Braves Today

Atlanta Braves Must Rally to Fend Off Mets in NL Wild Card Race

The Atlanta Braves find themselves clinging to a half-game lead for a spot in the NFL Playoffs.

CJ Errickson

Atlanta Braves first base Matt Olson returned to form in August with a .911 OPS.
Atlanta Braves first base Matt Olson returned to form in August with a .911 OPS. / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
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The Atlanta Braves NL East hopes were dashed in the team’s final regular season series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday night. After losing three out of four games to their NL East rivals, the Braves are now seven games behind the Phillies with less than a month left in the regular season. First baseman Matt Olson may have painted the best picture of the team’s current situation after Sunday’s loss.

“There’s no good way to sugarcoat it right now, it sucks losing the series,” Olson said. “We had a chance to come in today and even it up. Obviously a tight game. Grinded it out, didn’t get the win. But it doesn’t change what we’re doing going forward. We’ve got a month left. Show up (Tuesday) expecting to win, and do that every day for the rest of the season.”

However, Brian Snitker's team has a matter that should be far more pressing than the division ‘race.’

The New York Mets have won their last five games and are now a half-game behind Atlanta for the third and final wild-card spot in the National League. On Tuesday, the Braves return to Atlanta and start a seven-game home stand against three opponents, the first of whom is the 51-87 Colorado Rockies. 

There are still plenty of opportunities for the club to make the playoffs, and after that, anything is possible. No one knows how meaningless the regular-season is once the playoffs start better than the Braves.

The team has some positives to build on, and they must rely on them in the next-30 days to ensure a playoff nod.

For example, on offense, Matt Olson had his best month of the season in August, providing a spark with eight home runs and 27 RBIs—he also led the team in both categories. 

From a pitching standpoint, the four horsemen of all baseball rotations—Chris Sale, Max Fried, Reynaldo Lopez, and Spencer Schwellenbach—have combined for an average of 2.86 ERA since the All-Star Break. 

The bullpen has been frequently used and spotty, but Raisel Iglesias has been one of the best in the business. He has a 0.00 ERA in 17 appearances since the Break. 

The return of Michael Harris II has been positive. He has made many plays with his bat and arguably had the catch of the year against the Phillies.

Although every aspect of the Braves’ team has positive elements, September must be when it all comes together to ensure they make the playoffs this season.

Once they make the playoffs, anything can happen.

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CJ Errickson
CJ ERRICKSON

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