After Saturday night’s win over the Astros, the Braves are on the doorstep of another NL East title. A little help from the Mets has left Atlanta with a magic number of one, and that shifts the focus fast from the division race to October.
The bigger picture is still pretty murky. The National League has been the stronger league this season, which makes a jump in Atlanta’s current seeding unlikely.
With the Brewers and Dodgers both continuing to win, the Braves’ most probable landing spot is the No. 3 seed in the NL bracket. That still leaves the first-round opponent unsettled, though, and the Wild Card round is where the guessing game starts.
The Diamondbacks are technically still in the mix as of September 20, but they’re a long shot at four games back in the Wild Card race. So the Braves’ most likely first-round opponents are the three clubs bunched near the top of that race.
The one Atlanta probably wants least is the Padres. San Diego sits at 86-69 and has taken three of seven from the Braves this year.
That recent playoff baggage matters, and so does the road issue for Atlanta in San Diego. The Padres have also been playing well enough to be a real problem, even if their closing stretch is no cakewalk.
They finish with the Marlins on Sunday, then head to the Dodgers before coming home to face a Diamondbacks team that may still be clawing for a spot.
The Phillies are right there too at 85-70, and Atlanta has controlled the season series by a 9-4 margin. But a short series changes everything, especially when Philadelphia can line up Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sanchez, and potentially Jesus Luzardo if he’s healthy.
The schedule also gives Philly a tough final week. It opens with the Mets this weekend, and that matchup has already gone badly for them.
Then come home series against the Brewers and Rays, though Milwaukee and Tampa Bay don’t have much left to play for.
The Cubs round out the group, and on paper they look like the softest draw. Pete Crow-Armstrong is “on his current run would be spooky,” but Chicago’s pitching staff is the least intimidating of the three options by a wide margin. Their finish is also favorable: they wrap up with the Reds, then close against the Marlins and Red Sox.
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Austin Riley, Reynaldo Lopez and Spencer Strider all fit into that uneasy conversation for different reasons. Riley has had a disappointing offensive season despite the long-term contract on his ledger, Lopez has battled injuries and inconsistency, and Strider has fought through injury while searching for his sharpest form. None of that means a move is inevitable, but it does leave the Braves with a complicated set of decisions if they decide the easiest path forward is not to keep every major piece in place. [Read more 🡒]
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His imprint still shows up in the franchises memory through key personnel decisions and player development, including Bobby Cox and Dale Murphy, and the Braves used both a game broadcast and social media to call attention to that legacy. Lucas is already in the Braves Hall of Fame, but the anniversary serves as a reminder of how much of the clubs modern identity was built under his watch, and how long his place in baseball history has deserved more than a passing mention. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Just Delivered The Late-Season Win Fans Needed
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At 91-64, the Braves are now close to clinching the NL East title, and the timing of this win only adds to its value. The rotation has steadied, the lineup delivered in a big moment, and the club is suddenly lining up the final stretch with a little more breathing room and a lot more momentum. [Read more 🡒]