The Atlanta Braves have found themselves in unfamiliar territory, battling for a playoff spot. After six consecutive National League East division titles, Atlanta is just hoping for a Wild Card spot so they can play October baseball in 2024.
The bad news is the Braves trail their division rivals the New York Mets for the final NL Wild Card bid. The good news is that the Braves and Mets will square off in a three game set at Truist Park starting September 24th.
For Atlanta, the next week will be the most meaningful baseball they have played during the regular season in a couple of years. To be able to sneak into the playoffs, here are some things Brian Snitker's ball club must focus in on to leap the Mets and claim the final NL playoff spot.
The Braves can't afford anymore losses or they can kiss the 2024 postseason goodbye
Of course, the Braves would like to win every game remaining on their schedule but that is a tough task. They are in the middle of a series with the Miami Marlins who are 40 games below .500. Even though the Braves dropped the first game of this series, it is very realistic to take the next two from the fish. And Atlanta did win game two of the series 6-2 thanks to great pitching from Max Fried and homers by the offense. Sunday is a must win ahead of the team's three-game series with New York.
Braves hit three homers and beat the Marlins 6-2! pic.twitter.com/LsxkxO4jYe
— Atlanta Braves Radio Network 🎙️ (@BravesRadioNet) September 21, 2024
The Mets are playing terrific baseball and have received an extra boost from Ronald Acuña Jr.'s younger brother, Luisangel Acuña. With the Braves currently two games behind the Mets, the Braves honestly need to sweep New York to give themselves a tiny bit of breathing room heading into the final series of the year against the Royals.
Kansas City is currently 10 games above .500 and as if they weren't a tough enough opponent already, they are looking to obtain an American League Wild Card spot. So, they will also be playing meaningful baseball against the Braves.
Other than the Braves, the Mets remaining opponents include the Philadelphia Phillies (current series they are in) and the Milwaukee Brewers. While both of these are good ball clubs, the Phillies have essentially wrapped up the division race and the Brewers have already clinched the NL Central. It would not be surprising to see Milwaukee resting starters during the Mets series, making it more difficult for Atlanta to gain ground in the last three games of the season.
With all of these aspects considered, for the Braves to make the postseason, they must win the Marlins and Royals series and try to sweep the Mets. Even winning just two games against the Mets would help as it would give Atlanta a tiebreaker over the Mets should both teams finished tied for the third Wild Card spot.
Continued solid starts from the Braves pitching staff
In order to meet the difficult goals of winning each remaining series, the Braves must continue getting production from their starting rotation. With all that has went wrong this season, Atlanta's starting pitching has been the one constant.
With Max Fried appearing to amp back up from injury, Chris Sale being the NL Cy Young favorite, Charlie Morton improving, and Spencer Schwellenbach showing promising signs of his future, the Braves have the arms to keep them in ballgames. However, the offense has to show up and support them or it means nothing.
Braves offense cannot afford to take their foot off the gas
Over the last few weeks, it feels like the Braves offense has had moments of quick explosions that result in an early lead but then the bats become stagnant. As a result, Atlanta has blown a few leads they probably shouldn't have, most recently a 5-1 advantage during the Cincinnati Reds series.
As good as Atlanta's bullpen and starting has been this season, they will have lapses just like everyone else. The issue lately has been that the offense is not ready to respond when those lapses occur.
Should Atlanta find their way into the postseason, important players such as Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley should be back in the lineup and the starting rotation could add another weapon in Reynaldo Lopez.
With returns such as these on the horizon, the Braves really need to buckle down over the next week to sneak into the playoffs. As we saw in 2021, all teams need to do is get to October and you never know what could happen.