This week has provided another example of the Braves’ flipped fortune.
They were swept by the Yankees, seeing their nine-game win streak snapped, and sat idle Wednesday and Thursday. Despite going four days without a win, they further separated themselves in the division - and they’re the only National League East club sitting above. 500.
While the Braves were off, the Phillies lost to the Rays and Diamondbacks. Arizona, among the worst teams in the league, has defeated Philadelphia four times this month. The Phillies, like the Braves, haven’t won since Sunday. While their schedule down the stretch is “easy,” their struggles against the Diamondbacks show it guarantees nothing.
Phillies slugger Rhys Hoskins also will miss the remainder of the season with an abdominal tear, another blow for the Phillies, who dipped under .500 with their latest loss.
The Mets, meanwhile, also have not won since Sunday. They were swept by the Giants this week, with two of those games coming in the past couple of days while the Braves were off. The Mets are in a freefall after going 2-11 in a 13-game stretch against the Giants and Dodgers.
The Braves, at 68-58, enter Friday up 5-1/2 games on the Phillies and 7-1/2 games on the Mets with 36 games remaining. It’s a remarkable turn of events considering their mediocrity for much of the campaign. In August, the Braves finally caught fire while the Phillies continued their own up-and-down trend and the Mets tanked.
It’s the Braves’ turn to navigate the tough portion of the schedule. They’re already 0-2 in it after the Yankees won a pair at Truist Park. The Braves open a three-game series against the MLB-best Giants on Friday before traveling to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers next week. They’ll also play a four-game series at Coors Field, where the Rockies are 43-22 despite their 58-69 overall record.
Even if the Braves limp through this stretch, it’s fair to wonder if their divisional rivals can capitalize. The Braves are the only team in the division with a winning record. The Phillies, outside one hot streak, have hovered around the .500 mark all season and have shown little reason to believe that will change. The Mets are 61-66, and firings seem more likely than a postseason push.
The Braves’ August surge has put them on the pole position to win a fourth consecutive NL East title. The question now becomes how the team will fare against better opponents – the coming stretch and a pivotal 10-game western trip in mid-September – and whether the Phillies or Mets have a late run in them to spoil the Braves’ turnaround.
