Have the Braves Closed the Gap with the Dodgers?

[nsacpi]

If you look at run differential the answer is no. Ours is 0.6 runs per game, same as last year. Theirs is 1.7 runs per game, up from 1.2 last year. It feels different, partly because we have outperformed our Pythagorean by 7 games.

One thing that hurt us last year is several of our players tailed off as the season wore on and continued to play poorly in the post-season.

Will it be different this year? I think a lot will turn on the guys coming back from injury. Will they be rested or rusty come the playoffs?

A case can also be made we are better now than earlier in the season. The 3 relievers acquired at the break give us a better chance to grind out the close games against good-hitting teams.

[Freshmaker]

Closed yes, but not caught. Our bench is much better than last year, and our bullpen is as well. I don’t think Keuchel and Soroka will be at all phased by the bright lights of an NLCS, and Fried and Folty will have more experience under their belt since they faced LA last year. As you astutely point out, we had a lot of guys worn out at seasons end. Once we get into mid Sept I’m hopeful that Snit will start resting Freddie, Josh and Ozzie a bit

[CyYoung31]

We haven’t even closed the gap on the Nats.

[chop2chip]

I think the gap is manageable if we get back a healthy Swanson, Markakis, and Riley (and he he plays as an +.800 OPS bat). Our rotation is fine and the bullpen is deep. Overall, the Dodgers would still be the clear favorite, but we would stiff competition.

However, the Dodgers would still need to beat Washington who I think might be the best team in the National League fully healthy.

[Southcack77]

braves control a greater amount of mlb talent than they did last year but how injuries and effectiveness line up in given moment in October is anyone’s guess.

[NYCBrave]

To me, certain teams are just built better for the post season than the regular season. Especially those with a couple of dominant starters. I see the Dodgers and Nats as those type of teams, while we are built more for regular season.

[MadduxFanII]

Worse teams than the 2019 Braves have beaten better teams than the 2019 Dodgers in the postseason. LA would still be a heavy favorite, and rightfully so, but it would be nice to find ourselves on the good end of some playoff weirdness for once.

[Buzzworm]

Yes we’ve closed the gap somewhat, but we still are a poor mans LA.Offenses are similar,Slight edge to our bullpen but
Starting pitching gap is still there but as we know all to well, it all depends on getting hot at the right time.I still think best thing going for us is if they get Nats in the first round.I’m hopeful we can be competitive in a seven game series and with a few breaks win it.

[Heyward]

They have the better rotation, lineup and bench depth, when healthy our lineup and bench depth is close with them. We dont really have anything to match with their front 3 of Ryu, Buehler and Kershaw.

Our pen is better, but baseball is weird. If a matchup happened, maybe the young guys just play over their heads some. However we have rotten luck in LA, nothing goes right when we play there. However if we hold off the Nats and the Dodgers have to face them, that will be no easy series for LA.

[The Chosen One]

Snitker's logic is since Dansby has been out for a month that he's had plenty of time to rest and is hungry to play everyday so he probably won't get a day off at all.

[Enscheff]

The Dodgers are still clearly better.

Folks are a bit fooled by the 5+ extra wins the Braves have gotten in 2019.

[The Chosen One]

Is 8 games respectable enough to be considered a winning streak.

[nsacpi]

Is 8 games respectable enough to be considered a winning streak.

Yes. You can tell from the GDTs getting shorter. Strong inverse correlation.

[The Chosen One]

Yes. You can tell from the GDTs getting shorter. Strong inverse correlation.

Can we definitively say with scientific and statistical proof that the mood swing is in full swing

[thewupk]

Can we definitively say with scientific and statistical proof that the mood swing is in full swing

It's at a Stroman level of positivity

[nsacpi]

Can we definitively say with scientific and statistical proof that the mood swing is in full swing

Yes. There is a certain demographic that stops posting in the GDTs when the team gets excessively good results.

[NYCBrave]

Yes. There is a certain demographic that stops posting in the GDTs when the team gets excessively good results.

The negative Nancys and the nervous Nellie's?

[The Chosen One]

Not gonna lie, when Maximus gave up the homer to Alonso yesterday I was at work and turned the game off to not get stressed about it.

When I saw they tied I turned it back on and the rest was a wild ride. I will say for whatever negatives Snitkers has, this team still fights to the end even after giving up leads they shouldn't be blowing. Countless times this year we were cruising to a win, then someone screws up and blows the lead and we still find a way to come back and win. For many years it seems it would be a foregone conclusion that if we blew a lead like that we'd basically checked out of the game.

But the guys still seem to be fighting out there even after that mental stress, so I guess that is somewhat a testament to Snit for that. I can't remember a Braves team quite like this that would still be chipping away at leads and not rolling over and calling it a day when they would blow a safe lead.

[jpx7]

Yes. There is a certain demographic that stops posting in the GDTs when the team gets excessively good results.

Some of us post more during boom-time, and less during bust-time, but also happen to have irregular and erratic schedules. Just FFT.

[nsacpi]

Some of us post more during boom-time, and less during bust-time, but also happened to have irregular and erratic schedules. Just FFT.

The erratics