Braves Briefing: MLB.com says Atlanta's most crucial player for the postseason is...Kyle Wright?

Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com thinks that Kyle Wright is the X-factor that can be a difference-maker in October

Atlanta's a virtual lock to make the postseason at this point in the MLB calendar - the Braves odds are >99.9%, per Baseball Reference, with a 41.2% chance of winning the pennant and a 26.3% chance of winning the World Series.  

(If you wondering, the Dodgers have the 2nd best odds at 31.6% of winning the pennant and 18.8% odds of winning the World Series)

But when looking at the upcoming stretch run, MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince looked at the potential "difference makers" and selected Kyle Wright as the one that can make the biggest improvement to this roster. 

Here's what he said about the ailing Wright, currently on rehab assignments after a shoulder issue: 

Seeding is all that’s at stake for the Braves in September, but an especially important element of the home stretch will be getting an effective Wright back in the fold in time for October. That would be quite an added layer of protection for this already-championship-caliber club. Wright won 21 games with a 3.19 ERA last season but has been limited to just five starts this year because of a shoulder issue.

Having an effective Kyle Wright as your 4th member of the rotation WOULD be a significant upgrade over either a Bryce Elder or one of the rotating cast of Yonny Chirinos, Michael Soroka, etc. Hard to argue there. 

NL East Standings

Team	Record	Games Back	Action Today
Atlanta	84-44	--	@ Giants
Philadelphia	71-58	13.5	vs Cardinals
Miami	65-65	20.0	vs Nationals
Washington	61-69	24.0	@ Marlins
NY Mets	59-71	26.0	vs Angels

We Wrote It

One of the big takeaways from yesterday's 7-3 Braves win over the Giants was the statistical return of Matt Olson and Austin Riley to the hit parade: 

Olson had RBIs in the 1st and 3rd innings, while Riley launched a solo shot in the 5th and they combined for four hits and three total RBIs in Atlanta's victory today. Riley also put on an absolute clinic at third base today, picking multiple slow rollers and hot shots alike.
Atlanta may have the deepest lineup in baseball on any given day, but when these two are on their games, Atlanta also has some of the best top-end production of any lineup and it just becomes that much harder for opposing pitching staffs. 

Highlights from yesterday's victory over the San Francisco Giants

What's next for the Atlanta Braves? 

The Braves have another date with the folks over at Sunday Night Baseball, with tonight's 7:10 ET first pitch being a national broadcast on ESPN. The radio call is available in the Atlanta metro area on 680 The Fan, across the Southeast on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network, and nationally on MLB.tv.

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