Six months of baseball essentially comes down to one series for the Atlanta Braves. Win it, and they could save their season. Lose it, and the road to the 2025 World Series will begin.
The Braves host the New York Mets for a three-game set, which starts on Tuesday night, as Spencer Schwellebach will go against Luis Severino. Atlanta currently trails New York by two games for the final Wild Card spot in the National League, as they hope to extend their postseason streak to seven years.
Given all of the injuries the Braves have suffered this season, the fact that Brian Snitker and his staff have even been able to keep this team together to be in this position with an opportunity for the playoffs is somewhat amazing. However, most fans aren’t going to see it that way, and many are already questioning the way he’s lined up his rotation for the final week of the season.
Most notably, the Braves have an off day on Monday, which would have allowed them to slot Chris Sale into pitch on Tuesday on full rest, giving him a chance to pitch the series opener and perhaps the season finale if the Braves need to win to get into the postseason. Instead, Brian Snitker has chosen not to push Sale to Tuesday, giving him an extra day of rest and sticking with Spencer Schwellebach for the series opener.
The decision to give Chris Sale, who will win his first ever Cy Young award at the end of the year, the most possible chances to save the season seems rather cut and dry, but there are a few other variables to consider.
Sale is an older pitcher who has not pitched this many innings in five years, and in his last outing, he looked a little gassed. Making sure he’s 100% fueled up for one of the most important games of the season against the Mets is sensible. Plus, it also means Sale will be available for Game 1 of a potential Wild Card series if the Braves do make the postseason.
However, as we see often in the game of baseball, it’s not always wise to save your bullets for a game that may not even exist. If the season does indeed come down to that final day, and the Braves come up short without Chris Sale, Snitker’s decision-making will undoubtedly be scrutinized heading into the offseason.
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Photographer: Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire
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