Braves Briefing: The NL East is trending down

After a day off, the Atlanta Braves are in Toronto to take on the Blue Jays in a three-game series. They'll head to Texas and play the Rangers to end their six road games in six-straight days to get us through most of May.

READ: Atlanta Braves Hope to Survive a Brutal Stretch of Games

Atlanta has been in first place in the NL East for most of the 2023 MLB season and as more time goes on, their footing in the division seems to get stronger. The Atlanta Braves are at 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are one of only two teams in the NL East with a winning record over the last week and a half and are now the only team with a winning record for the season.

NL East Standings

Here are the records for the last 10 games.

Braves - 7-3
Miami - 4-6
Philadelphia - 4-6
New York 3-7
Washington 6-4

Here are the full standings for the NL East.

Team	Record	GB	Action Today
Atlanta	25-12	-	@ Toronto
Miami	19-19	6.5	Hosts Cincinnati
Philadelphia	18-19	7.0	@ Colorado
New York Mets	18-20	7.5	@ Washington
Washington	16-21	9.0	Hosts NYM

We wrote it

The Braves have some runway in the division race to figure out how to survive without Max Fried and Kyle Wright. As Editor-in-Chief Lindsay Crosby wrote about yesterday, this amazing offense gives Atlanta a bigger margin for error:

And with the way the offense has been putting up tons of runs almost every night, it definitely helps cover up any pitching issues. Entering Wednesday's game, Atlanta was first in the National League in runs per game (5.47), total bases per game (15.83), and OPS (.809). They were second in home runs, at 1.64 per game, and the top four of the lineup (Ronald Acuña Jr, Matt Olson, Austin Riley, and Sean Murphy) have combined for 33 home runs, 111 runs, and 101 RBIs, powering Atlanta to a NL-leading 32 first-inning runs.

READ: Can the Atlanta Braves replace Max Fried and Kyle Wright from within?

What's next?

First pitch for Friday's opener is at 7:07 PM ET, with Chris Bassitt facing off against Spencer Strider. The telecast, with Voice of the Braves Brandon Gaudin, is available on Bally Sports Southeast. The radio call, with Ben Ingram, is available locally on WIFN 1340 AM/103.7FM or outside the Atlanta market on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network or MLB.com

It's Spencer Strider Day - get hyped!

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— Lindsay Crosby, big baseball guy (@CrosbyBaseball) May 12, 2023