The Braves are currently a first place team, and are zooming in the direction of the playoffs, looking currently at a series with Colorado (or possibly LA) to start October. The Braves have withstood competition from Washington and Philadelphia, and are looking pretty good right now, despite a few recent losing streaks.
Now, the question on everyone's mind: can a first place team like this make it far into the playoffs?
I mean, these guys have been great, but...lately they've been imperfect. A lot of the strong performances, like Ender Inciarte and and Dansby Swanson, have waned a bit since this team's apex in July. This is also a team full of a lot of fringe players, odd performances, and a lot of untested performers. This isn't the Red Sox, where everyone's been doing this and are all at their peaks. There's a ragtag, underdog quality to this team, which either means they're going big or they're going out early.
And even this late, new wrinkles are forming- AJ Minter has emerged as a crucial closer. Brad Brach has returned to being a crucial bullpen arm. Lucas Duda was a surprise acquisition that's not the worst idea thus far. And Kevin Gausman...is playing better than he ever did in Baltimore. And this is what this team pulls out right near the end.
The Braves could be a playoffs nightmare for the rest of the NL, and it's a year where the NL pennant race is wide open pretty much. They could sneak into the heat of the race, or they could fall hard. Either/or.
Coming Tomorrow- His team's playing the Yankees this week, and they're not expected to win.
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