The Atlanta Braves are in a wild chase. In the race for the NL East title, Atlanta finds themselves looking at the Philadelphia Phillies' backs. As of the time of writing, Philadelphia holds a massive nine-game lead over Atlanta in the East. It's quite an uphill battle for the team to climb.
During the Braves' last win over the Phillies, Brian Snitker was asked about the Phillies' lead on them in the NL East. The manager noted that the team had been in this position before, reclaiming the division despite the New York Mets' ten-game lead in 2022. (via MLB on FOX)
“We made 10 games up on the Mets a couple of years ago. We can't look ahead, we just have to stay in the present and win today's game.”
The Braves had a great start to the season, but injuries and a decline in play caused them to fall in the standings. At the same time, the Phillies started to peak, eventually leading to this situation they find themselves in. The silver lining for Atlanta is that they are still in the Wild Card race due to their solid record.
Still, anything is possible, especially as we're in the midway part of the season. A nine-game deficit is large, but it's not insurmountable. As Snitker said, the Braves need to focus first on winning the games in front of them before worrying about chasing the Phillies. You will trip over yourself looking forward to your opponents instead of just measuring your steps first.
Braves having a rough year
It's been tough for the Braves this season. They came into the season with high expectations, as is the case for them usually. Ronald Acuna Jr was coming off an MVP season, and Spencer Strider was set to become an ace for the team. In addition, the rest of the lineup was rounding up pretty well, and the acquisition of Reynaldo Lopez and Chris Sale boosted a starting rotation that was severely lackluster last season.
Well, the starting rotation has looked better than ever. Sale is having a Cy Young-esque season, and Lopez is somehow playing better than Sale at times. Even with Strider's season-ending injury, Atlanta's rotation is one of the best in the league. The bullpen remains as strong as ever for the Braves, with old heads like Jesse Chavez and Dylan Lee leading with Pierce Johnson and the reliable Raisel Iglesias closing games.
It's been the offense that has lost the Braves more games this season. Last season, Atlanta was one of the most explosive offenses in the league. They got into the habit of jumping teams early in the first inning with bomb after bomb. However, after Acuna's freak ACL tear that ended his season, the team just hasn't been as consistent. There are flashes: yesterday's win against the Phillies saw the Braves put up five runs to support Spencer Swellenbach's excellent start. However, those outbursts have not come consistently this year.
The Braves are hoping to start recovering and making up that lead slowly but surely. Winning this series over the Phillies will help make up some of that lost ground.
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