With all the turmoil the Atlanta Braves have had in 2021 they still have all their goals within their grasp as they enter the final month of the season.
It’s honestly crazy to even write that headline with where this Atlanta Braves team was even a month ago when they were third in the NL East.
Since then they’ve held as much as a 5.5 game lead in the division before seeing that dwindle down to two games.
Still, entering the final month of the season and the last 29 games, their path to the postseason is pretty clear — win and you’re in.
And while the road ahead isn’t easy, it’s also not that difficult.
They just got done playing the hardest teams left on their schedule in the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. And while they lost all five of those games, there is some solace in knowing three of those games were one-run games and they weren’t overmatched in any of them.
This team is capable of competing with the best teams in baseball.
Braves remaining schedule
They’re in the middle of a four-game series in Colorado where the Rockies have been one of the best teams in baseball. But the Braves got off to a good start with a comeback win on Thursday.
If they can win two of the next three they’ll be in good shape coming home where they face a terrible Nationals team, the Marlins, and the Rockies.
Then they have to go back out West to face the Giants, Diamondbacks, and Padres.
The Giants are coming back down to Earth a little and are beatable. The Padres are crumbling, and the Diamondbacks are one of the worst teams in the league.
Finally, the Braves finish up at home with a huge series against the Phillies and end with the Mets.
Certainly not the easiest schedule down the stretch, but with the way this team has played since the trade deadline I feel like they’re more than capable of winning all of those series.
Braves’ Math for Holding Off the Phillies
And the Braves essentially have to win every series the rest of the way in order to stay ahead of the Phillies who have the easiest schedule down the stretch.
After some tough games against the Marlins and Brewers, they play the Rockies, Cubs, Mets, Orioles, Pirates, Braves, and Marlins.
Let’s do a little math and see how many games the Braves need to win.
The best month the Phillies have had this year was in August when they went 17-11. They’ve had double-digit losses in each month.
I could realistically see them going 19-10 or even 20-9 the rest of the way. That’s likely the best-case scenario for the Phillies, but also really possible with their schedule.
That would put their overall record at 88-74.
And I honestly think the Braves could go 19-10 the rest of the way with their schedule, and that’s predicting a series loss to the Giants and a four-game split with the Padres.
That’s also predicting a series win at home over the Phillies, which will be a big series.
The best month the Braves have had this year also came in August when they went 18-8.
As I said earlier, I definitely believe this team is capable of going on a similar run in September to clinch the division.
The path for them is clear, just take care of business and win the series that you should and perhaps sweep a series or two. Either way, I hope fans enjoy this final month of the regular season and what this team has had to overcome to put themselves in a position to win the division a fourth straight year.