Who poses the biggest postseason threat to the Braves in the National League?
2023 has been a special year for the Atlanta Braves.
The Braves are 80-43, a league-best record, and hold a 13-game lead in the National League East Division.
The other division leaders in the NL include the Milwaukee Brewers in the Central and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the West.
The Brewers are 68-57 and only lead the Central by three games. The Braves took on the Brewers in two separate three-game series in July, taking two out of three games in Milwaukee and sweeping the series in Atlanta.
Recent playoff history between the two clubs is pleasant for the Braves. The 2021 World Series title run started against the Brewers in the NLDS, where the Braves won in four games.
The Dodgers are 76-47 and hold an 11.5-game lead in the West. The Braves took on the Dodgers in a three-game set at home in May and dropped two of them. The Braves will head out to Los Angeles at the end of the month for a four-game set with the Dodgers to close out a 10-game road trip against NL West teams that should give us a pretty good idea of how Atlanta measures up.
Recent playoff history between the Braves and the Dodgers has been fairly one-sided in favor of the Dodgers, with the exception of the 2021 NLCS. The Braves took that series in six games to earn a spot in the World Series.
The NL Wild Card race is highly competitive at this point. The Philadelphia Phillies hold a three-game lead for the first spot, the San Francisco Giants hold a 0.5-game lead for the second spot and the Chicago Cubs have the third spot.
Three teams are one game back from the Cubs: the Cincinnati Reds, the Miami Marlins and the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Braves had their season ended by the Phillies in the 2022 NLDS, so a playoff match-up with their division rival would be a motivating thing for the Braves. The Braves do not have any recent playoff history with the remainder of the teams in the hunt for the Wild Card.
Ultimately, the biggest threat for the Braves is likely the Dodgers. The Braves only have a four-game lead over the Dodgers in the NL, so a losing streak could be costly.
Check out Braves Today on Socials!
Follow Braves Today on Twitter!
Like Braves Today on Facebook!
Check out the homepage for more Atlanta Braves News!
Subscribe to Braves Today on YouTube!
Get Exclusive Braves Merchandise from FOCO