Mariners welcome Jarred Kelenic and the Braves to town for battle of division leaders

Mariners vs Braves: Final Thoughts

You've probably noticed that one name has been absent so far while talking about the Braves, and it's one that I wanted to leave until the end so we could spend a bit of time focusing on him. It's Jarred Kelenic, the argument starting OF that the Mariners sent to the Braves in the offseason.

Kelenic started off HOT for the Braves, 11-19 to start the season with a .579/.619/.737 slash line through his first 8 games. Since then, it's been a complete 180 in which Kelenic has gone just 7-40, hitting .175/.250/.200 with 18 strikeouts. He has yet to homer for the Braves this season, and looks to be showing more of the same that we saw with the Mariners last year with his streakiness.

The big question I have, and I'm sure many a Mariners fan will be pondering it on the way to the games this week, is how to treat Kelenic. Are you going to boo him? Cheer for him? Or straight up ignore him?

I can't lie. If I was at the game, I would probably boo him. I really don't like how he left the team, and it left a sour taste with how he left along with the comments he made.

However, the Mariners can't let petty squabbles get in the way of the biggest test they will have faced this season. The Braves are likely the best team in baseball, even without Spencer Strider. If the Mariners can get out of this series with a single win, and sit at 16-15 after the series, I think we can all be happy enough with that outcome.