Braves Magic Numbers: 1 and 2
After winning a wild game against the Chicago Cubs, the Braves have trimmed both of their magic numbers down: The magic number for the Braves to clinch home-field advantage throughout the National League playoffs is now down to one and the magic number for the Braves to clinch home-field advantage through the World Series is down to two.
The Braves got some help from the Colorado Rockies when it came to the National League magic number. The Rockies played a doubleheader against the Dodgers yesterday and they took the first game before dropping the second one. A Braves win over the Cubs today will now clinch that home-field advantage.
The team the Braves are competing with for home field through the World Series is the Baltimore Orioles. Who would have thought that a team that finished last season 83-79 and fourth in the AL East would come out and dominate the way they have this year? The Orioles are currently 98-59 but they still haven't clinched their division title. With five games left in the regular season, they hold a 2.5-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays. If the Braves can pull off a sweep against the Cubs, they will clinch home-field advantage no matter what the Orioles do.
Home-field advantage doesn't guarantee anything, though; it does not mean the Braves will even make it out of the NLDS. Atlanta will likely be facing either the Phillies or the Diamondbacks in the NLDS and both of those teams are dangerous.
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