A few days ago, the Braves potential playoff scenarios felt bleak. They trailed by a couple games in the Wild Card race to both the Mets and Diamondbacks, but momentum can shift quickly in this sport, and it has in a big way over the last week.
Due to weather, the Braves have only played two games this week, along with the Mets. But the Braves have won both of those games behind splendid pitching performances from Spencer Schwellenbach and Max Fried. The Mets, meanwhile, lost both of their games, and the Diamondbacks are in a bit of a free-fall, losing four out of their last five games.
The results have led to a three-game tie for the final two spots in the National League Wild Card race, with the Braves currently owning the tiebreaker over both the Mets and Diamondbacks.
NL Wild Card Standings
- Sand Diego Padres (92-68) — clinched
- Atlanta Braves (87-71)
- New York Mets (87-71)
- Arizona Diamondbacks (88-72)
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A couple of things worth noting. The Braves currently own the tiebreaker over the Mets and Diamondbacks. However, that could change. If the Mets win both games against the Braves on Monday, they would have the tiebreaker over Atlanta. No matter what, though, the Braves own the tiebreaker over Arizona, who currently trails Atlanta by a game in the loss column.
So, there is an ideal scenario where the Braves don’t even have to play on Monday. If Atlanta can sweep Kansas City and Arizona loses just one more game, the Braves will have clinched a postseason berth. The same also happens if the Diamondbacks are swept by the Padres and the Braves win two out of three versus Kansas City.
That’s something Braves fans should be keeping a close eye on over the weekend. Because if they can avoid wasting Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach on Monday, all their top starters will be available for the Wild Card Series, and you’d have to love their chances, no matter where the game is being played.
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Photographer: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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