a team that embodies the very spirit of being .500, it is the 2021 Atlanta Braves. These guys eat, sleep and breathe .500 baseball.

So now we just wait and see how long this thing will go. Atlanta will look to make the streak 18 with a win in St. Louis on Tuesday night.