More than a quarter of the way into this season and it is obvious this year’s Atlanta Braves are not last year’s team. The players may mostly be the same, but injuries and failures at the plate have left this team almost unrecognizable — compared to last year.

It is past time that Major League Baseball and Atlanta Braves fans stop comparing this year’s version of the Braves to last year’s team that obliterated multiple team hitting records. It is obvious to see that if the Braves will contend for a World Series championship this year, or at least win a seventh straight National League East Division title, it will be done on the strength of its pitching, not at the plate.

I am not just saying that because the team lost its leadoff hitter, offensive catalyst and last year’s Most Valuable Player in Ronald Acuña Jr. for the season, which is a devastating blow for any team to overcome. But we have had a large enough sample size to see players underperforming and have shown no signs of rebounding.

Matt Olson, last year’s home run champ, has slugged just eight homers and 29 RBIs with 60 strikeouts through 53 games. Michael Harris II, two years removed from being named Rookie of the Year, is batting .258 with 50 strikeouts. Ozzie Albies is batting a respectable .276 but with only three home runs. Austin Riley, sidelined some because of injury, has three home runs and 18 RBIs in 40 games.

The team’s offensive firepower was its identity last year. This year it will have to be pitching.

You can quickly deduce that Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez and Max Fried will be the difference in this team making a charge in the postseason and one that could potentially flameout down the stretch of the regular season and not even make the playoffs.

The move to acquire Sale has to be up there in regards to the best moves of the offseason. He is third in the National League with a 2.12 ERA, second with eight wins and is fifth in strikeouts per nine innings with 11.

Remember when Fried struggled mightily to start the season? I don’t either. He has been so good in recent weeks. He has allowed one earned run in his last 17 innings and just four earned runs in his last 28.1 innings. His ERA was 4.02 at the end of April. It is now 2.97 which ranks 11th in the National League. Having two left-handers atop the rotation would be scary for any postseason lineup to try to match up against.

Lopez has also been another revelation for the pitching staff, tallying a 1.75 ERA in nine starts. He has only pitched past the sixth inning twice, but arm preservation is important this time of year.

This year’s Braves resemble the team that contended for the playoffs in the ‘90s; strong pitching, timely hitting and stellar bullpen. They will need that first component more than ever this year and into the playoffs. But they have to get there first.