What does the Atlanta Braves schedule hold down the stretch?
By Josh Mathews
NL East games: Mets (9), Marlins (7), Nationals (7), Phillies (7)
Of the division games, there will be 23 games against opponents that are above .500. Certainly, there’s enough talent on each club to win the division.
The Washington Nationals, like the Atlanta Braves, shored up their bullpen at the trade deadline, acquiring Daniel Hudson, Roenis Elias, and Hunter Strickland.
Other than that, they are the same team we’ve battled to a 6-5 record with.
Juan Soto, Victor Robles, and Anthony Rendon are an excellent offensive core. Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer (if healthy), and Patrick Corbin are a hard trio to beat. Add in a solid Anibal Sanchez, too.
After losing a two-game series in May, we’ve won two series and split another. The key to beating the Nationals is surviving their starting pitching to get to their typically cushy bullpen.
The Philadelphia Phillies have become the 2019 poster child for underachievement in baseball, and with good reason. Three hundred and thirty million dollar man Bryce Harper isn’t performing like it, with a .249 batting average, 19 home runs, and 73 RBI. Though, despite the large salary, he’s still a formidable foe.
Rhys Hoskins, Jean Segura, and others make the offense a legitimate threat.
Aaron Nola has been solid in the starting rotation, but the struggles of pitchers such as Jake Arrieta and Zach Eflin have hurt the Phils, along with a bullpen that’s dealt with its share of injuries and ineffectiveness.
After being swept in three games to open the season, the Atlanta Braves have handled things against the Phillies, going 6-2.
As odd as it may sound, the question could be asked: Are the New York Mets the Atlanta Braves biggest threat?
A rotation of Jacob DeGrom, the newly acquired Marcus Stroman, Noah Syndergaard, and Steven Matz is good even when they aren’t all performing at their peak levels.
If they start to, however, the Mets could really do some damage, and quickly.
The Mets offense is spearheaded by Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil and hasn’t been great at times this season.
However, with their pitching, the Mets presumably can hit a little bit less than your average team. Prior to the acquisition of Marcus Stroman, we’ve gone 6-4 against the Amazins.
The Atlanta Braves have gone 11-2 against the Miami Marlins. That’s the definition of dominance, to be sure.
However, one cautionary tale is that manager Don Mattingly has sneakily built what can be a strong and challenging pitching staff despite not having anything close to a household name.
Caleb Smith and Jordan Yamamoto have developed into solid starters, while relievers like Austin Brice and Jarlin Garcia have been impressive.
Offensively, the Miami Marlins called up a couple of prospects that could have an impact in Isan Diaz and Lewis Brinson.