The Braves stand face-to-face with a bizzare mirror this weekend — one that shows what the team could be with one difference.
The Braves and Pirates have eerily similar offensive numbers. Both have scored 224 runs, and the Pirates have knocked in only two more runs (214 to 212). And their batting averages differ by only one-thousandth of a percent (Pittsburgh’s .253 to the Braves’ .252).
Their starting pitching numbers are decently similar, too. Pittsburgh’s starters have compiled a 3.17 ERA compared with Atlanta’s 3.88.
But all similarities vanish as soon as the skipper taps his hand and calls on the bullpen. Pirates relievers boast the fifth-best ERA in the majors at 2.67, while the injury-and-suspension-riddled Braves relievers walk to the mound with their 4.81 ERA scraping the bottom of the league behind them.
Practically the same production from bats and starters with these two clubs. But with lights-out bullpen in their back pocket, the Pirates sit five games above .500 at 29-24, while the Braves are 26-27.
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