Braves Playoff Odds

According to baseball prospectus, the Braves have less than 1 % chance of making the playoffs. So, consider the season pretty much done. I do love how the Braves never give up, they are still playing good ball games going 8-2 in their last 10.

The Phillies have a 43 % chance at the wild card and a 48 % chance for the playoffs. Still a good shot, but I don't see it. It's going to another competitive race next season for sure. Mets, Phillies, and Braves will all be at it again, with the Braves being a lot more involved.

I took a look at ESPN's relative power index, and the Braves expected win loss totals at this point is 86-70. I figured it would be higher than the actual record (82-74). I can recall a couple of games the Braves should have won.

I compared the expected wins and loss with the other teams. Quite interesting...

Braves:86-70 Actual Record:82-74

Mets:85-70 Actual Record:87-68

Phillies:84-72 Actual Record:85-71

I don't really like making excuses, but the Braves did underachieve this season.

NL East Update

Yes, it has been awhile since my last post. During the time this blog has been dormant, a couple of interesting things have unraveled in the NL East division. For those who are a bit slow, or lack knowledge, the NL East consists of 5 teams; Atlanta Braves, Florida Marlins, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, and the Washington Nationals. Before I get to the division, I would like to mention Jeff Bennett. This guy could be a diamond in the rough, although his career has kind of been up and down, his performance last night was rather impressive. 5.2 innings pitched, 1 earned run, and 8 strike outs. Certainly something the Braves need at this time.

Anyways, here are the current standings.

On Sept 12th, the Mets had a 7 game lead over the 2nd place Phillies. To this date, they have a 1.5 game lead. If they blow this division, I would be quite happy actually. A choke job like that would really give us east rivals some Mets bashing fuel. For these last few games, I am also a Phillies fan, or rather, a fan of the Mets remaining opponents.

Sadly, there are only 9 games left for the Braves. If they could overcome a 4.5 game deficit, I would be amazed. The wild card is a long shot with too many teams involved and the Braves being another game back at 5.5.

Tonight the Braves will try to win 6 straight. Tim Hudson will go for his 17th win. Carlos Villanueva will pitch for the Brewers. Carlos looks like a decent pitcher, I hope he doesn't do too bad, because I added him to one of my fantasy teams.

Braves Rally to Take Phillies Series

A rather impressive comeback by the Braves today. It was 8-2 in the 7th inning, a sure loss right? It's nice to see the Braves are still putting in such effort considering their chances of getting into the playoffs.




As you can see from this picture, it was a pretty happy ending. I think the look on Francoeur's face is pretty funny.

-I don't know what happened to Tim Hudson, but he is stinking it up lately. That is three straight poor starts counting today. A bounce back is due.

-I don't know about Oscar Villarreal. He allowed four hits and 3 earned runs in .2 innings. Maybe another tired reliever?

-Matt Diaz can hit, and it is a shame that he doesn't play everyday. I wonder what his totals would be if he got 600 at bats a season. The platoon of him and Harris is solid no doubt, but I don't know if many realize Harris is now batting .288. Diaz is batting .350, what more does someone have to do to prove he deserves to be starting...somewhere?

-Earlier, I had my doubts about Yunel Escobar. I wondered why many people liked him so much. I have been impressed actually, and he has filled in greatly for Renteria. Really, you couldn't ask for a better time for him to show some of his talent. He's been doing well enough that there are rumors of the Braves shopping Renteria now.

The Braves will play the Washington Nationals for the next series on Friday. John Smoltz will try to out duel Joel Hanrahan.

Braves Take Game One of Phillies Series

A surprise win for me, the Phillies have handled the Braves well all season, but things didn't go so well for them this time Too bad the Braves have to play the Phillies while the Mets are running away with the division.

-Lance Cormier pitched well in 5.2 innings. He gave up only one run and struck out 5. Cormier isn't someone you want in your rotation full time, but for now he's serviceable.

-The bullpen did pretty well in preserving the win. Pitching 3.1 innings and allowing no runs. I really like Manny Acosta

-If there is anyone you want in the 2nd half of the season, that is Brian McCann. I love this kid, he having pretty good overall numbers despite them being poor compared to last season. I think this kid can be even better and I'm glad the Braves locked him up for a while.

-The other kid is Jeff Francoeur, hes been pretty solid all season, and has improved greatly compared to last season. The next step would be to sign this guy long term, and I can see that during the off-season. With the possibility of Andruw leaving, that would free up some money. Also, the new ownership seems to be more open to spending than Time Warner.

Buddy Carlyle will pitch for the Braves tonight while Kyle Lohse will pitch for the Phillies. Tough call here...I say the Braves win another.

Mets Sweep Braves

That's it folks. The season is just about done for the Braves. Anyone who is still thinking the Braves can somehow miraculously pull it off and make the playoffs is a little over their head. If you are one of those, can you seriously think this team which is just about at .500 is going to game back from a 7.5 game deficit in the NL East? The wild card is just as bad, being 6.5 games back.

The Braves got owned by the Mets, basically making their ridiculously overachieving staff look like the Braves 1998 rotation.

Another thing I find pretty funny, is that Julio Franco is back on the team after being designated for assignment.

I was hoping the Braves would at least take one or two games from the Mets to at least help the Phillies in the run. Now the Braves have to play the Phillies themselves coming up, and the best thing would be for them to get swept again. Ok, not really, but I would much rather see the Phillies win the division than the Mets.