ATLANTA -- Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez knows the game of baseball. For better or for worse, he also knows the business of baseball.
He said he is not going to let the latter get in the way of the former prior to Friday night's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, which kicked off a six-game homestand.
"I think the fans, and rightfully so, are in the winning and losing business," said Gonzalez, whose team is 7-21, last in the National League East, after Friday's 7-2 loss to the D-backs. "They're passionate about their team and they want to win. I don't blame them for that, either."
But Gonzalez is enthused. He wants to stay around because he knows what's coming and the success coming with them.
"One hundred percent I want to be a part of that," he said. "You see the young talent coming and how good they can be for the long-term. I was part of all those trades. I was in the room when all that stuff happened.
"My biggest fear or concern is you go through these lumps, you see these young guys come in and then you get dismissed and the guys are here the next year and they're winning everything and you go, 'Man, I wish I had an opportunity to do that. But, again, this is a cruel business. It's part of our job."
Gonzalez's approach to managing has not changed.
"You go forward. I'm thinking, 'Hey, let's turn it around this year. Let's start winning ball games, especially here at home,'" he said.
Atlanta is 1-13 at home following Friday's loss, but that record is deceiving, as the Braves have yet to meet a team with a losing road record -- the Nationals, Cardinals, Dodgers, Mets and Red Sox combined for a 44-29 road record, a .603 winning percentage. The D-backs and Phillies also entered the weekend with winning marks on the road. Additionally, eight of the 13 losses were by three runs or less and three of those came in extra innings.
"It's not the '27 Yankees, but it's a good baseball team," Gonzalez said. "I think if instead of going 0-9 we would have started 3-6 or 4-5, this story doesn't even become an issue. It's an easy story. Our record is 7-21, so it's easy to get picked on right now. My job is to make sure our players are positive, they're getting the information to win a ball game and they play the game the right way."
The Braves skipper has heard plenty about his job status in recent days, and even had a conversation with general manager John Coppolella.
Gonzalez isn't looking down the road, except to see who is the next talented youngster coming up.
"We're not going to go 90-10 the rest of the way, but we're going to play better, we're going to bring in some young players," he said. "There's nothing for sure in our business, so you hold your head up, make good decisions and go forward, see what happens
"I got a chance to write the lineup today," he added, with a smile. "That's good enough for me."