This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ATLANTA – Rock bottom eventually becomes a desirable destination during what feels like an uncontrollable free fall.

Could things get any worse for the Braves? This question was seemingly asked every day this week. It felt like the team hit rock bottom when it lost the final two games of a four-game series against the Marlins. But things actually got worse as the club was then outscored 34-12 while being swept in a three-game series against the Brewers.

When the Braves entered last Saturday having won six of their past seven, there was reason to wonder if they might actually win a seventh straight National League East title. Yeah, it’s still a possibility. But so, too is completely missing the postseason.

The Braves would actually miss the playoffs if the season ended today. They are a half-game behind the Mets in the battle for the third and final National League Wild Card spot. The D-backs and Padres have both moved at least two games ahead of Atlanta.

You can continue to point to the fact that the Braves got just one start out of Spencer Strider before he underwent season-ending right elbow surgery in April. The next significant blow occurred at the end of May, when Ronald Acuña Jr. tore the ACL in his right knee. Losing a top Cy Young Award candidate and the reigning NL MVP is pretty significant.

Michael Harris II will end up missing two months when he returns next week. And Ozzie Albies might be sidelined for another month.

Still, even with all of the injuries, this team has underperformed, especially when you account for how good the pitching has been -- up until this week, when it seemed like everything fell apart.

“Even with losing guys [to injuries], we still feel like we have the guys and manpower to score more runs than we have,” said manager Brian Snitker. “That’s the tough thing. We’ve been so accustomed to being such an offensive force here, and now all of a sudden we’re not this year, for whatever reason.”

How bad was this week? Well, the Braves decided to option one of their key relievers Dylan Lee to give their starters two extra days of rest. How did that work out? Well, Bryce Elder, who was brought up to create this additional day of rest, completed 3 2/3 innings on Tuesday.

Chris Sale went 4 2/3 innings on Wednesday and Charlie Morton completed 2 2/3 innings in Thursday’s start. If you’re keeping count, infielder Luke Williams recorded one more out than Morton during the Brewers series.

Having a position player make two appearances against the Brewers likely wasn’t part of the plan when the Braves decided to give their starters two extra days of rest. Dylan Dodd (Atlanta's No. 14 prospect) and Parker Dunshee also weren’t a part of the initial plans. But at least Braves fans learned that Dunshee is a part of the organization.

The Braves will start Grant Holmes on Friday and Max Fried on Saturday, while Sunday's starter is TBA for this weekend’s series at Coors Field. Ian Anderson won’t be an option. His start with Triple-A Gwinnett was pushed from Tuesday to Friday. This creates a possibility for him start either Wednesday or Thursday in San Francisco.

Ready for the good news? Reynaldo López began throwing again this week. He may make a rehab start next week and then be activated at some point around Aug. 17, which is near the end of this current 10-game road trip against the Rockies, Giants and Angels.

The Braves have skillfully managed both their rotation and bullpen throughout this season. If they hadn’t created extra days of rest, there’s no chance Sale, López and Schwellenbach would still be available or at least effective down the stretch.

Sale and López haven’t experienced a full season as a big league starter since 2019. Schwellenbach was the University of Nebraska’s shortstop at the time. Two years later, he’d start pitching again. It would be another two years before he reintroduced himself to a starting role. One year later, he’s already combined for 100-plus innings at the Minor League and big league levels.

The Braves are skipping Schwellenbach’s turn this weekend. They say he’s healthy. But if he’s not, this would at least be a way to bring Lee back to the roster.

I continue to be a big proponent of doing whatever necessary to ensure the starters are ready for October. But creating two extra days of rest for Sale and Morton this week seemed to be too much.