Record Against Losing Teams Could Cost Braves Playoff Spot

The Atlanta Braves are struggling to beat some of the worst teams in the MLB this season.

Atlanta Braves third baseman Gio Urshela / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Braves have played some of their best baseball against the top teams in the league this season.

They have a winning record against the National League's best team, the Philadelphia Phillies. They also own a 5-2 record versus NL wild card contender, the Arizona Diamondbacks.

In interleague play, the Braves have dominanted their competition, especially the best the American League has to offer. The Braves hold a combined 16-3 mark against the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros. All six of those teams are in the playoff hunt (although the Red Sox are fading fast).

That's a big reason why if the Braves do make the postseason, baseball analysts consider them a very dangerous team.

But getting there is becoming the issue. They dropped to 2 games behind the New York Mets after Tuesday's 6-5 loss against the Cincinnati Reds. The defeat made the Braves 0-4 versus the Reds this season.

The Braves also have losing records against the Chicago White Sox and Washington Nationals. Overall, they are 6-14 against those three teams.

The #Braves are 0-4 vs. Cincinnati, 1-2 vs. the White Sox, and 5-8 vs. the Nationals.

That's 6-14 vs. the Reds, White Sox and Nats.

— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) September 18, 2024

If Atlanta doesn't make the postseason, injuries the team suffered this year will receive the bulk of the blame. As it should. The Braves played a majority of the season without Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr. Then they played most of the second half without Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley.

Michael Harris II missed a good portion of the season too.

But the Braves didn't play the top teams in the AL with those players and then the Reds, White Sox and Nationals without them. The rest of Atlanta's roster has brought it against the league's best and have then sleptwalked through the bottom-feeders.

Not all of the bottom-feeders. The Braves are 7-3 versus the Miami Marlins. But enough of them that it's a problem.

With Atlanta on the outside looking in at the playoff picture, those results are proving to be costly.

The Braves conclude their road schedule this season with those Marlins. They will then face the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals during the final week.

Maybe it's a blessing in disguise that the Braves play two contenders over their last six games. Especially the Mets, who will be easier to chase with head-to-head matchups.

But Atlanta still needs to get through two more games in Cincinnati, and the Braves need to win just about every contest remaining with only 11 left.