By Mark Bowman, Braves.com

ATLANTA — Just two weeks have elapsed since the Braves exited Fenway Park having produced a National League-best 19-10 record from April 18 to May 18. They had won five of six and seemed ready to roll, especially with Ronald Acuña Jr. set to return later that same week.

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But just two weeks later, as Atlanta concluded its home series against the Red Sox with a 3-1 loss on Sunday afternoon at Truist Park, that promising stretch seemed like a distant memory. The Braves (27-31) have lost eight of the 11 games that have followed that series at Fenway and now sit just 3 1/2 games ahead of the last-place Marlins (23-24) in the NL East.

“I was thinking the other day about how quickly this game can change, and how things can change and how you can never take anything for granted,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “You can win five or six in a row, and then you turn around and you’ve lost three in a row. How does that happen? It’s just the way the game is.”

Two weeks after constructing MLB’s second-best record over a month-long stretch, Atlanta’s record is better than just three NL teams — the Marlins, Pirates and Rockies. Their recent struggles have erased much of what they had accomplished by going from 0-7 to a winning record (24-23) as recently as May 18.

“I didn’t really know where everybody’s heads were at with the 0-7 start,” Braves starting pitcher Bryce Elder said. “But coming up today, it seems like everybody is on the right track.”

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Mentally, maybe. But this is a results-based business and this team isn’t providing any confidence it can turn things around like it did three years ago. The 2022 Braves were 10 1/2 games behind the first-place Mets and three games under .500 (24-27) at the end of play on June 1. That club won 101 games and the NL East.

This year’s team will enter June 2 four games under .500 and 9 1/2 games behind the first-place Mets. Could they do it again?

“We don’t have to worry about much, because we know how we started and we know how we start and we know what we can do,” Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna said. “At the end of the year, we’re going to be in the same place — in the playoffs.”

These first two months haven’t destroyed the confidence of a team that is seeking an eighth straight postseason berth. But having a strong psyche hasn’t necessarily guaranteed consistent success in clutch situations.

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The Braves went 4-for-26 with runners in scoring position while dropping two of three to the Red Sox this weekend. They rank 18th among all MLB teams with the .247 batting average they’ve constructed with RISP this season. Conversely, the NL West-leading Dodgers (.321) and the NL Central-leading Cubs (.296) own the two best batting averages in these situations.

It’s not the be-all, end-all stat. The Braves have gone 3-8 while hitting .267 with RISP since May 20. They hit a comparable .273 in these situations during the 19-10 stretch that concluded on May 18.

Snitker wasn’t pleased when he was asked about his team’s inconsistencies in clutch situations.

“If you haven’t played this game and you haven’t been through that, you have no idea what’s going on there. It’s not an easy fix,” Snitker said.

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Nor is the offense necessarily completely to blame for this rough stretch.

Ozuna’s lingering right hip discomfort has limited him this year, but he (.958), Acuña (1.042) and Albies (.827) have all produced an .800-plus OPS during the 3-8 skid. Matt Olson (.761) and Austin Riley (.748) have underperformed, but they also haven’t been lifeless during this stretch.

But the blame also can’t be placed on a pitching staff that has posted a 3.27 ERA over the past 11 games.

Seven of the eight losses over the past 11 games have been by two runs or less. Conversely, each of Atlanta’s three wins within this stretch has Thbeen by at least five runs.

Unfortunately, this has been a season-long trend. The Braves are 9-14 in one-run games. The only teams with more one-run losses are the White Sox (3-15) and the Red Sox (6-15)