Who Braves Would Most Like to Face in the Postseason

We’re just two weeks away from the 2020 postseason so we start looking at who the Atlanta Braves could match up against in the first round.

It’s pretty much a forgone conclusion at this point that the Atlanta Braves will make the postseason in 2020.

With eight teams from each league getting in, it would take an epic collapse against a light schedule for the Braves not to get in.

As things stand today they’d be the second seed in the postseason because they have the second-best record among division leaders. However, they’re just a half-game ahead of the Cubs, so they could very easily fall to the third spot.

They currently lead the NL East by 3.5 games over the Miami Marlins.

Nobody is catching the Los Angeles Dodgers for that top spot in the NL, so the best the Braves can do is that second spot they currently have.

If the Braves were to drop to second in the division, which I think is as low as they’d finish with the schedule they have left, then they’d probably fall all the way to the fifth or sixth spot. That’s the lowest I see this Braves team finishing.

As long as they stay in that top four, though, they’ll avoid the Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and San Diego Padres in the first round.

The Padres, one of the most dangerous teams in baseball all of sudden, are pretty much guaranteed that fourth spot. That’s why winning the division is so big for the Braves, because the second-place team in the NL East is slotted in the fifth spot right now and would face the Padres in round one.

But spots 5-8 are changing daily, and there are teams like Marlins, Cardinals, and Phillies that have played far fewer games than other NL teams. There is still a lot of baseball left to be played for those teams.

However, right now it’s looking like it will be one of those three teams and the San Francisco Giants that will make up those final four spots.

The Rockies, Brewers, Reds, and Mets are holding on for dear life, but they’d need to go on a 7-3 win streak to even sniff that final playoff spot.

It’s likely the Braves first-round opponent will come from that group of teams.

Who do the Braves want to face the most?

Look, we all know it’s been a while since the Braves have advanced in the playoffs. This is a great chance for them to get that monkey off their back, even if they don’t have the starting pitching to make a deep postseason run this year.

Maybe let’s start by looking at the teams the Braves don’t want to face.

I’d put the Phillies at the top of that list just because they have a lineup that can hit with the Braves and two starters that can shutdown our offense (assuming Zack Wheeler is healthy). I also think their bullpen has gotten better.

The Cardinals are another team I don’t want to see in the first-round. Not because I think they’re better than the Braves, just because they seem to have our number in the postseason. But at the same time, what better way to get over the hump than taking out the team that has caused you so much misery in October?

If the Reds got in, they’d be a problem with their starting rotation. But the Braves hitters would also feast on their bullpen.

I think those are the only teams that really worry me out of the eight I mentioned above.

It might sound crazy to some, but the Marlins actually scare me a bit in the postseason — especially in a three-game series with their pitching. And, of course, the Marlins never lose in the postseason.

Obviously, if I had my pick of that group I’d go with the Giants. And they’re just a game behind the Phillies and possibly moving up to that seventh spot.

Somehow if the Mets got in they’d find a way for Jacob deGrom to start two-of-three games against us.

In the end, the Braves will face who they face, and I feel confident they can go toe-to-toe with just about anyone in the NL other than maybe the Padres or Dodgers right now.

Which team would you most like to face in the first round to see the Braves get over that postseason hump? Let us know below.