Well, it happened. After a loss by the Milwaukee Brewers on a Braves’ off day, the Atlanta Braves (73-67) are officially back in the playoff hunt. The loss by Milwaukee put the Braves into a tie with the Brewers for the second Wild Card spot in the NL.
The Braves hope their good fortune continues when they open a three game series against the Miami Marlins (67-71) Friday in Miami. Miami had been making a playoff run of their own at the final Wild Card spot, but just haven’t been quite consistent enough to continue gaining ground.
Atlanta’s bats will need to awaken from their slumber of the last week if they want to have any chance of putting distance between themselves and Milwaukee. While they aren’t out of the playoff hunt, Atlanta’s odds diminish with every game that passes. Having a team that is hitting solidly and consistently will greatly increase their chances of making the playoffs, as well as progressing in them.
This series is a near repeat of the last time these two teams met. Unfortunately for the Braves, that is bad news, as two of the starters in this pitched very effectively in the last series.
Game 1: Friday, September 5th, 7:10PM
Pitchers: Aaron Harang (10-9, 3.64 ERA / 3.66 FIP) vs Jarred Cosart (12-8, 3.80 ERA / 3.73 FIP)
Game 2: Saturday, September 6th, 7:10PM
Pitchers: Alex Wood (10-10, 2.92 ERA / 3.29 FIP) vs Nathan Eovaldi (6-10, 4.19 ERA / 3.32 FIP)
Game 3: Sunday, September 7th, 1:10PM
Pitchers: Julio Teheran (13-10, 2.90 ERA / 3.57 FIP) vs Brad Hand (2-6, 4.76 ERA / 4.66 FIP)
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