Magic Numbers for Braves Ahead of Phillies Series Finale

It's Labor Day, and the Atlanta Braves have another chance to push the Philadelphia Phillies further back in the battle for the National League East. So far, they've taken two out of three, giving themselves a five-game lead with one more to go in the series up north.

Since they've won at least two games, they've secured at least the four-game cushion that they arrived to Philadelphia with. If they pick up the win on Monday, they could head back to Atlanta to face the Tampa Bay Rays with a six-game lead.

Let's take a look at what some of these possible scenarios mean, including the magic numbers.

Magic Numbers for Division

The magic number for the division, according to the website Playoff Status, is 14 games. This race is far from over, but a win over the Phillies on Monday would bring it down to 12. A win for the Braves plus a loss for the Phillies would eliminate two games from that number.

If the Braves win on Monday, the earliest they could clinch the division is next weekend against the Phillies. They win six in a row, and the Phillies lose six in a row. That would mean a division celebration on Sunday at the earliest.

If the Braves lose on Monday, then the magic number stays at 14. The earliest they could clinch the division would be Tuesday, Sept. 15. The Braves would be in Chicago on Monday, but the Phillies would have the day off.

In this scenario, the Braves win out through Sunday to put the magic number to two. If the Braves that first game in Chicago, in this scenario, then they would just need a win or a Phillies loss to clinch.

As you can tell, it's likely not coming that quickly. However, if they just keep winning, they'll likely clinch the division the week after.

Magic Numbers for Playoffs

Heading into Monday, the Braves aren't that far off from clinching a playoff spot. The magic number, according to the website Playoff Status, is eight. If they win eight more games, even if every other contender behind them wins eight games, they make the playoffs.

However, that doesn't mean they absolutely have to win eight more games. It's a combination of wins and losses that make up the magic number. When other teams lose, the number shinks.

For this scenario, that makes it important to check in on the Diamondbacks and Padres are as well. They're the teams that could, mathematically, leapfrog them in the wild card race.

At this time, the Diamondbacks and Padres could still win 95 and 94 games if they were to win out. They won't, but that scenario plays a role in the magic numbers because the Braves can still win more games than either of them.

So, once neither team can win as many games as the Braves, the Braves are officially ahead of them.

When is the earliest this can happen? As soon as the Braves win at least four, and Diamondbacks or Padres lost at least four.

Status of the First Round Bye

A magic number isn't as relevant for this one, so it's not included. There's an easier way to discuss this one.

The Braves are currently one game behind the Dodgers for a bye to the National League Division Series. They're three games behind the Brewers for the best record in the National League.

For the purposes of this discussion, the Dodgers are the ones that matter more. The Braves have a tiebreaker over them. If they just tie at the end of the season, they're in. All that takes is winning one more game than them the rest of the way.

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