#1. There’s no better lineup late in the game
This is the second year in-a-row that the Atlanta Braves have been one of the best at scoring late in games.
Being able to keep the offense going in the latter parts of the game is key, as that’s when each team’s win expectancy is at its most volatile. Maintaining production on offense can either help get a team out in front or help bring a team back if they find themselves down towards the end of the game.
🚨 JOHAN CAMARGO WALK OFF HOMER 🚨
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) May 30, 2018
Line drive into the right-field seats and the @Braves finish off another come-from-behind win.#Braves | #ChopOn pic.twitter.com/JbB5zoK9g6
The Atlanta Braves have been one of the best at doing this: maintaining a strong offense in the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings… as well as extra-innings.
First let’s look at just how good they’ve been on offense in the 7th inning and later (including extra-innings), amongst all teams in the majors:
| MLB Rank | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batting average | .264 | t-1st | |||
| Home runs | 86 | t-1st | |||
| OPS | .826 | 1st | |||
| Hard-hit% | 41.9% | 3rd | |||
| On-base% | .349 | 1st |
*Numbers through Tuesday
You better believe that will come in handy in the playoffs. And perhaps with that much success all season, the Braves’ lineup has some built-in confidence to make a comeback in the latter innings of a game or to add on runs when needed.
https://twitter.com/FOXSportsSouth/status/1152411884903182336?s=20
On Wednesday night, the Braves tacked on four more runs in the 8th and added a run in the 9th against the Kansas City Royals, in a 10-2 win. Even before that win on Wednesday, the Braves’ numbers in the 7th inning or later were basically identical to what they’ve been all season.
Since September 10
- Batting average: .257 (8th in MLB)
- Home runs: 7 (t-3rd)
- OPS: .825 (4th)
- Hard-hit%: 39.0% (10th)
- On-base%: .354 (6th)
That’s a good sign, considering the Braves will play its final series of the regular season this weekend. Like the bullpen, the late-innings offensive production is clicking at just the right time.
Does it matter that much?
A team’s ability to score runs and hit well in the latter part of a game, during the regular season, admittedly may seem like a random skill to relate to, in terms of a World Series winner. But if the past couple seasons are any indication… the two must correlate, at least somewhat.
- In 2018, the Red Sox finished the regular season as the second-best offense in the 7th inning or later, posting a .787 OPS.
- In 2017, no team was better at late-inning scoring than the Astros, who ended its regular season with a major league-high .809 OPS.
- And in 2016, the Cubs finished with the sixth-best OPS (.746) in the 7th or later, before they went on to win the World Series.
Sure, the 2015 Royals (11th in MLB) and 2014 Giants (17th) didn’t do so well in that regard. But I think we can all agree that, even as early as 2015, baseball’s offensive environment was far different than what it is today — of course, that’s if you believe the widely reported fact that the MLB baseball was altered after the 2015 All-Star Break.
Either way, I’m pretty optimistic that this specific skill the Braves possess will be just another characteristic that we all look back at… one of many reasons why this year’s team was able to go all the way.