If the season ended today the Braves would not be playing postseason baseball. Yes, it's the month of August and Atlanta is officially on the outside looking in. How did this happen? For a team full of expectations, and in the preseason was favored to WIN the World Series over every other MLB team not named the Dodgers.
Yet here we are, losers of five straight ball games and currently 0.5 game behind the rival New York Mets for the final NL Wild Card spot with less than 50 games remaining on the schedule. It's felt like rock bottom on multiple occasions over the past month of baseball for these Braves. Just a couple weeks ago I wrote about all the reasons that would lead to the Braves missing the postseason. Unfortunately, we've reached those points sooner than any of us wanted.
So the question is, can Atlanta bounce back? In a season where seemingly everything has gone wrong, can the guys in the clubhouse persevere and still at least make it to the dance? After all, we know the randomness of playoff baseball. Just getting in can spur hope of a miracle run. But the Braves need to act fast, or they're not even going to have the chance.
The up-to-date NL Wild Card standings 👀
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 8, 2024
Will the Braves make the playoffs? pic.twitter.com/QdzI1GX9gO
Atlanta's upcoming road trip could determine their postseason fate
The last three-city road trip of the year is on the horizon for Atlanta. Ten games in ten days all the way out on the West coast. The opponents aren't what you would call powerhouses. However, the Braves just split a series at home against the skeleton of the Miami Marlins roster, then proceeded to get outscored 34-12 and swept by Milwaukee.
It's now or never for the Braves, and although the Rockies, Giants, and Angles aren't the fiercest opponents, they aren't just going to lie down and hand Atlanta victories. The Braves offense desperately needs someone other than Austin Riley and Marcell Ozuna to provide a spark. The pitching staff has to rebound after getting smacked around by the Brewers. And the Braves simply have to start playing winning baseball right now.
It's just a half a game deficit now and the Braves still have games left with the Mets, but they can't afford to sink any further. Fangraphs currently gives the Braves a 66.9% odds to make the playoffs (sixth best in the National League). The Mets follow them up with 43.1% odds to make the playoffs. It's likely to come down to one of these teams grabbing the final spot.
Atlanta hasn't missed the postseason since 2017. No one thought they could be in danger of doing so in 2024, but the game of baseball isn't given to you. It's time for the Braves to wake up and assert themselves back into the postseason picture.