Even if the Braves continue at something close to their recent torrid pace and clinch the division title before mid-September, they could still have a couple of big reasons to keep the accelerator mashed and try to win as many games as possible.
For one thing, they will be competing for home-field advantage through the National League Championship Series. The Braves entered Friday with the majors’ second-best record at 70-45. But Pittsburgh was the team with the better record, and would hold home-field advantage in a potential playoff series if the season ended with them ahead.
“Home field advantage is huge in the playoffs, especially with the way we play here,” catcher Brian McCann said before the Braves put their 13-game winning streak on the line Friday against the Marlins. “We’re going to give our best effort for the rest of the way out. No matter what the standings say or anything like that.”
They led the second-place Nationals by 15-1/2 games in the NL East before Friday, more than double the next-largest division lead in the majors and the first time the Braves had a lead that big since winning the division by 19 games in 2002.
The Braves had a majors-best 38-15 home record before Friday, including 30 wins in their last 40 games. They had a 26-30 road record before sweeping six games in a trip to Philadelphia and Washington that ended Wednesday.
“That’s a long-term goal, to win home-field advantage,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “But I think we just need to keep going with our mindset of just winning series. If you keep winning series, I think good things happen.”
The Braves had a majors-leading 2.67 ERA at home before Friday, and the Pirates were right behind them with a 2.70 home ERA. No other major league team was within a half-run in ERA of those two.
“Absolutely, home-field advantage would be big,” Gonzalez said.
The other thing: Gonzalez is not a manager who believes in resting players and coasting into the postseason if the opportunity presents itself, then attempting to pick up the intensity again when the playoffs start.
“You can’t switch it off and on,” he said. “You’ve just got to win series.”
Said McCann: “We’re going to continue to play sound baseball and show up and play hard every day.”
