The MLB postseason kicks off on September 29, and the Atlanta Braves are absolutely locked and loaded to be a featured team. Right now, they are sitting pretty, set to win their division and claim the National League’s No. 3 seed. The big prize, a bye through the Wild Card round, is still in sight if they can climb to the No. 2 spot. But to snag that, they have to make up three and a half games on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the next week. That is a tight race!
Braves’ October Road Ahead Is Full of Choices
If Atlanta holds onto that third seed, they are gonna host the No. 6 seed in a best-of-three series. Who could that be? Potentially their NL East rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies, who they are currently five and a half games up on. The Phillies are the second-place team in the NL East, and a matchup against them in that Wild Card series just two weeks out would be a serious test. Every game matters for the Braves right now, especially as they battle for that crucial bye.
Acuña Jr.’s Late Season Surge Has the League Noticing
Even though he missed time earlier this season with a couple of hamstring injuries, superstar outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. has been absolutely doing it all to will the Braves to that division win. He is healthy since coming back on July 27, and his recent play is just unreal. Over his last 18 games, Acuña is slashing an insane .366/.418/.648. Seriously, folks, that is not a typo! He has piled up 10 extra-base hits and driven in 14 RBIs during that stretch. This hot streak even grabbed the attention of Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martínez, who posted on X Tuesday night that teams better be careful with how they pitch to Acuña. When a legend like Pedro speaks, you listen.
This kind of approval from one of MLB’s all-time greatest pitchers says everything about what Acuña can do when he is locked in. It is easy to forget just how good he is after those injury setbacks. He is on pace to play roughly 110 games this year, which is more than each of his last two seasons. In 99 games so far, the 28-year-old is hitting .254/.346/.447 for a .793 OPS, with 18 home runs and 49 RBIs. He is also a threat on the bases, going 20-for-28 on stolen base attempts, and his cannon arm in right field is just icing on the cake. If Acuña keeps this white-hot play going into October, the Braves are not just a playoff team, they are a legitimate World Series threat.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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