The National League East division isn’t very exciting right now.
The Nationals and Mets might make the wild card, but they aren’t in the race for the division title. The Marlins are far behind, so it’s really just between two teams.
Currently, the Phillies hold a strong lead with a record of 53-28, while the Braves trail at 44-35. Some people are hopeful about the Mets, but their odds are slim at +8000 compared to the Nationals’ +25000. Realistically, they won’t win the NL East.
Braves +270
The Braves have an eight-game gap to close and won’t get Ronald Acuña Jr. or Spencer Strider back soon. Their farm system is depleted from past trades and quick promotions of top prospects. So while minor improvements before the trade deadline are possible, don’t expect any major changes.
Internal improvements could help though. Maybe Bryce Elder will pitch better or players like Matt Olson, Austin Riley, and Ozzie Albies will hit like they did in 2023 when the Braves were slugging .500 for a season (this year it’s just over .400).
If there’s hope for them , it comes from two things:
1. The Braves have finished strong in recent years. In 2022 they were 10.5 games back on June 1 but still won the division with a big finish. In 2021 they weren’t over .500 until August 6 but went on to win both their division and later the World Series after being five games back on August 1st.
Fans might think this sounds familiar!
2. Head-to-head matchups matter too! The Braves and Phillies have only faced off three times so far this season leaving ten more games against each other starting next weekend in Atlanta which gives them chances to cut into that deficit directly by beating Philly themselves.
Phillies -450
The Phillies boast an impressive offense led by MVP candidate Bryce Harper despite missing Trea Turner for several weeks and currently playing without J.T Realmuto; they’re managing fine nonetheless! Alec Bohm seems poised for a career year while Nick Castellanos & Bryson Stott show potential beyond what we’ve seen thus far.
Their rotation leads MLB by ERA also ranking second in innings pitched contributing significantly towards leading rotation WAR stats meaning not only do they prevent runs effectively but handle heavy workloads too although Ranger Suárez & Christopher Sanchez might feel strain later due expanded roles otherwise no signs indicate hitting any walls soon enough!
Add solid bullpen performance into mix making this elite team likely maintaining success throughout entire season barring unforeseen circumstances naturally…
The Play
I’m staying out of it!
If you had access to time travel grabbing Phillies at plus money pre-season when Braves seemed overwhelming favorites would’ve been smart move absent such luxury deciding whether take risk given current odds tricky personally believe firmly Philly wins division yet paying -450 bet doesn’t appeal much passing instead…
What do you think?
