Hot take: Tuesday is the worst day of the week.

You’ve slogged through Monday already, but the progress feels about as meaningless as a season-opening football win over Wofford. Still so far to go.

Anyway … wanna talk about the Braves?

Quick links: Thanks for nothing, FIFA | Braves in the All-Star vote | Dream-Liberty

MAKE OR BREAK (ISH)

Braves center fielder Michael Harris II hits a single during Sunday's game against the Rockies.

Credit: Mike Stewart/AP

Today’s a big day in Braves Country, folks.

And it’s about a lot more than one game against the division-leading Mets (or even the bobblehead of Spencer Strider and his dog).

This is the start of a potentially season-defining two-week stretch.

By the end of it, Atlanta could be even more woefully behind — or suddenly find itself right back in the thick of things.

“I don’t know what the answer is,” manager Brian Snitker said Sunday. “Just keep waiting for it to happen. These guys have done it before.”

That, admittedly, is an annoying thing to hear over and over again. But the Braves *have* chased down the Mets before, in recent memory. They’ve suddenly woken up midseason before.

• Acuña is NL Player of the Week; makes All-Star push

This is a very different Atlanta team, not mention a very different New York team. A stronger National League than in years past, too.

We’ll find out soon enough if there’s even a glimmer of hope.

Tonight’s series opener begins a string of 13 straight games within the NL East:

📅 Three with the Mets at Truist.

📅 Three in Miami.

📅 Four with the Mets in New York.

📅 And three back home against the Phillies.

“We got a chance to make up some ground,” first baseman Matt Olson said.

Indeed. Or the opposite.

The Braves are 31-39, 13 games back of New York and 11 behind Philly. They’re also 7½ games (and five teams) out of the final wild card spot. They need to win pretty much every series moving forward.

And while the trade deadline isn’t until July 31, how they fare between now and July 1 may just dictate whether management throws in the towel — or attempts to load up for a playoff push.

⚾ Tonight’s first pitch: 7:15 p.m. on FanDuel Sports. Spencer Schwellenbach gets the start, his first since an impressive complete-game outing against the Brewers.

THE PROFAR DISCOURSE RETURNS

Banished Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar is eligible to begin his minor league rehab assignment today, per reports.

He’ll be able to return to the bigs — and end his 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs — in early July.

📨 My question to readers: How do you feel about that, and about Profar in general? Welcome him back, stay mad forever or something in between?

Shoot me an email with your thoughts.

THE BIG NUMBER: 22,137

This is Monday's Club World Cup the Jaguars.

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

That was the announced attendance for Monday’s Club World Cup match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. And that’s … bad.

Record-low attendance for non-COVID-era soccer bad, apparently, despite a fairly entertaining game (Chelsea 2, LAFC 0).

Columnist Ken Sugiura says to blame FIFA.

Which is a safe bet regardless, but in this instance, the whole idea of scheduling a game between two non-Atlanta teams on a weekday afternoon — and charging at least $50 per ticket — felt particularly egregious.

At least the new grass held up?

⚽ Atlanta’s next Club World Cup match arrives Thursday. At 3 p.m. Lionel Messi and Inter Miami take on FC Porto, a squad from Portugal.

DREAM TIME

The high-flying Dream, meanwhile, land in the Big Apple for a big test tonight.

The defending champion New York Liberty are fresh off their first loss of the season (thanks, Caitlin Clark). They’re one of just two teams above Atlanta in the standings.

And a bit of revenge is in order, too: The Liberty routed the Dream right out of the playoffs last season.

🏀 Tipoff: 7 p.m. on Peachtree TV. Should be a banger.

Advertisement

ALSO INTERESTING

🤔 The state of Louisiana is set to raise its tax on sports betting proceeds and funnel the extra cash to colleges “for the benefit of student athletes.” Explained one state rep: “We love football in Louisiana — that’s the easiest way to say it.”

Points for honesty! But the real question is … who’s next?

😮 Arkansas’ Gage Wood threw the third no-hitter in College World Series history (and the first since 1960) on Tuesday. He also struck out a record 19 batters and eliminated Omaha darlings Murray State while he was at it.

Boo.

😬 The Oklahoma City Thunder are one win away from an NBA title after Monday night’s 120-109 win over the Pacers. If Tyrese Haliburton’s calf isn’t better by Thursday’s Game 6, Indiana might be cooked for real this time.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Former Braves player and Marine veteran Chuck Goggin is honored between innings of Friday's game with the Rockies.

Credit: Mike Stewart/AP

AJC sports intern Olivia Sayer wrote this lovely story about Chuck Goggin, a former Braves player who interrupted his baseball career to serve in the Marine Corps during Vietnam.

The Braves recently honored Goggin as a “hometown hero.”

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Advertisement

Thanks for reading to the very bottom of Sports Daily. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.

Until next time.