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Atlanta Braves Schedule: Key Weeks Coming Up

By Alan Carpenter

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Sep 29, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Opera tenor Timothy Miller sings sings God Bless America during the 7th inning stretch during the game between the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports

Memorial Day.  A time to stop and remember the fallen heroes that have defended our nation.  We celebrate their sacrifice with picnics, presentations, song, parades, fireworks, and baseball in their honor.

It is also Memorial Day when teams often mark the end of the first major section of a baseball season and start making decisions about what they wish to do going forward.

This year, that date might get pushed out just a little, owing to both the late start to the 2015 season (April 6) and the early arrival of Memorial Day (May 25).  Nonetheless, we have an interesting pair of weeks coming up to finish off the month of May, and a strong finish could start some wheels turning… though there will be treacherous tests ahead for Atlanta, and certainly recent injuries could play a factor.

THIS WEEK

NEXT WEEK – The California Swing

Yep, that’s what you get for being in the #1 slot, Julio:  Garza, Kershaw, and Bumgarner in succession.  Go get ’em, kid.

Note:  All pitching match-ups subject to change, of course, but this is how things currently line up.

Where The Braves Stand

More from Tomahawk Take

It’s kind of interesting to look at the standings in the National League right now.  Of the 15 clubs, only six are above the .500 mark:  Mets/Nats/Cards/Cubs/Dodgers/Giants.

That actually puts Atlanta and San Diego with the next best records (18-19 and 19-20 respectively).  As such, the Braves are 3 games behind the Nationals for the last Wild Card spot… and this after their recent torrid pace to overcome a terrible start.

Can anybody else move up?

Let’s take a look:

  • Miami.  May have just shot themselves with a harpoon by hiring their own GM to be a manager.  That said, their pitching should get better soon, and thus they might be a pain late in the year.
  • Philadelphia.  Sorry I mentioned them – moving on…
  • Cincinnati.  Seems to be more backward-weighted than not, especially if Jonny Cueto is dealt.
  • Pittsburgh.  Typically better later in the year, but they also usually don’t have the Cubs to worry about.
  • Milwaukee.  Wow, they fell fast.
  • Arizona.  Nope.
  • Colorado.  Nope+.

So the Braves have to decide whether they can overcome the following teams to get into playoff contention:  Nats and/or Mets, Giants, Padres for sure;  possibly Cubs, Reds, Pirates, Marlins.

That sounds like a lot, but you can figure that maybe half of those teams will actually be in play… the rest will stay in mediocrity.

How The Schedule Factors In

This week, we see the Rays and Brewers.  The Rays are similar to Atlanta in a number of ways, but at least this Inter-league 2-game set will be held in Georgia.  We can hope for at least a split of these games, though having 2 rookies pitch means that anything can happen.

With the Brewers, the Braves need to see at least 3 wins in the 4 games… and there’s not much excuse for anything less.  Milwaukee is the worst team in the NL right now, and almost the worst in the majors.  If the Braves think they have any shot at being contenders, then they need to pummel this team (no, I don’t know how they beat Detroit).

Now – that California thing.

The last time the Braves won a game in California was on May 13, 2014 vs. the Giants.  It was the only win in 2014, as they went Oh-for-San Diego and  Oh-for-Los Angeles as part of the disastrous 0-8 road trip as August began.  Before that, the next most recent California wins came June 8-9, 2013.  In short, West Coast travel hasn’t been kind lately.

This year won’t exactly be a cakewalk, either:  The competition will be fierce:  hitting the heart of the rotations for both the Dodgers and Giants as both teams are now hitting their strides.

Thus this year, these West Coast results could determine whether this club decides to “go for it” or “go with it”.

The Thinking

If Atlanta can dominate against the Rays and Brewers this week (4-2 or better) and then at least hold their own against the California clubs (3-4 or better), then this could make the Front Office more amenable to bolstering the lineup for the Summer.  It would show an ability to compete successfully against both the beatable and the formidable.

This team clearly could already have been in a stronger position, given struggles with both starting pitching and the bullpen.  Pitching changes seems to have stopped the bleeding for now, though other changes are continuing even now.  On the offensive side, there appeared to be more production out of center field and third base… at least until Sunday.

Injuries are already playing a role as the Braves are digging deep into the AAA organization to find replacements – though Todd Cunningham, for one, has already justified his presence.  But unfortunately, injuries are effectively excuses since the games don’t wait until health returns.  At the same time, that might make wins more impressive at this time.

So are the Braves “close”?  Frankly, given the mediocrity of the National League, the answer seems to be “yes”.

Let’s see how many this team can muster through the end of the month and we’ll then see if the John-trust agrees.

Next: The MLB Draft is 2-1/2 weeks away: here's our take

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