The Stretch Run

[Georgia_dad]

The Braves have 38 games remaining. 12 series that will make or break their playoff chances. Being 7 games back in the East and 4 1/2 in the Wild Card makes the next 3 series even more important. With 3 vs. Padres, 3 at Phillies, and 4 at Marlins, I think by September 4th the Braves will either be in the thick of it or on the outside looking in.

I've heard commentators say it will take the Braves at least 90 wins to make the playoffs. I don't think that will be enough. 92 or 94 is more like it. To win 90 games the Braves need to go 24-14, that's a .632 clip. To win 94 games they must go 28-10, a .737 clip.:eek:

Since the All Star break they have gone 22-13, a .629 winning percentage. They are going to have to hold their own vs the Phillies, Marlins , and Mets and not get beat by the likes of the Pardes, Nationals, or Astro's. Add in 3 games at the Cardinals who are up or down depending on the day of the week and things get interesting.

The Stretch Run:

Braves:
3 vs Padres----(1-2)
3 at Phillies----(1-2)
4 at Marlins----(2-2)
3 vs Reds------(0-3)
3 at Astro's----(2-1)
3 at Cardinals--(3-0)
3 vs Mets-----(3-0)
3 vs Phillies----(0-1)
3 at Mets
3 at Nationals
3 vs Marlins
4 vs Nationals

Since 8/25 ----- 12-11...........Phillies----14-10.....Marlins----14-10.....Rockies----12-11.....Giants----13-9.........Dodgers---14-9

[Extra Innings]

If they win every series, 2/3 and 3/4 then they will have 26 wins over that stretch and would possibly be the hottest team in baseball. They have to beat the bottom dweller teams and fight hard against the better clubs. Those upcoming series at Philly and Florida could tell alot about the direction of the team. Its going to be a battle through September.

[chip&smoltz95]

here's an interesting little bit of info.

a lot of the remaining games should be against divisional opponents, so here's a breakdown of teams with records against their own division (with games vs. divisional opp. remaining):

phils 30-20 (19)
braves 27-19 (26, 7 of last 10 games vs. nats)
marlins 25-19 (28)

dodgers 33-15 (24, last three against rockies)
rockies 23-25 (24, last three @ dodgers)
giants 21-24 (27)

outside of the two-division leaders, the braves have a pretty good chance to make the playoffs based soley on this. hopefully, this means the rockies will cool off soon.

[Georgia_dad]

The Phillies

I think have the hardest road to hoe. They are in the mist of 13 games in a row right now. Even though they are 6-2, they finish this set with 3 games vs the Braves. After a day off they play 14 games in 13 days ending with a doubleheader vs the Mets. They finish the season with 14 games in 13 days starting with a doubleheader at the Marlins. This makes the 3 game set coming up vs the Braves even more important. If the Braves can tighten the race, it could keep the Phillies from resting their starters down the stretch. Can the Braves catch the Phillies if they start running low on gas?

The Marlins

They control their own destiny. With 7 games vs Braves and 6 vs the Phillies, they can be right in the thick of things very quickly. They are one of a few teams that don't have to play 12 or 13 straight games to end the season. Those days off will pay dividends.

The Rockies

7-1 so far in the mist of a 13 straight game stretch. But....they are about to play 16 games in 16 days. That run ends with 6 on the road. Brutal! They stay on the road for a 3 game set vs Diamondbacks before heading home for a 9 game home stretch.

So where does that leave the Braves? First, they need to stop losing games to teams that are 19-40 on the road. Good Grief guys! Fatten up on the bottom fodder. Sweeping the Astro's, Reds, and Nationals will make the job a lot easier. There's 13 wins right there. Take the next 2 from the Padres, that makes 15 and now you're half way home to 94 wins.

Sounds simple on paper doesn't it?

[xholdourownx]

I'm really worried about the team's chances after losing these last 2 against the Padres. But who knows? We may sweep some of the top teams to make up for it and get us right back in there.

I think our team is looking great right now. There aren't many changes I would make. If our team was playing like this the whole season, who knows how things would have played out. I don't want to say maybe next year, but next year is looking pretty good to me.

[Georgia_dad]

I added the Phillies, Marlins, Rockies, and Giants to the running total in the first post. I will add each teams game by game record as I have time. Until then, it's just the running total for now.