As the final month of the MLB regular season winds down, the Braves are battling to secure the last playoff spot in the National League. Sitting third in the NL East, they find themselves in a tight race with the division rival New York Mets for the final wild-card berth.
After leading the league with 104 wins in 2023, Atlanta entered the season as one of the top favorites to win the World Series. Unfortunately, injuries have become a significant hurdle. Key All-Stars from last year’s playoff run—including Ronald Acuña Jr., Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, and Spencer Strider—have all spent time on the injured list.
Just as things were starting to look up for the Braves, all-star pitcher Reynaldo Lopez was placed on the 15-day injured list after exiting his start early against the Washington Nationals due to right shoulder inflammation.
Atlanta acquired Lopez in the offseason, and he’s been a vital piece to their rotation this year. In 24 starts, Lopez has an 8-5 record, 137 strikeouts, 2.03 ERA and made his all-star debut.
Pitching, however, is the least of the Braves’ concerns, with most of their struggles stemming from issues at the plate.
Last season, the Braves hit an MLB-record 307 home runs. However, 2024 has told a different story. This year the Braves’ .240 batting average ranks 18th in the majors and 11th in the National League.
Hall of Famer and former Braves infielder Chipper Jones recently appeared on the Casa de Klub podcast, where he discussed his former team’s recent issues at the plate.
“I can’t stand every once in a while not laying down a bunt for your best hitters,” Jones said. “All these things help you accumulate numbers. They don’t care. ‘One hundred RBIs? So what. I wanna hit 40 dingers.’ This is truly a ‘chicks dig the long ball’ kind of era.”
Jones highlighted Atlanta’s focus on “slug” and “power” when it comes to hitting, rather than finding any way to get on base and generate runs.
Until the reigning NL East champs can find that lost spark in the batter’s box, they continue to lean on their star-studded bullpen.
Starting pitcher Chris Sale is the frontrunner for the National League Cy Young Award. In 24 starts, Sale owns a 16-3 record, leading the league with a 2.38 ERA and racking up 213 strikeouts (as of Sept. 13).
Atlanta acquired the eight-time all-star from the Boston Red Sox in the offseason and he looks to join elite company and become the fifth Cy Young winner in Braves history. (Warren Spahn, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, John Smoltz)
With five series remaining, the Braves continue their push for a wild-card spot. Sale, Charlie Morton and Max Fried are set to start in a crucial three-game showdown against their West Coast rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Atlanta will then embark on a six-day road trip to face the Cincinnati Reds and Miami Marlins, before wrapping up the regular season at home against the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals.
