Braves set club record for April losses: 'It's not fun right now'

Freddie Freeman helped the Atlanta Braves snap one dubious stretch Wednesday in Boston when he smacked the club's first home run in 15 games. A more distressing streak continued, however, as the Braves stumbled to their eighth straight loss with a 9-4 defeat at Fenway Park.

Though the Braves have three games to go before the calendar jumps over to May, the club has already established a new franchise record for losses in April, and will carry an abysmal 4-17 record (minus-44 run differential) into Thursday's series finale against the Red Sox.

"It's a start we didn't want," Freeman told Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "We've just got to start playing better baseball and hopefully win some games. It's not fun right now."

How could it be fun? Heading into Wednesday's contest, the Braves ranked dead last in the National League in virtually every meaningful offensive category, with only one player - Nick Markakis - performing at an above-average level at the plate.

They haven't fared much better on the mound either, and only one of their starters - Jhoulys Chacin - owns an ERA better than league average.

According to manager Fredi Gonzalez, however, there isn't anything to be done besides continuing to put in the work - and maybe a little bit of one-on-one counseling.

"You keep grinding," Gonzalez said. "I feel like the guy serving at the Publix deli and you've got to take a number. You bring guys in (the office) and you talk to them individually and pump them up and you coach (them) all up and do that stuff. We will continue doing that. We've got to do that and get out of this funk that we are in."