The Braves have won seven of their last nine games, primarily on the backs of the pitching staff. However, last night was a nice change of pace, with the offense jumping out to a 9-1 lead in just the second inning on the way to a 10-6 victory over the Twins.
Atlanta now sits at 71-60 on the season, 11 games over .500, which is pretty unbelievable considering everything this team has been through. The recent winning stretch has the Braves firmly entrenched in the third and final wild card spot in the National League, with eyes on several teams above them.
NL Wild Card Standings
- Arizona Diamondbacks (75-56)
- San Diego Padres (75-58)
- Atlanta Braves (71-60)
- New York Mets (68-63) — 3.0 GB
- San Francisco Giants (66-66) — 5.5 GB
- Chicago Cubs (66-66) — 5.5 GB
- St. Louis Cardinals (65-66) — 6.0 GB
- Cincinatti Reds (63-68) — 8.0 GB
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Despite the Braves recent winning ways, the Diamondbacks and Padres can’t seem to lose, giving the Dodgers a real run for their money in the NL West. As of now, the Diamondbacks are four games ahead of the Braves in the standings, with the Padres three games up.
31 games is still about 20 percent of the season, so a lot can happen, and it only takes one team getting hot behind the Braves to make things really interesting. Atlanta also isn’t totally out of the NL East race, sitting six games behind the Phillies with a four-game set coming up at Citizens Bank Ballpark. If the Braves can somehow find a way to sweep the Twins, that series all of a sudden becomes extremely intriguing.
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Photographer: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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