The Braves let one slip away against the Reds on Tuesday night, putting their playoff lives in peril.
After building a 5-1 lead in the fourth inning, the Braves (81-70) allowed five unanswered runs to the Reds in a 6-5 loss. Making matters worse, the Mets (83-68) hammered the Nationals, 10-1, extending their lead over the Braves to two games in the battle for the NL’s final wild-card spot.
Atlanta has lost three in a row, four of its last 10 games and is 28-27 since the All-Star break.
Per Baseball Reference, it entered the day with a 38.8 percent chance to make the postseason. When the season’s second half began, the Braves’ odds of reaching the playoffs stood at 95.8 percent.
Atlanta has sorely missed second baseman Ozzie Albies (left wrist fracture), third baseman Austin Riley (right hand fracture) and outfield Ronald Acuna Jr. (torn ACL), who are all on the injured list.
Per FanGraphs, since the All-Star break, Atlanta ranks 20th in team batting average (.237) and 16th in runs (234).
The lack of production at the plate has squandered the team’s strong pitching staff, led by Cy Young favorite Chris Sale.
With 11 games remaining, the Braves still have enough time to potentially regain their edge in the standings and make it to a wild-card series. But they’re trending in the wrong direction and are without several key contributors during their crucial late-season stretch, which includes a three-game series at home against the Mets from Sept. 24-26.
If they miss the playoffs, it would be a sign of how quickly things change. It was only a year ago that the Braves had the best record in the majors, 104-58.
In a preseason preview of the NL East, The Athletic wrote, “On paper they’re better now,” while projecting the Braves to win 95 games and finish atop the division.