House That Hank Built
Fansided

The Atlanta Braves deserve to believe they are the best team this season

By Alan Carpenter

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 05: Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves blows a bubble as he rounds second base after hitting a solo homer in the fifth inning against the Washington Nationals at SunTrust Park on September 05, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 05: Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves blows a bubble as he rounds second base after hitting a solo homer in the fifth inning against the Washington Nationals at SunTrust Park on September 05, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – MARCH 28: A general view of Target Field during the first inning of the Opening Day game between the Minnesota Twins and the Cleveland Indians on March 28, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – MARCH 28: A general view of Target Field during the first inning of the Opening Day game between the Minnesota Twins and the Cleveland Indians on March 28, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

All Kinds of Games

The Braves have a winning record over virtually every kind of split situation you can muster: all same-league divisions, Interleague play, Home games, Road games, Extra Inning games, 1-Run games, vs. RH starters, vs. LH starters.  Heck, throw in day games and night games as well.

The closest they come to a losing record in any of these categories is against the NL West: 16-14. Everything else is overwhelming.

How many other clubs can boast this? Only the Yankees and Astros. Oddly enough, those teams only combined to reach 6 games over .500 in interleague play… so perhaps they aren’t so formidable?

You could also point to the fact that Atlanta was 11-5 vs. the weak AL Central (and Mets) (so far – 2 games to go vs. Kansas City) while the Yankees are 16-14.

Moreover, Houston vs. the NL Central (mostly) was 11-9 this year with their interleague encounters.  Atlanta? 20-13 against the Cubs/Cards/Brewers/Pirates/Reds.

42-27

Let’s focus on one of those splits for a bit longer.  That’s the Braves road record… 15 games over .500.

Only 2 teams are better than that: the Minnesota Twins (who Atlanta beat 2-out-of-3 in their park) and the Rays (who probably just prefer playing in front of fuller stadiums).

Only Boston (oddly enough) has as many as 40 road wins.  You’d think they would be better at home.  Not so this season.

Being able to handle a hostile crowd is a huge thing for playoff-bound teams, and the Braves have certainly faced their share of hostile crowd situations – starting with the opening series of the year at Philadelphia.

Perhaps getting swept then both served as a wake-up call and a means to resolve them to muster extra focus on the road? Since then… it’s been 42-24 away from Georgia.

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