It has been a remarkable season for the Braves. With Freddie Freeman's departure to the Dodgers, the Braves initially struggled. Entering June, the Braves were 23-27 and 10.5 games back of the New York Mets in the NL East. But the Braves reversed their fortunes in June winning 14 consecutive games closing the gap from 10.5 to 4 games.
By the second week of August, the Mets had pulled away with a 7 game lead, but the Braves would win 15 of their next 17 games and never again be beyond 3 games out of the division lead. However, until this past weekend when they swept the Mets, the Braves only had sole possession of first place on September 9th. It's not how you start but it's how you finish.
The Braves team which won the World Series a year ago had 88 wins in the regular season. They now stand at 101 wins. By any measure, this Braves team is better than they were a year ago. But there are no guarantees. As with the Dodgers, the Braves get a bye in the first round of the post-season and this could very well work against them.
The New York Mets might not have won the NL East, but they make the post-season for the first time since 2016 and Buck Showalter has made a difference in the dugout. It isn't the Mets faded. They haven't had a losing month this season. It's just that the Braves have been on all eight cylinders. But a few days off could make the Braves rusty and the Mets likely facing the San Diego Padres in the NL Wild Card could help give them an edge Assuming they get past the Padres this could help them against the Braves and Dodgers deeper into the post-season.
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